Spelling bee to raise money for Glen Ellyn children's center

If not for the Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center based at Lincoln Elementary School, Ida Alfaro says first grade for her 6-year-old daughter, Nativida, would not be going as smoothly as it has.

With an 8-month-old at home and nothing more than an eighth-grade education, Alfaro does not know how much help she could offer her daughter with her homework.

Four nights a week, Nativida stays after school and is one of about 50 students who get hands-on tutoring help from volunteers at the center.

"It helps me out a lot," Alfaro said. "She loves the program and she comes home excited. And it gives me time to do my things while she's still in school."

Today, in the center's only annual fundraiser, at least 13 teams of community residents will compete in a spelling bee. Teams represent Hadley Junior High, Glen Ellyn Public Library and Lincoln among others.

Spellapalooza begins at 7:30 p.m. at Glenbard West High School. Teams paid $500 to enter and all proceeds will go to the center.

Tickets, $5, are available at the door or during the day at Glen Ellyn Bookstore, 475 N. Main St.; Renaissance Art Studio, 481 N. Main St.; and Bells & Whistles Snackery, 405 N. Main St.

Much-needed helpAs she sits at a desk and reads "New Old Shoes" by Charlotte Blessing, Nativida is helped along by Erin Wolaver, one of the center's many volunteers, a Glen Ellyn resident and first-year Loyola University student. She has been an intern with the center for roughly six months.She said Ida Alfaro's story is one she has seen repeatedly. For various reasons, the parents cannot help their children with homework. Glen Ellyn has a growing African refugee population and language often is a barrier in the children's studies."That's one of the reasons this program is so helpful," Wolaver said. "A lot of these parents cannot speak English. Because of this, they cannot help them with their homework."As Wolaver has become more familiar with the students, she said it has been easier to read the children and understand their strengths and weaknesses. With the center populated with about one-third immigrants, one-third African refugees and one-third American-born students from low-income homes, Wolaver said gauging students' skill levels is not as easy as just finding out their ages."That's something to get used to; to remember where they come from," she said. "Some are older, but they just got here six months ago."During a recent trip by the Glenbard West High School freshman student council, 14-year-old Kelly Klink said volunteering at the center gave her a different perspective on education and she would definitely return."It seems like a hard job," she said. "It's hard to get them to focus. But it feels good just connecting with the kids who don't have as much and just being there for them."Funding the centerAlthough center Director Jessica Rozga expects a raucous and fun time at tonight's Spellapalooza, the importance of the night to the center's existence is not lost. The event serves as a fundraiser to help offset the center's $150,000 annual budget. Most of that balance comes from donations and grants.The nine-member board of directors has investigated opening a second site and has received enough interest from both Glen Ellyn districts 41 and 89 to expand. But that process has been hindered by what board Treasurer Kasey O'Connell called a financial "Catch-22.""The larger grants are out there but we can't go after them because we don't serve enough children," O'Connell said. "Our grants tend to be smaller amounts of money so we cannot expand. But we're disqualified from the larger ones because we don't serve enough children."In 2002, the Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center opened in an apartment complex in town. Since that time, enrollment has increased from about 20 to more than 50 students a day. However, it still operates with just one full-time employee, Rozga, and two part-timers. District 41 also now donates space to the after-school and summer programs.As for the programs themselves, they are relatively inexpensive to run as many of the materials used are donated by community parents and teachers."It's a natural, seamless transition where kids can come for extra help," Rozga said. "They are cared for and parents have felt more than welcome to come."Time for homeworkDuring a short break from reading Blessing's book about a pair of shoes that travels the world and becomes a prized possession to those who receive them, Nativida talks about the center's volunteers and staff.She talks about literary coordinator Zack Zidek, or "Mr. Zack," and his arts and crafts sessions that Nativida considers her favorite part of the night. There is Glen Ellyn resident and former Lincoln Elementary School student Katie Galli, who roams the library and halls making sure things are going OK.And then there is "Miss Jessica," who Nativida and her friend, 7-year-old Amina Powers, say calls everybody "sweetheart" and always says "I love you."Rozga, who has a master's degree in social work from Western Michigan University, said that interest in children brought her to the center in September, 2008. "It was something new and different that would be challenging," she said.As she has settled into her role, she said she has learned to emphasize positive things to the students. That has not only created strong support for the students by the faculty and volunteers, but also for the center from the community."Every kid has strengths you can support," she said. "When we get feedback from community stakeholders and parents, that really shows that we are providing a tangible service and meeting needs where they are at."True20001301Nativida Alfaro, 6, of Glen Ellyn, works on her reading at the Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center. Her mother, Ida, says the center has helped her tremendously by providing a knowledgeable staff who help Nativida with her homework.Paul Michna | Staff PhotographerTrue <p class="factboxheadblack">Spellapalooza </p><p class="News"><b>Why:</b> Proceeds benefit the Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center</p><p class="News"><b>When:</b> 7:30 p.m. today</p><p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Glenbard West High School auditorium, 670 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn</p><p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $5</p><p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 899-9919</p>