TRP Honors Community Heroes
Clockwise from top left: Oscar Torres, NCP's Conference Sign, Martha Monrroy and Cooper Dual Language Academy
Pictures by Alex Fledderjohn, Eric Young Smith and Alex Morales
Pilsen has been blessed with ordinary people who have dedicated their life and time to improve the quality of life of their community. Those making every effort count, making life better for their neighbors and their families, are noticed by community based organizations and consequentially honored for their commitments.
On March 26th the "Getting It Done: New Tools for Communities" conference organized by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation/Chicago's (LISC/Chicago) New Communities Program honored around thirty of those community heroes, highlighting their achievements and commitment to their community and to society overall. By LISC honoring those who are out there, at the grassroots level, exploring, organizing, and implementing initiatives, they in turn seek to inspire all to continue bolstering opportunities for their communities.
Among those recognized, two are from Pilsen. Not too long ago, Oscar Torres noticed that his parish, St. Ann’s, was financially struggling and about to close its doors. His efforts to stop this from happening, inspired by his passion and family’s history with the church, led him to organize many fundraising events—such as church festivals and golf outings—to raise the thousands of dollars needed. As his commitment for the community became stronger, he began volunteering and recruiting like-minded people to mentor at-risk youth for St. Pius V parish. He also volunteers with TRP’s summer Resurrection Basketball League, wearing many hats – cooking, coaching, as organizer or anything else that is needed. Such involvement in the community has led him to become mentor to several youth who have affinity for community work. Mr. Torres works for the city’s Office of Emergency Management, and through this position he has been able to leverage city services beneficial to our community.
Also recognized was Martha Monrroy, principal for Cooper Dual Language Academy in Pilsen. During her tenure she has been able to increase the overall academic achievement of her school, improving student attendance and creating dynamic programs for students and their families. Her savvy background on school administration comes from her 15 years experience at Orozco Academy, where she practiced as teacher, program coordinator and administrator. During her time at Orozco Academy she attained her Master’s degree, becoming living proof to all students that education is a lifelong process worth pursuing. Currently, she also serves as a member of Pilsen’s New Communities Program Education Taskforce and was instrumental in the organizing of the first-ever Pilsen Education Summit.
Chicago, with its rich history of social action, continues to see its good share of superb citizens achieving for the common good. Such recognitions prove that acting on your faith and values can yield positive results to the community. The Resurrection Project is proud of such leaders, as they are nationally recognized as exemplary models destined to inspire new generations of community builders.