Redlands Christian Migrant Association
402 W. Main St., Immokalee, FL 34142
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORMER RCMA PRESCHOOLER WINS
GROWERS’ SCHOLARSHIP
The daughter of farm workers, a Homestead
Senior High School graduate has begun her freshman
year at the University of South Florida in Tampa,
thanks in part to the $3,000 George F. Sorn
Scholarship from the Florida Specialty Crop
Foundation.
Lupe Cisneros, 18, was recently honored at the 65th annual convention of
the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association in Naples, where she was joined by her
parents, Maria and Atanacio Cisneros, and staff from the Redlands Christian
Migrant Association, the state’s largest non-profit childcare provider. Miss
Cisneros and four of her seven siblings began their education at an RCMA
childcare center in Homestead.
Miss Cisneros excelled throughout her public school career, graduating
among the top 25 in the Class of 2008 at Homestead Senior High. An honor roll
student, Miss Cisneros worked weekends at a pharmacy to help meet growing
financial demands. She also found time for numerous extra-curricular activities,
including the MiniCorps service club, soccer, varsity volleyball, the French Club
Honor Society and the Chess Club.
Over the summer, Miss Cisneros completed a practical nursing program,
passed the nursing board exam and became a licensed practical nurse. In
August, she started at USF, majoring in nursing. She plans to pursue a master's
in nursing and become a family nurse practitioner.
“I just want to help people,” she says.
Miss Cisneros’ parents migrated from Mexico in 1989, searching for a
better life in the United States. They worked at Homestead plant nurseries as
they raised six boys and two girls and still live in a Homestead labor camp. Five
of the children attended RCMA’s South Dade Child Development Center as
infants and preschoolers.
“I was at RCMA from a few months old until kindergarten. I loved it,”
recalls Miss Cisneros. “I remember dressing up, house-keeping and nap time. I
also did a lot of dances, and I remember story time because some of the parents
and people from the community would come in and read to us. … Some of my
teachers are still there.”
Field trips to the Miami Seaquarium, Miami Metrozoo and the circus also
stand out vividly – not only for Miss Cisneros but her mother, who was among
parent chaperones. “That’s the only time my mom got to go to those places. She
never would have gotten to go if she hadn’t gone with us.”
The Maitland-based Florida Specialty Crop Foundation, which awards the
George F. Sorn Scholarship, raises funds for causes important to Florida
agriculture and the people and communities that make it possible. Mr. Sorn, of
Orlando, is a retired FFVA vice president and serves on the RCMA Board of
Directors.
The first winner of the George F. Sorn Scholarship was Nanci Palacios,
who graduated in 2007 from Durant High School in Plant City. She attends
Hillsborough Community College in Tampa; her parents are former migrant farm
workers.
RCMA was founded in 1965 in the Redlands farming area of Miami-Dade
County to provide children of migrant workers with a safe place to go while their
parents worked in the fields. A nonprofit, nonsectarian association, RCMA
operates more than 70 childcare centers in 21 Florida counties, serving
approximately 8,000 children, mostly infants and toddlers.
Children receive the quality care, nurturing and early education they need
to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. English-language acquisition is a priority,
and children are assessed three times a year to track their progress in seven key
domains of learning. RCMA also operates two charter schools.
Agribusiness has been a strong supporter of RCMA since its creation, as
neither farmer nor farm worker wants children in the fields. To this day, growers
and agribusiness representatives serve on the RCMA Board of Directors and
provide financial and in-kind support.
RCMA is funded by local, state and federal grants, as well as the
generosity of businesses, individuals, the United Way, and other organizations.
For more information, see www.rcma.org and www.ffva.com.
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Posted Oct. 7, 2008
For more information ontact:
Matt Bokor
RCMA Director of Community Relations
(813) 951-3721
mattb@rcma.org