Valor y Sueños 2017 Cover Mom: Carolina y Diego

 

Diego* was too isolated, worried his mother, Carolina*.

Carolina worked a demanding job that resulted in Diego spending lots of time alone with his grandmother in an apartment complex in the out skirts of town. Carolina grew concerned about her son’s social development when she saw Diego’s reluctance to interact with other children, and noticed that his communication abilities were not as mature as other children in his age bracket. Carolina remembered talking to an AVANCE representative at a community resource fair and decided to participate in their program. She hoped that AVANCE would provide Diego with a safe and comfortable learning environment where he could learn to socialize, play with children his own age, and progress in his communication skills.

Once the program started, she noticed an immediate shift in Diego’s disposition – once self-conscious and timid, Diego was now joyous and self-assured. Carolina also grew in confidence. Similar to Diego, she too had been very isolated before AVANCE. At AVANCE, she connected to a circle of friends, compassionate and resilient mothers who wanted the absolute best for their children. Through AVANCE, both Diego and Carolina found new communities of support and belonging, which only brought them closer together as a mother/son team.

*Names have been changed for confidentiality

 

 

Want to hear more AVANCE success stories? Join us at this year’s Valor y Sueños Luncheon to not only hear inspiring stories from AVANCE-Austin graduates, but also provide significant support to ensure that very young children and their parents have the chance to thrive in our community.