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Talk/Read/Succeed!

A special treat for some great moms

A special treat for some great moms

Mother’s Day came early at Sullivan Apartments.

And in the big way.

At this Springfield Housing Authority family development, mothers were treated to a fine lunch, good company, and even a few door prizes, courtesy of the Talk/Read/Succeed! program that treats early literacy as a family affair.

Mothers filled the Sullivan Community Rooms at the noon hour, eager to share a meal and enjoy some quiet time with their neighbors, in the kind of bonding that makes for healthy communities.

Sullivan Apartments mom Maria Colon helps Talk/Read/Succeed! Program Coordinator Zenaida Burgos serve up the Mother’s Day lunch.

T/R/S! Program Coordinator Zenaida Burgos, who hosted the event, served up cheese lasagna, salad and rolls, with a smile for every mother who arrived and a bit of help from volunteer moms. The room filled up for the event.

Burgos said she hosted the luncheon as a way to show appreciation for the women who mean so much to their families, and who show they care every day in ways big and small.

“It’s so important to celebrate the mothers in our developments,” Burgos said. “They’re mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. They do so much for their families and their communities, and we want to celebrate that.”

Sullivan mom Yomary Smith with her daughter, Yairelize Vazquez.

SHA Executive Director Denise Jordan said the event underscored the agency’s support of families, and of the parents who are at the heart of success stories among youth.

“Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate all of our mothers, and to be aware of all the good things that they do for their families. It’s great to see that happening at Sullivan,” Jordan said.

For their part, the mothers who were treated to the lunch were pleased.

“Just having us all together like this is really nice,” said Maria Colon, a Sullivan resident who helped serve the lunch and take care of guests. “Everybody appreciates it.”

Yomary Smith brought along her nine-month-old daughter Yairelize Vazquez, and both enjoyed the fine meal and company.

Sullivan mom Anna Navarro.

“I love this,” Smith said. “It’s good. It’s a free time for us and a time to share with each other. Being a mother is so great, and being appreciated for that is very nice.”

Anna Navarro, the mother of two boys, agreed.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s so nice to be appreciated. It makes all of us feel acknowledged. You don’t hear of too many places doing something like this.”

Betsy Bonilla, the mother of three, said she was also feeling appreciative for the lunch.

Sullivan Mom Betsy Bonilla.

“It’s great to be recognized for the things we do for our families. It’s also a chance to spend some nice time with our neighbors,” she said.

Special guest was SHA Resident Services Director Pamela Wells, another mother who felt solidarity with the Sullivan moms.

“It’s always nice to be appreciated for the things we do for our children and our families,” Wells said. “And here at Sullivan through our T/R/S! program, that is being taken to a higher level.”

Door prizes for the lucky moms.

In its 10th year, T/R/S! is a collaborative program that encompasses housing, schools, the City Library, museums and other services including health, for a united focus on families and early literacy. SHA developments involved are Sullivan, Robinson Gardens and Duggan, along with their feeder elementary schools Boland, Dorman and Indian Orchard.

The Sullivan lunch was provided courtesy of AC Produce of Main Street, Springfield.

 

 

1785 days ago / Talk/Read/Succeed!
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