FIT Staff: Camille Pierce-Trujillo, Socorro Naranja Rocha, and Martha Jimenez
Socorro Naranja Rocha knows what it’s like to be new to this country and poor. Born in a small town in Mexico, her mother passed away just before Christmas when she was ten. And only a few years later, she came to the United States to live with an aunt. That’s when Socorro received a memorable gift: her own washcloth.
Growing up in Mexico, her family had one towel to share.
“To me, getting a towel — my own towel – it was unbelievable. It was amazing, and I can tell you, too, how I get so excited when I see little towels. It really brings back my memory of when I first came to the United States.”
That’s why there’s a table full of towels at the Pasadena Unified School District’s Families in Transition (FIT) Winterfest.
Through her work as a Senior Community Advocate at FIT, Socorro helps families in need in our community. Working alongside her fellow advocates, Camille Pierce-Trujillo and Martha Jimenez, Socorro is uniquely qualified to support homeless and immigrant families through her own personal experience. And she feels privileged to share the resources of our community with them every day, saying “It’s a way of life for me now.”
FIT provides services for the most vulnerable students and families in the school district — those who are unhoused or experiencing homelessness. It plays a vital role in strengthening our community by meeting the basic needs of families facing challenges. Utilizing an intentional approach, it offers families a hand up through a range of support services focused on those most impacted by the social conditions associated with poverty. In doing so, it builds a sense of unity, care, and belonging within our community.
This season FIT held its own Winterfest Program where families were able to shop for items they required and children of all ages were able to pick out age-appropriate toys and gifts. From winter jackets and coats, shoes, basic household needs, hygiene requirements, and educational materials, all of the participants shared in the spirit of giving. This year’s program enabled the organization to fully support all of the children under its care, including those who are often overlooked at the holidays – students in middle school and high school – Socorro’s age when she moved here.
Over 130 students and 70+ local families are served by FIT throughout the year, thanks in part to the support of The S. Mark Taper Foundation through a grant awarded to the Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF).
Patrick Conyers, PEF’s Executive Director, stressed the effectiveness of this approach, stating, “The S. Mark Taper Foundation’s grant extends a helping hand; it enables PUSD’s Families in Transition to help families with their immediate needs. PEF’s mission is to support equity and excellence in education… and that begins with every family feeling supported and valued.”
Socorro summed up her work at FIT perfectly. “I feel a call. I do have a call to do this job, not just because we help, that we can provide through wonderful donors, through the whole community. It is something very personal for me, seeing kids with a big smile.”
Want to know more about why FIT staff are so committed to their work? Listen to this conversation between FIT staffers Socorro Naranja Rocha, Camille Pierce-Trujillo, and PEF’s Community Engagement Engagement Manager, NC Inguanzo.
By NC Inguanzo, Community Engagement Manager
