West Valley City • Jazmin Carrillo speaks of the future with a sense of urgency.
"You can’t go through life trying to figure out who you are," said Carrillo, a ninth-grader at West Lake Junior High. "You have to create yourself while going through life."
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That’s why she is volunteering at West Lake’s newly refurbished Family and Community Center — to give fellow students and their families the resources they need to prepare for the future.
Although the facility is one of 25 across the Granite School District, West Lake’s center reopened last month with a new coordinator and a new purpose.
Andrea Garavito Martinez, a doctoral student at the University of Utah, has revamped the facility in hopes of improving student achievement through parent involvement.
"I would describe this as a one-stop shop," Martinez said before greeting dozens of students and parents at an open house. "If you have an issue or a need, you get sent to multiple places. Instead of directing parents to a website or a piece of paper, there’s somebody in the family center they can talk to about it."
The center, which opened approximately six years ago with a focus on family, aims to educate parents on what resources are available in the community, helping pave the way to a brighter future for students.
Its services range from offering English classes and wellness information to providing counseling on everything from gang intervention to tax preparation.
"The goal is to reach every parent," said Georgia Block, a retired district employee who now serves as a family-center specialist and mentor. "There might be those who want to have the English classes, but there might be somebody else who needs help with their taxes.
"Or, if they want to help their kids with homework, they can come here and learn what the students are learning in class, and then they can help them at home."
The facility — in a mobile unit on West Lake’s campus — houses 15 computers, a children’s play area and scores of printed materials to help families identify community services.
The volunteer staff assisting Martinez includes two former West Lake students: Roger Quiñonez, a student at the University of Utah, and Margarita Ruiz, a student at Salt Lake Community College.
"Everything starts at the home," Quiñonez said. "Giving parents the information and the tools they need helps the children, whether it be for school or application for scholarships. … My family wasn’t as informed as I wish they would have been and I think that would have helped a lot."
Added Ruiz: "Parents need to be informed about the community and how they can be involved and be aware of what’s going on."
Parents and students also volunteer at the facility, which is open from 2 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In coordination with the program, West Lake has established a community council, which includes parents and representatives from local businesses and churches.
Although West Lake’s facility may differ from other centers across the district, Block said the coordinators at each facility share a common goal.
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