By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Lucia Myers knows the feeling of being a stranger in her country. As the daughter of a father who migrated from Mexico to be a farm worker in the U.S., Myers grew up speaking Spanish and English in a southern California neighborhood shared by African Americans and Latin Americans.
It was an area rich in history and strife.
Myers dropped out of school, and at age 15 became a stay-at-home mom.
Years later, Myers is here in Ohio helping Latinx neighbors find their places here. As the new executive director of LaConexion of Wood County, she is using her experience to help others.
She arrived in Northwest Ohio about 10 years ago.
“I fell in love with an Ohioan who was in the military,” she said, of her husband who grew up in Fulton County.
“We came here with our luggage to an empty house,” she said.
Myers began working hard to elevate herself to a position where she could help others facing the same difficulties she did.
All along the way, people recognized her potential and encouraged her to reach for more.
She began volunteering for Head Start, where she was pushed to get her GED. From there she didn’t stop. Myers went on to get an associates degree at Northwest State Community College, then a bachelor’s degree at Bowling Green State University, and is now working on a master’s degree.
Throughout her schooling, she continued doing volunteer work, helping out nine agencies with language classes, fundraising, grant writing and networking.
“Through volunteering I was able to assess some of these programs,” Myers said.
“LaConexion plays a pivotal role guiding people to these resources,” she said. “The outreach workers we have play a vital role.”
As the new executive director, Myers wants to continue the services already being provided by LaConexion, and extend them to more people in need.
Myers is aware she is following in the footsteps of the organization’s beloved founding director – Beatriz Maya, who moved to Texas about a year ago.
“She was the driving force of LaConexion. She did the work of four or five people,” Myers said of Maya.
The programs offered by LaConexion help Latinx community members break down barriers and navigate life in an English-speaking area. So some of the most sought-after programs offer English as a Second Language courses for children and adults.
The organization also provides translations for ABLE pamphlets explaining the documentation required by schools, translations for health care instructions, and help navigating social services.
LaConexion also works with local governments to build collaboration and eliminate disparities, and to make sure institutions provide translation services. The organization has formed a good relationship with the Wood County Health Department, Myers said.
“If people don’t have access to health care, that affects so much,” she said.
The organization is also teaming up with local banks to offer a financial literacy program. And help is provided to help families find housing. For many Latinx people, the housing crisis is often worsened by language barriers and low incomes.
