November 15, 2004
GRASS ROOTS
What One Sandwich Can Feed
By DONNA WILKINSON

LINK

NAME: Bea's Kids.

FOUNDED In 1990 by Beatriz M. Salazar in Carrollton, Tex.

MISSION An after-school program dedicated to the educational and personal development of low-income children.

CONSTITUENCY 140 Hispanic children, prekindergarten through 12th grade.

FINANCING The $176,000 annual budget comes from a yearly fund-raising event, businesses, churches and individuals.

THE STORY Starting a social program was the furthest thing from Bea Salazar's mind in 1990. Disabled from a job-related injury, Ms. Salazar, a single mother of five, could no longer work and had to seek public assistance. She felt hopeless. But life changed when she saw a small boy rummaging for food in a Dumpster at her apartment complex in Carrollton, a Dallas suburb. She took him home, fed him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sent him on his way. "Minutes later, there was a knock on the door," she said, "and there were seven little ones who said, `We hear you're giving food away.' " The next day, more children came.

Ms. Salazar found her mission. She gathered donations from churches and persuaded the housing manager to let her use an empty apartment to feed the children. But she soon realized they needed more than food. Many could not speak English and needed help with their homework. She organized a group of student volunteers.

That's when Bea's Kids officially began, said Ms. Salazar, 60. "Once I started helping, one thing led to the other, and I found the children had so many other needs, and that's why I started the program."

Today, Bea's Kids operates from three apartments in the complex; in 1998 she opened a second program at a housing development in Farmers Branch, another Dallas suburb. With 47 volunteers and two full-time employees, the program offers tutoring, English classes, computer training, food, clothing, school supplies, medical assistance, family counseling, summer camp and many outside activities.

Over 14 years, it has opened new worlds for about 2,000 children. Several have gone on to college, and some even have returned as tutors. This summer, a Dallas law firm sponsored three seventh graders from Bea's Kids to attend NASA's U.S. Space Camp in Alabama.

Ms. Salazar has received awards from former Presidents George Bush (as the 820th Point of Light) and Bill Clinton. Oprah Winfrey donated a van and $50,000. "We use the van to take the children to the library or doctor's appointments," Ms. Salazar said. "And we bought 45 state-of-the-art computers with the money." In 1996, a local school was named after her.

She thinks anyone can be a good Samaritan. "It doesn't take a program," she said. "If each person could teach one child to read, it would make all the difference."

Bea's Kids Website