Syracuse Artist Helps Bilingual Program Receive

Donation From Gifford Foundation

By Laritza Salazar

SYRACUSE, New York On Monday, Syracuse Universitys cultural center, La Casita,

along with the educational program MANOS, will celebrate the arrival of a new donation
a box of umbrellas for children. The gift comes from the Gifford Foundation, which
provided the umbrellas at the urging of a local artist, Juan Cruz, who works with Near
West Side children engaged in MANOS.

Lately, the children, ages three to five, at the Seymour school, have been forced by
rainstorms to skip the walk over to La Casita on 109 Otisco St. Their absence concerned
Cruz.

I love these kids, theyre 4 years old and theyre beautiful, he said. I always say, to
save the world you have to start with the little ones, not the grown-ups. Forget about the
grown-ups.

MANOS works with children from Seymours Dual Language Program. Once a week the
students walk over to La Casita, a place dressed in vibrant Latin culture, to engage in
activities that aid them in cultivating Spanish and English languages. The children read,
sing, play and create art with a bilingual narrative driving the activities. In recent weeks,
heavy rain disrupted the childrens weekly visits. Seymour provides neither a bus nor
umbrellas for getting to La Casita.

MANOS works with children from the Seymour Dual Language Program. Once a week
the students walk over to La Casita, a place dressed in vibrant Latin culture, to engage in
activities that aid in the cultivating of the Spanish and English language. The children
read, sing, play and create art with a bilingual narrative driving the activities. Yet, in
recent weeks, the inevitable rain that visits fall have disrupted the childrens weekly
visits, since the school does not provide umbrellas for the children or transportation.
I love these kids, theyre 4 years old and theyre beautiful. I always say, to save the
world you have to start with the little ones not the grownups. Forget about the
grownups, said Juan Cruz, an artist who works with La Casita and took the initiative to
reach out to the Gifford Foundation.

That particular day was a Thursday. I was enthusiastic about their arrival, and then
they didnt show. I thought Id buy them umbrellas but then my car broke down and I
couldnt make it happen,. said Cruz. So I brought the idea to the Gifford Foundation. I
know the director, Dirk, I know all the staff. I thought, I dont have the money but
maybe they can give something. They do so much for the neighborhood.

The Gifford Foundation is a private organization that donates to local causes. To Cruzs
luck, the foundation moved forward with his request and ordered an umbrella for every
child in the MANOS program. The gesture sparked Cruzs idea to have the children paint
the umbrellas, a way to both honor the gift and the programs initiative to keep the kids
artistically stimulated.

This program is designed to be an outlet for students, said Luma Trilla, the
programming coordinator at La Casita. They can either volunteer, and to be a link to the
community. To provide them with a cultural space. Part of us being here is preserving
the culture of Hispanic people.

La Casita also has a bilingual library open to the public, and once a week they hold a
reading circle to engage children ranging from eight to 12 years old. She believes
providing that bilingual education early is essential for the future success of the
children. Such a skill possesses a variety of applications in a country where over 50
million people speak Spanish, according to a 2015 study done by the Cervantes Institute.
Although speaking two languages has become more common, Cruz was not afforded the
same opportunities as the children he works with.

When I came to this country, I was five years old, said Cruz. I never left the house. I
didnt know English, I didnt know too much Spanish either. And the weather? Forget
about it. I came from Puerto Rico to New York City. It was cold and windy and no leaves
on the trees. When I went to school I didnt know what the teacher was talking about.
But Id just write down everything she was writing on the blackboard. I didnt know
what the hell I was writing. But seeing these kids brings back memories. And theyre
getting a good head start. But I was behind at their age. I was always behind, and Im
still behind, and I dont know what will happen when Ill die. Ill probably be the last
person in line too. said Cruz.

Cruz arrived in Syracuse after the SU offered him a scholarship to continue his artwork
and has since contributed heavily to the art and Latin community in the Near Westside.
He has since joined forces with Trilla, Anita Arango the family liaison for MANOS, and
Teresa Paniagua the director of La Casita and Spanish professor at Syracuse University.
Arango works with Latino families to help children learn Spanish through MANOS and
believes that the influence that Cruz has had is not limited to the children.

Juan is a wonderful person he shares his ideas and thoughts with us and the children.
We just love him so much because he is really great with the children and with the
program. said Arango.

Now well into his 70s Cruz still holds a vibrancy that is hard to miss and come by.

Juan is wholehearted and unafraid in the way he lives his life, the way he explores his
art, and the way that he connects with people. We started this program in the summer of
2014 and it has been tremendously successful. We hope we can continue to develop this
program for years to come. said Paniagua.

La Casita will invite the children from Seymour Monday morning to get their hands on
the umbrellas that will be theirs to keep. Cruz proposed that the children should print
their hands in paint to reflect the program itself, MANOS, which means hands in
Spanish. He still keeps the sketch he drew of speckled umbrellas when he first thought
of the idea he would later bring to the Gifford foundation a sketch that reflects the
power of putting pencil to paper .