 "Photo: Tina Hogue")
Silvia Arzate, 28, moved to Austin six-and-a-half years ago from her home in the southern Mexican state of Michoacan to do missionary work for Hispanics living in the United States.
She performed her missionary work within the Spanish-speaking community, but her needs changed when she got married and had her first daughter. Arzate ran into a linguistic wall that limited her ability to work and perform the daily tasks of life in America.
Then she found El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission in South Austin.
"Every day was a struggle because I had to ask my co-workers for help every time a customer said something I couldn't understand," Arzate said. "I dreaded going to work every day because I couldn't understand English, and that was the only reason."
El Buen Samaritano is a nonprofit mission whose goal is "to transform lives by engaging the strengths of the working-poor Hispanic families to promote their successful participation in society," according to its Web site.
Representatives from U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett's office, Gov. Rick Perry's office, Sen. Kirk Watson's office and the city of Austin attended the mission's 20th anniversary Monday.
The mission's philosophy is different than many nonprofit organizations because of its focus on helping underprivileged families move up in the world rather than simply helping them to survive. English as a Second Language education, job readiness skills, social services, health education, leadership training, child day care, organic gardening and emergency food assistance are among the services the mission provides.
"We're not a charity; we're a hand up, not a hand out," said the Rev. Ed Gomez, the mission's executive director.
When Arzate decided to learn English, the mission offered courses and day care so her children would be looked after while she was in class.
Within two years Arzate graduated from the mission's ESL program and passed the General Education Development Test. She is now enrolled in accounting classes at Austin Community College.
"I'm really happy because this place really helped me to take care of children while I was able to get an education, and now my dream is to become a professional accountant, a CPA," Arzate said.
The occasion also included the unveiling of a mural painted by UT graduate Fidencio Duran and a mosaic created by students from St. Stephen's Episcopal School. "Artistically, I was inspired by several quilt hangings throughout the campus that incorporated different colors as a metaphor to the way that El Buen incorporates people into our society," Duran said.
More than 150 students and two teachers from St. Stephen's worked on the mosaic.
The mission began on West Mary and South Fifth streets in 1987 and served lunch to three people on its opening day.
In 2006 it helped more than 35,000 individuals and incorporated more than 1,100 volunteers. In 2003 the mission moved from its old location, a 6,000-square-foot space, to the current 33,000-square-foot campus.
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