My Nonprofit Reviews

As Program Manager of People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos, it is a great pleasure to write a review in support of the Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center. Our program, a grassroots project based on literature directed to adults who have not had the opportunity to access formal education, has greatly benefited from our partnership with the MCIF in several ways. We have witnessed the breath and quality of their programs through our contact with their clients, as well as their great work on behalf of the community. We have worked with groups of adults in their ESL classes for many years. Because our program is based on the reading aloud and discussion of literary short stories—including Gabriel García Márquez and James Joyce among others—we have been able to evaluate the importance of MCIF´s efforts in teaching and promoting reading, the acquisition of the English language, as well as other cultural, linguistic and educational tools with programs that help immigrants succeed in this country. The MCIF provides us with great support, and the participants in turn are able to benefit from the contact with classic writers where they could express their inner wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the texts through their own life experiences. It has enabled us to value MCIF´s focus on the fact that people will learn more readily and enthusiastically if the learning process brings about greater self-confidence. The programs at the MCIF have contributed to their clients’ successful outcome in their classes and in life, motivating them and improving their communication skills. The Center and their staff have a shortage of basic needs that are important to maintain their status of excellence. We believe the MCIF should be granted all the possible means to continue their good work and their contribution to a more just society. People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos support them fully.


Alma Concepción
Project Manager
People and Stories-Gente y Cuentos
(609) 213-3039

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