Yesterday I shared with you how schools, community groups and churches can work together to help parents increase their children’s likelihood of success in life through the evidence-based, bilingual program Raising Highly Capable Kids.
Developed to build stronger families by empowering parents, Raising Highly Capable Kids helps parents understand what foundational building blocks their children need to exhibit the positive behaviors – and avoid the negative behaviors – that will ultimately help them do well in life.
Today, during National Hispanic Heritage Month, I want to share with you how one company, Goya Foods, is helping families thrive by sponsoring Raising Highly Capable Kids in one of its communities.
Putting a rich heritage’s values into practice
Goya Foods is the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States. Specializing in authentic Latin cuisine, Goya products are a mainstay in many Hispanic homes and kitchens around the world. The company has plants and distribution facilities around the world, including in Houston, Texas – where Spring Branch Independent School District (ISD) is located.
Spring Branch is home to large immigrant communities who are in need of support. Like most parents, its moms and dads love their children dearly. However, some of these parents don’t have the tools they need to help their children thrive in life.
That’s why Goya, a family-owned company, decided to step in and help equip these parents with the knowledge and resources they need to raise their children well. For Goya’s Unanue family, partnering with programs, scholarships and activities that benefit families, children, and community wellness is a natural part of their family-centered Hispanic heritage.
And here at Focus on the Family, we’re thankful for Goya’s support, because together we’ve been able to make a positive impact in Houston.
Equipping parents and changing families
Over the past two years, several hundred parents have participated in and graduated from the Raising Highly Capable Kids program. The proven success in Spring Branch has even helped forge a new relationship with the Fort Worth ISD, and we soon expect to begin a new series of classes with 1,000 parents!
These families are really benefitting from Raising Highly Capable Kids (known in Spanish as Hijos Altamente Capaces). Often, in tears, they tell us their stories. Here are just two:
- Maricelli, a mother of three children, shared that she and her husband frequently fought over their dissatisfaction with how they were raising their kids. All that changed after the couple took part in Hijos Altamente Capaces.They quickly learned several ways to approach parenting together, and they soon had hope that their children could achieve something in life. And although Maricelli had never graduated from anything before, she graduated from this course. For her, it was a point of pride to have their children see their parents set a goal and achieve it – and to know they did it, together, for the good of the family.
- Sixto attended all 13 classes in the course, despite working two jobs between 2 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day. Sixto’s behavior at home was so markedly different from before that his wife and kids couldn’t help but smile and laugh when they saw Sixto apply what he learned at home with them. They rewarded him with a standing ovation on graduation day.
Sixto was so encouraged by Raising Highly Capable Kids and the community he found with the men who took the class with him that he’s now helping facilitate a second class on Friday nights so other fathers can benefit the way he did.
It’s stories like these that motivate Focus on the Family – and Goya – to continue moving forward with Raising Highly Capable Kids.
As I mentioned yesterday, if you want to be a part of how Raising Highly Capable Kids is making a difference, there are three main ways you can do so:
1. Help introduce Raising Highly Capable Kids into your community. The program can benefit from the support of local business partners in addition to schools, community groups and churches.
2. Support Raising Highly Capable Kids and its efforts to equip parents through a generous donation. Just $50 will provide one at-risk family with a 13-week curriculum that can transform lives.
3. Pray for the schools, community groups, businesses, and churches implementing the Raising Highly Capable Kids program, and for the participating families.
I hope you’ll prayerfully consider supporting Raising Highly Capable Kids in one (or all!) of the three ways I’ve outlined above.
And to my Hispanic brothers and sisters in Christ – I’m delighted to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with you, and recognize the many contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to our country. ¡Un abrazo fuerte! (a warm hug)
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