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Outreach focuses on Hispanic youth Mentoring program is one of several offered by Ayalla Foundation for Educational Equality By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Moving from Mexico to Medford as a teenager was tough, recalls Laura Penland, 17, who arrived three years ago, just in time for high school. A language barrier was only the beginning of a cultural acclimation that continues today. Now, however, the North Medford High School junior has the help of someone who understands and the support to pursue a productive future, thanks to a new foundation dedicated to the needs of Hispanic youth. Through the Ayalla Foundation for Educational Equality, Penland meets weekly with Marisol Casad, 29, who moved from Bolivia to the United States as a teenage exchange student in 1988. "I know what she's going through," says Casad, who's part of the Ayalla mentoring program, one of several outreach efforts. Meeting one-on-one, Casad aims to encourage Penland as she finishes high school and moves into college, where she hopes to pursue a career in the medical field, perhaps as a doctor. That personal relationship is mirrored in the larger goals of the educational foundation started in May by Laz Ayalla, a local real estate developer, and his wife, Diana. Ayalla got the idea to start the foundation after attending a class at Rogue Community College in Medford and noticing a decided dearth of Hispanic students. He asked a few questions and discovered that Hispanics make up only 1 to 2 percent of RCC's enrollment. "The more I dug into the issue, the more intrigued I became," Ayalla says. He had $50,000 that he thought should go toward scholarships. But Ayalla was concerned that Hispanic families wouldn't know those funds were available. Instead, he decided, the money would be better spent on efforts to inform the community about options. "In our home, it is a given that education is important," says Ayalla, the father of children ages 5, 12 and 14. Sending that message into the wider community is the job of Argelia Whittington, executive director of the new group. A former advocate for Hispanic services at Southern Oregon University, Whittington is now responsible for running an agency with a $90,000 budget, three staff members and big dreams. She's planning a community forum in Medford for Saturday, for instance, an all-day gathering aimed at Hispanic families. She's created a cable television show, "Entre dos Culturas" - "Between Two Cultures" - which explores relevant issues, and she's created the mentoring program, which serves students at six area high schools. "There is a big need in the community," says Whittington, who moved to the United States from Mexico a dozen years ago. "The kids need somebody to help them. The main purpose is to help them in school and help them set goals." So far, the foundation has been positively received in a community saturated with small nonprofits. A board member recently donated the cost of a part-time assistant for Whittington. Community members have volunteered funds. Hispanic outreach advocates in Josephine and Klamath counties are calling for similar programs in their area, Whittington says. That's because the need is so great, says Stephanie Johnson, principal at Washington Elementary School in Medford. At her school, one in five students is Hispanic, and staff work tirelessly to reach them and their families. "Anytime we can bring our Hispanic population into the school, that's a good thing," says Johnson, who supports the weekend forum. To reach the Ayalla Foundation for Educational Equality, call 770-7414. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.