By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -
Art from the heart: Ada Armas holds a drawing of several hearts made by children who attend the Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco. It was a gift for the donation that the Armas family made toward the construction of the new building for the LLC. At left are Father Yader Centeno, administrator of St. John Bosco Parish, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski speaks about the vitality of the Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco and the difference that the education and care it provides is making in the lives of the children in the program.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski looks on as Piarist Father Yader Centeno, administrator of St. John Bosco Church, makes a few remarks about the need to nurture not only the minds of children, but their spirit as well.
As a means of giving back to a community that gave them so much as immigrants, Ada and Jose Armas (at left) helped to fund the construction of the new building at the Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco. With them in the photo is LLC board member and supporter Norm Jean (center) and LLC Exectuive Director Mirta Fuentes.
A new place to learn and play: With computers ready for use, students can do homework, learning activities, and even play games in the new building of the Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco.
Cuban-born Miami Pop Artist Carlos A. Navarro created the murals that decorate the interior walls of the new building at the Leadership Learning Center.
A view of the new classrooms, tables, chairs and place to learn and play for students of the Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco.
Inspired by words like "love, health, achievement and leadership," Cuban-born Miami Pop Artist Carlos A. Navarro created a mural that decorates the interior wall of the new building at the Leadership Learning Center. A large mural of the same painting decorates the second floor of the building.
Photography: CRISTINA CABRERA JARRO | FC
MIAMI | An after-school program for immigrant children, with a state-certified curriculum and state-of-the-art technology: It may seem incongruous among the tourist imagery of music and dominoes in Little Havana. But such a place exists smack in the heart of the community, just a few blocks away from the home of the Miami Marlins: the Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco.
The after-school program has existed for over 50 years as part of the church’s ministry to its ever evolving immigrant community. Over the years, hundreds of students have successfully walked through its doors, played and learned, while their families received financial help and spiritual support.
Photographer: CRISTINA CABRERA JARRO| FC
Archbishop Thomas Wenski speaks about the vitality of the Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco and the difference that the education and care it provides is making in the lives of the children in the program.
Eight years ago, it was renamed the Leadership Learning Center and established as a non-profit organization. As immigrants continue to move into Little Havana — now not only from Cuba, but from Central and South America — the LLC’s waiting list continues to grow. And so did its own need for help.
A couple of years ago, that help came in the form of a donation from Jose and Ada Armas. The money helped pay for the construction of a new building next to the original single story structure being used by the LLC on the St. John Bosco property.
An immigrant himself, Jose Armas remembers attending Mass on Sundays with his family at St. John Bosco during the 1960s. At the time, the church’s pastor, the late Msgr. Emilio Vallinas, and the community of St. John Bosco were welcoming the first waves of mass migrations from Cuba.
“St. John Bosco was important when we originally got here,” said Armas. “It was a big part of our memories growing up. And I was blessed by God to be in a position to be able to help and be of service to others and give back. I’m just very grateful.”
“To us it was just a blessing,” said Ramon Rodriguez, the LLC’s assistant program director. “Usually when someone tells you, ‘I’m going to donate you a building,’ you think, ‘Oh, that’s my dream.’ To see it happen and come together, it’s been amazing.”
After two years of construction and anticipation, the LLC celebrated the official dedication of its new building Jan. 22.
The expansion allows student enrollment to grow from 85 to 250, and the staff to grow from 11 to 20. The two story building will house kindergarten through fifth grade students, while the original building will be used for students in middle and high school. The LLC still has a waiting list of 700 students.
“I believe this is the beginning of something great, but something great that needs our help and our cooperation,” said Piarist Father Yader Centeno, administrator of St. John Bosco Parish. “Education is always important, but we should not only educate in terms of the intellect and the sciences; we need to educate the spirit. These installations are prepared just for that. To educate the intellect of the children, to educate the spirit, and to make possible, in this place, the creation of men and women who will respond to the needs of the future, and as citizens who will be responsible and respectful of others.”
The self-stated goal of the LLC is to “help children become leaders.” While providing after-school tutoring and enrichment programs, the LLC also guides children to develop leadership skills. It encourages academic and personal excellence, hard work and teamwork, and fosters community-building. The goal is to show students that they can raise their families out of poverty and build a brighter future not only for themselves, but for the entire community.
The LLC takes particular pride in moments when their students achieve in the classroom.
“We pride ourselves in not only the assistance that we are able to render but the joy of our students’ success,” said Mirta Fuentes, the LLC’s executive director. “We currently have three of our alumni attending Ivy League schools. All these momentous triumphs would not be possible without the time, love, energy and resources of everyone involved since day one.”
“We cannot deny a future for these children,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski. “They have a dream,” even if they were brought here by their parents “without papers.”
”As they grow up here, they talk like Americans, they eat like Americans, and we should try to make sure that they always dream like Americans,” the archbishop said.
Photographer: CRISTINA CABRERA JARRO| FC
As a means of giving back to a community that gave them so much as immigrants, Ada and Jose Armas (at left) helped to fund the construction of the new building at the Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco. With them in the photo is LLC board member and supporter Norm Jean (center) and LLC Exectuive Director Mirta Fuentes.
