She Kicks It — By Helping a Community Thrive

Sherry Stanley is on a mission to give immigrants the best life possible.
By Anna Patterson





Louisville locals are familiar amongst the hustle together with bustle of Churchill Downs. The roar of the stands on Derby day. The parade of perfectly groomed horses mounted amongst brightly dressed jockeys.

But what most are non familiar amongst is what happens on the backside of the track.

Churchill Downs employs well-nigh 1,000 maintenance together with “behind the scenes” rails workers — 70-80 pct of them are Spanish-speaking immigrants from Republic of Guatemala together with other Latin American countries. Many of these workers practice non utter English linguistic communication together with receive got problem adjusting to life inwards Louisville.

For those workers, Sherry Stanley is at that spot to help.


Sherry is the manager of Backside Learning Center (BLC) at Churchill Downs, together with she has a pump for Latin American people.

After graduating amongst a marking inwards journalism from Butler University, Sherry straight off joined the Peace Corps. She did a stint inwards El Salvador, together with her experiences at that spot inspired her to pursue a career inwards international development. For several years, Sherry worked inwards Chicago assisting immigrants who were victims of domestic violence. Seeing the experiences of immigrants inwards this province was transformative together with gave her a novel appreciation of sacrifice. “Not merely anyone tin acquire inwards in a novel country,” Sherry says. “It takes a for certain bird of both tidings together with confidence.”

So when a director’s position opened upward at the BLC inwards 2013, it was the perfect gibe for Sherry.

The Backside Learning Center kickoff opened its doors inwards 2004. It operates every bit an independent programme of the Kentucky Derby Museum together with is located at Churchill Downs. Although at that spot are no formal ties to the track, Churchill Downs gives the BLC a edifice gratuitous of accuse together with pays utilities, which allows the BLC to operate on a minor budget.

Sherry considers the BLC a critical resources for the backside population. Its principal focus is pedagogy together with answering questions well-nigh American life. “About thirty to xl people walk through our doors every twenty-four hr menses amongst questions well-nigh driver’s licenses, IRS issues, appointments, schoolhouse notes,” Sherry says.

The BLC offers English linguistic communication classes 5 days a calendar week during afternoons together with evenings inwards improver to fine art classes, guitar classes, together with community outings. Hours revolve approximately the operate schedules of the backside workers, which laid about earlier dawn together with become until like shooting fish in a barrel afternoon.

Individuals alive inwards barns together with dorms at the track, but because families cannot, the BLC started a programme inwards 2014 called the Family Education Program. “We had a realization that a lot of women weren’t accessing programs — families also,” Sherry says. “We at nowadays offering after-school homework assistance together with English linguistic communication classes for moms together with dads.”

Sherry has a truthful passion for nonprofits, but she believes it is non for everyone. “Your destination should never hold out to brand money,” she says. “You actually receive got to pursue what makes you lot happy. If that is working amongst people, helping the community — it’s an extremely fulfilling expanse you lot don’t become into for money. You practice it for the gratification of helping people, developing relationships amongst people. I can’t imagine working inwards whatever other field. It’s together with then rewarding, together with you lot run across together with then many wonderful people.”

For to a greater extent than data well-nigh the Backside Learning Center together with how you lot tin help, view their website.
Sumber http://www.todayswomannow.com/
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