Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/105709
Sara S ara Holtzinger talks with her hands, hugging her way through the children at Madison House, explaining why it is her privilege to work there. Some of the kids are timid, but even those soak up the attention, clearly not ready to let her go as she moves past them and to others. Each student has a story, and she wants it told. Some of those stories will wait, though, until they can be told in private. Holtzinger is the director of development for Yakima's Union Gospel Mission, but her passion is for the children and for her faith. She's also the key to involving the tree fruit industry in the mission's outreach to the children of industry workers, though she likely won't admit to that, crediting instead the volunteers from the industry. From a prominent family in the tree fruit industry, Holtzinger said that Madison House serves 250 to 300 students annually, with approximately 40 students committed to come every day for tutoring. She said that Madison House instructors, especially the head of educational development Gané Bourgeois, work closely with the Yakima School District and have access to student records, enabling them to track the student's progress in classrooms and to guide them to complete their education successfully. They believe these students should have the same opportunities and dreams that their wealthier public school counterparts take for granted. "It has been a great privilege to raise our own family with the resources from the bounty of the Washington fruit tree industry," Sara said. She and her husband, Mark, have been able to provide their three children a quality education, and to raise them in a safe, healthy, happy Each child's needs are considered as his or her "journey" is developed. 10 FEBRUARY 1, 2013 GOOD FRUIT GROWER Sara Holtzinger makes it her job to know and love the children at Madison House. Alejandro Guzman is just one of about 300 students who use the facility yearly. environment. She wants similar opportunities for her Madison House children. "The youth at Madison House are primarily the offspring of migrant labor," she said. "Whether born here or in Mexico, they have been born into the confines of intergenerational poverty. They do not know the comforts of having a safe, happy home and neighborhood. For many, a healthy family meal is nonexistent. Most come from unemployed single-parent households where domestic violence is high, gang relations common, and substance abuse prolific." extra help or who have been suspended from school and need a tightly supervised program to get them involved again. And they have fun with tennis, games, boxing, and even a big-screen television for entertainment. A nutritious meal is Ground zero served regularly as well, with the students volunteering to act as servers. Madison House, at over 17,000 square feet, is really a home for children who need one. "They are gifted kids in art if they have the opportunity," added Sara, an art aficionado herself. "That's why I stress having the fine arts as an integral part of their growth at Madison House." To help staff appreciate what these kids endure, Sara has formed a partnership with Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health to work with those children who have suffered from human trafficking and the sex trade—things most parents assume happen only in other countries, third-world countries— not to children in their own public school system. By working with Comprehensive Mental Health, she knows which kids are at greatest risk, and she serves as an advocate for them to help them have options. And for students who get suspended from the schools, Madison House gives the students another chance before they're expelled. As an advocate for the children and a public face for the work going on at Madison House, Holtzinger uses the generosity of the tree fruit community to make a real difference in the lives of children. Madison House sits squarely in the middle of a ten-block radius of poverty. It is Yakima's ground zero, she said. "It's hard to measure in a quantitative way how successful we are at Madison House," Holtzinger said. But she does personally witness each child's progress. "These children take responsibility for each other, for their cousins, because pain and hardship are so commonplace in their lives." As an example, Sara explained that one girl from Madison House comes to her home regularly to do her homework either alone or with school friends. "It's a safe place," she said. Instead of witnessing violence that is too common in her own house, the girl sees that a home can be quiet and stable and loving. Creative and bright, this girl has a place to practice for a school play with friends or to do activities with the Holtzinger family: simple things like growing tomatoes in the backyard or preparing a meal. Of course, the staff at Madison House can't bring all of the students into their own families, but they do have a mentorship program that they coordinate with the local YMCA. They have educational resources for students who need "These children take responsibility for each other." —Sara Holtzinger • www.goodfruit.com