Two years ago, the LEO (Lasallian Educational Opportunities) Center in Oakland faced the harsh realities of the economic downturn when it lost a major portion of its funding. Faced with the choice of finding independent financial sources or closing, the dedicated staff set out to keep the learning center’s doors open. They launched an appeal to friends and supporters to increase contributions; the response was sufficient to keep LEO open for one year.
In the process of this appeal, the LEO administrators were contacted by Br. Brendan Madden of Saint Mary’s College who recommended an acquaintance experienced in fundraising. Sister Dorothy Stack, CSJ, had been organizing fundraising activities for the Monument Crisis Center in Concord and was looking for a new challenge. Soon after, Sister was given permission by her superiors to accept the LEO Center as her next challenge.
For the next three years, she will work as a special events coordinator for LEO. The first annual Celestial Gala and auction on May 7th (see Upcoming Events on the News page) is a result of her efforts. It is hoped that this event will not only keep the center operating for another year, but that it will become a yearly event providing a regular addition to LEO’s income.
In spite of financial difficulties, the LEO Center continues to provide essential educational services to the Oakland community. The high school and junior high programs carry on successfully with volunteers from St. Mary’s College and Lasallian Volunteers, but the adult educations classes have grown tremendously and have put volunteer services in even more demand. Morning English-As-a Second-Language classes in particular have had exploding enrollments since the closure of many public adult school classes have left folks in need of language instruction. Groups are often more than 40 students at a time. Not only have the LEO staff and volunteers had to explore new ways of handling the increased numbers of students, but they are also faced with an increasingly diverse student body. The long-time Latino attendees have been joined by an overwhelming number of Eritrean, Ethiopian and French-speaking African students. It is hoped that a successful Celestial Gala will allow LEO to continue to provide critical education and hope to the growing needs of the surrounding community.
