Elma and James Aldrete – Griffith Family Legacy Awardees
Please join us on October 30th as we recognize Elma and James Aldrete as our Griffith Family Legacy Awardees for their volunteer leadership with AVANCE-Austin:
“With AVANCE, you get so much more than you give. When you see-first-hand the compassion and courage of our teachers and parents, you take pride that even the smallest of tasks is helping elevate the dreams and life prospects of an entire family.”
-Elma Cantu Aldrete
Elma and James Aldrete will both credit their parents for instilling a commitment to community service. Elma grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, the daughter of two public school teachers. Her mom was a bilingual education teacher, and her dad taught Spanish to children during the day, and ESL classes to adults at night. James’ parents were both from the border as well. James’ mom started her career as a special education teacher in Del Rio, and his dad, an attorney fought to integrate school districts throughout West Teas to ensure Hispanic children had equal access to quality education.
For over ten years Elma volunteered as a member of the Board of Directors, serving as Board Secretary, Tresurer, Vice-Chair and Chair. Alongside her fellow community leaders on the Board, Elma helped the organization transition through some precarious times, away from an overreliance on declining government grants, through two Executive Director searches, and an overhaul of by-laws to ensure the organization’s sustainability, independent from outside forces.
A higher education administrator, Elma brought her experience in HR and systems management to help establish a solid foundation based on best practices. James works as a political marketing specialist, and his firm’s creative talent have donated their time to build out a new website and develop marketing materials that highlight the compelling stories of AVANCE moms – a message that is especially relevant in a time when immigrants are too often stereotyped and scapegoated.
There’s still time to purchase your tickets for the 2019 Valor y Sueños Luncheon!
