SCAN's Snapshots of Hope
Ana María Gómez
SCAN Employee, previously a stipended volunteer
Part of the SCAN family since 2003
Ana María Gómez was born in Peru, where she earned an impressive list of academic and professional credentials. She came to the United States in the winter of 2002, after spending 25 years as an instructor at the high school and university level, a family psychotherapist, and a child psychologist in her home country. During this time she also pursued graduate and post-graduate research, spoke on a variety of radio programs, educational panels, and public forums, and — most importantly — raised three beautiful children.
Today, she is a Parent Education Facilitator and Family Specialist for SCAN, acting as a trusted source of support and valuable information for hundreds of Spanish-speaking families across Northern Virginia.
In January 2003 Ana María was volunteering with the Hispanic Committee of Virginia and saw a flyer for SCAN’s Sacramento Parent Support Group. She was interested in the group’s offerings and called Paola Martinez McDonald, SCAN’s Parent Education Coordinator at the time. The next day she met with Paola, thinking she would join the group as a participant. But after talking with Paola and discussing her experience in counseling, psychology and intimate group settings, it became clear that she could offer so much to the parents in the group. The following Monday, Ana Maria brought a short lesson and facilitated her first Parent Support Group. The parents immediately responded to Ana Maria, and Paola began to investigate how SCAN could bring her on board to help more families.
SCAN first began offering programs for Spanish-speaking parents in 2000. By the time Ana Maria joined SCAN, there was 1 support group for Spanish-speaking parents, 5 bilingual playgroups, and 2 ABCS of Parenting Classes per year in Spanish. In March of 2003, Ana Maria began co-facilitating one of those classes. By 2005, SCAN knew we needed more of Ana Maria’s time, but hiring her was complicated because she was in the country on a H4 visa (accompanying her husband who had an employment visa). After long discussions with lawyers and encouragement from Paola as well as Executive Director Diane Charles, SCAN made the commitment to sponsor Ana Maria.
It didn’t take long for the rest of the SCAN staff to recognize how much Ana Maria had to offer the Parent Education Program. Thanks to her warm, engaging personality, an incredible expanse of knowledge, and years of experience working with families, Ana María quickly assumed responsibility for multiple parent support groups, parenting classes, and workshops with tremendous success and enthusiasm.
Ana Maria consistently broadened the ways in which she reached out to isolated Latino families in our region. In addition to the programs she facilitated, she spoke on Hispanic radio stations about parenting and attended countless community events to bring messages of support and understanding to Spanish-speaking parents.
Northern Virginia’s demographics have dramatically changed since the birth of SCAN in 1988. From 1990 to 2000, the growth of the Hispanic population here grew five times faster than the overall population, accounting for 26% of the region’s population growth.
SCAN recognized this shift and was committed to serving this new community by developing appropriate programs and reaching out to Hispanic families. In 2005, with Ana Maria’s guidance, SCAN targeted the Arlandria neighborhood of Alexandria—an area with a fast-growing population of Spanish-speaking families. With a small group of other community organizations, SCAN launched a new Spanish-language playgroup and a new Parent Support Group in efforts to reach this underserved immigrant community of parents and children.
Aside from her deep gratitude for SCAN’s sponsorship while she attained her visa, Ana Maria says that one of her most memorable SCAN experiences occurred when she was going through her own personal trials. She was working at a fast food chain to pay rent, struggling with a personal relationship and then had an accident where she fractured both wrists and was bed-ridden for weeks.
“It was so great to receive phone calls and a card from the people at SCAN to see how I was doing and wishing me well,” said Ana Maria. The families she worked with also had cards and flowers for her. “I felt so special and cared for.”
This year, as SCAN celebrates its 20th anniversary, Ana Maria is the epitome of what it means to truly care for families. She teaches three parenting classes, facilitates two support groups, presents workshops on a variety of topics, and participates in community events to reach out to isolated Latino families. SCAN now serves more than 300 Spanish-speaking families every year through classes, support groups, playgroups and workshops, and thousands more through public education materials.
Ana Maria is an invaluable resource for the Spanish-speaking families of Northern Virginia—and certainly for SCAN—as she has brought growth, compassion and commitment to serving the Hispanic parents and children in our community.
