When our program coordinator, Mae Gallardo, was in elementary school, her mom was diagnosed with cancer. This rocked her family to the core as everyone struggled to come to terms with this health crisis. But, during this challenging time, a special teacher reached out and changed their lives.
Ms. Yap, a teacher Mae had two years before, connected her family with a holiday assistance program because she knew it would be a tough year with their rising medical bills. The program Ms. Yap referred them to provided Mae and her brothers with holiday gifts and school supplies, things their family couldn't afford anymore. Without Ms. Yap, Mae and her siblings wouldn't be able to feel and act like kids again, and her family wouldn't be able to experience the joys of the holiday season.
Often it's someone like Ms. Yap who sees beyond the current hardship and zeros in on a child's potential. Educators have helped many children overcome challenging situations, allowing them to grow into wonderful people, like Mae did. Sometimes the full impact of their work isn't revealed until years later. But that doesn't mean it isn't valuable, appreciated and meaningful to the students and their families. Sometimes it just takes one person to change your life, and for Mae it was Ms. Yap.
15 июн 2022
