When their twin sons were six months old, Margus and Deysi moved to Los Medanos Village apartments. Their twin boys started to crawl the day they moved, and their parents were thankful for more space for their boys.
“It was a blessing. We went from living in one bedroom as an entire family to an entire two-bedroom apartment,” says Margus. As grateful as they were for the apartment, they were equally grateful to connect with the Hope Solutions’ onsite Youth Enrichment Coordinator, RoseMary.
“It was funny; our boys thought RoseMary lived in the community center because she was always there,” says Margus “Our apartment was upstairs from the computer lab, and when the boys would jump and run, we would tell the kids, remember, RoseMary lives downstairs. You
need to behave.”
“The youth program started in 1st grade, but RoseMary said I could come with my boys when they were in preschool and gave me a table where they could color and learn and borrow books. She made time for me,” says Deysi. The kids in the Youth Enrichment Program support each other. RoseMary knows the homework for each grade and encourages them to help each other. Now the boys help the program – they have volunteered at summer camps and now tutor the younger kids.
Margus graduated from Los Medanos College with AA’s in Administration of Criminal Justice, Liberal Arts & Humanities and Spanish. William Goodwin, Hope Solutions’ Resident Empowerment Program Leader, and RoseMary were there to celebrate the event. He used the Youth Enrichment
Program’s computer lab to complete his essays and assignments. Deysi is also enrolled in college, finishing the ESL program at Los Medanos College and working on her degree. She wants to be an interpreter to help people like herself. There were several semesters that both Deysi and Margus were enrolled in school at the same time. “Some couples have hobbies they like to do together; we did homework together.” Last summer, Margus graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Criminal Justice Studies and a Minor in Spanish, and RoseMary
was there again to celebrate.
“I went to school to give my family better opportunities and a better future. I made a goal to finish school before they went to high school, and I did.”
Margus recently started a new position working for the probation department at juvenile hall. “As soon as I graduated, I started looking for positions. It took a while, but it’s awesome to work with kids. It’s an opportunity to encourage them to behave better and do better when released. I remind them they are not alone,” says Margus.
“By seeing their parents furthering themselves, the boys focus more on their education,” says RoseMary. This fall, the boys are starting high school. They both finished middle school with GPAs over 4.0 and are looking forward to new activities in high school. “RoseMary is our second mom. She’s always been there for us. She hasa big heart. She helped with everything, finding services and learning English. It was good to always have that support,” says Deysi.