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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
Eighteen years ago, Antonieta Pintor first stepped into a small apartment on Townsend Street in Santa Ana. It served as one of the first KidWorks neighborhood centers.
Nearly two decades later, our May 2024 “Volunteer of the Month” reaches out to parents in the community to encourage them to enroll their daughters and sons in our programs.
“To say that Antonieta is a tireless ambassador for KidWorks would be an understatement,” says Sonia Rios-Guzman, our Family & Community Engagement Manager.
Antonieta is especially active in our Parent Advisory Council, a group formed over six years ago to strengthen the bond between KidWorks and the families we serve.
“Antonieta is a wonderful advocate and steward for KidWorks in the central Santa Ana community,” Sonia says. “She distributes flyers and information about our programs throughout her neighborhood and at area schools.”
Sonia adds, “She is constantly on the lookout for ways to connect with other parents, telling them about the opportunities at KidWorks that would benefit their children. She doesn’t think twice about lending a hand to support her neighbors.”
This year alone, Antonieta has logged more than 50 volunteer hours at KidWorks.
In addition to serving on the Parent Advisory Council, our Volunteer of the Month also regularly lends a hand at various KidWorks events during the course of the year. This includes our Christmas store where parents can shop for holiday gifts at a greatly discounted price (where proceeds go towards a benevolence fund for families in need), distributing Thanksgiving food baskets to struggling families and our Trunk or Treat fall event in October.
Sonia has seen Antonieta emerge from her natural shyness to become proactive in sharing ideas with KidWorks’ staff and members of the Parent Advisory Council.
“I try to voice my thoughts and help other parents whenever they’re in need,” Antonieta says. “I’ve learned many good skills by being a part of the Parent Advisory Council; I try my best to implement what I’ve learned.”
One of her ideas that’s been adopted is free bus transportation between our Townsend and Dan Donahue centers for ninth through 12th grade students. This gives parents and students an added measure of safety, especially during times when it gets dark earlier and KidWorks programs for youth continue into the early evening hours.
Being an actively engaged KidWorks parent has been one of Antonieta’s key areas of focus.
“I enjoy helping my peers and connecting them with resources,” she says.
All of Antonieta’s children have been involved with KidWorks:
Daniela, Jorge and Natalia are all still enrolled in KidWorks programs.
They’ve participated in our after-school programs, as well as our spring and summer events.
Antonieta has instilled in her children the same commitment to serving others as she asks of herself.
They’ve all volunteered at KidWorks community service events such as neighborhood clean-ups and street fairs.
In her spare time, Antonieta enjoys walks with her family and their dogs. She’s also an excellent cook, often preparing dishes for the Parent Advisory Council, such as mole, which is a traditional dish made in her hometown of Guerrero, Mexico
Antonieta is representative of the many parents who volunteer at KidWorks in countless ways. She’s planted the seeds of service, academic excellence, leadership and faith in her children as well as in so many others.
Thank you, Antonieta, for all you have done on behalf of the community and KidWorks.
By Glenn Leibowitz, volunteer writer
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