Graduation Isnt Just for Kids; 20 Adults Complete English Language Program Celebrating its 10th Year

East Dallas Cooperative Parish will hold graduation ceremonies this week for 20 women who have completed its English language course conducted at East Dallas Christian Church. The English Language Ministry is in its 10th year and each term helps about 120 participants, mostly immigrant women, learn English-language skills.

DALLAS, TX May 17, 2004--Thousands of students across North Texas are preparing for graduation and an air of anticipation for what life brings next hovers over their schools. Excitement is also evident at East Dallas Christian Church where 20 women will graduate May 19 after a semester aimed at providing them a critical life skill the ability to speak English.

Ceremonies for graduates will be at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary of East Dallas Christian Church (www.edcc.org) at 629 N. Peak St. at Junius Street just east of downtown.

One of the graduates, a native of a town in Colombia now controlled by a guerrilla army, spent 10 years as a teacher in the southern part of Bogota, married and came to the United States. Rocio Lizarazo Cunyus will be among the graduates at East Dallas Christian Church as her husband, the Rev. Dr. John Cunyus, senior minister of the church, proudly observes.

A luncheon follows and will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the English Language Ministry, a program of the East Dallas Cooperative Parish conducted four mornings each week at the church for over 120 non-English-speaking people, primarily immigrant women living in East Dallas. Information and lunch reservations are available by calling (214) 821-2502.

Begun in 1994 by the EDCP, an ecumenical ministry supported by 14 churches, the program promotes literacy and self-sufficiency by conducting English-language survival skills classes and trade programs. Classes include reading, writing, conversation and computer literacy.
Martha Ann Zapata, program coordinator for the Parent Institute for Quality Education, a parent-involvement program of the Dallas Concilio, is the guest speaker at the graduation. She helped found PIQE, which works to increase parent involvement in students academic success through an eight-week curriculum. Over the past 10 years, Martha has been an advocate in the Hispanic community in the areas of healthcare access, education and community development.