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When she was five years old, Julie (Juliana) Villanueva first stepped into a KidWorks’ classroom as a preschool student. Now a freshman business major at Orange Coast College, Julie overflows… Continue Reading
KidWorks plants the idea of pursuing a college and university degree in the minds of our students beginning with our state-licensed preschool and throughout their time with us.
That’s why we’re so grateful that Concordia University Irvine selected KidWorks as one of the organizations to be part of their annual ConcordiaServes volunteer event, held Sept. 24.
Concordia University Irvine is a private, nonprofit Christian university educating nearly 5,000 students.
Nine Concordia students spent several hours with our preschoolers at our Dan Donahue Center, doing crafts, playing games, experiencing yoga and enjoying other fun activities.
Rachel Cervantes, Volunteer Manager at KidWorks, says interacting with the Concordia students helps our preschoolers begin to see higher education as something for them, even if their first college course is years in the future.
“ConcordiaServes Day gave our youngest scholars a meaningful connection with someone visiting them in their classroom and also serving in their very own neighborhoods,” Rachel says.
She adds, “The event was an ideal opportunity for our preschoolers to meet young adults who look like them and to hear about how they are chasing their dreams of higher education and great careers.”
The university describes ConcordiaServes Day as a way for “alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, donors and friends around the world to serve where they are, in the way they can.”
KidWorks thanks Erika Sanchez for making sure KidWorks was part of the university’s sixth annual event.
Erika is HSI (Hispanic Serving Institutions) Project Director, at the Irvine campus, a member of the KidWorks Board of Directors and a KidWorks alumni. She is also the first in her family to pursue a higher education degree, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology from Biola University and her master’s degree in transformational leadership from Azusa Pacific University.
“Erika is an example of how KidWorks’ College & Career Success Initiative™ (C&CSI) prepares first generation college students for higher education beyond high school and includes our College Apps Academy, Campus Crash, engagement with our college counselor, care packages for our college students and more,” Rachel says.
Erika says that in addition to inspiring our preschoolers, the event was also very meaningful for the Concordia students who participated.
“Most of the students are early childhood education majors and are interested in working with young children,” Erika notes “This was a perfect opportunity for them to put what they are learning into practice.”
Erika says she hopes KidWorks will continue to be part of future ConcordiaServes events.
Rachel and all of us at KidWorks are grateful for Erika and Concordia’s partnership with KidWorks.
“This year alone, Concordia donated 250 backpacks filled with supplies and 10 new balls for our sports court, plus a new play kitchen, floor puzzles, kinetic sand and fidgets for our preschool,” Rachel says. “Concordia’s support and love is deeply valued.”
By Glenn Leibowitz, volunteer writer