Catholic Charities USA has awarded Ellen Buelow, Toastmaster & Division Governor, the National Volunteer of the Year, 2012. Read more about her work below. Click here to read the press release announcing the award.
Ellen Buelow
Newcomers/School Readiness Program Coordinator & Community Advocate
Newcomers/School Readiness Program
Archdiocese of Santa Fe
After 30 years of teaching, Ms. Buelow retired and in April of 2007, Ms. Buelow began volunteering with our Catholic Charities program in Albuquerque, tutoring Mexican immigrants in ESL (English as a Second Language) in our Education department. In 2009, Ms. Buelow moved over to our Refugee Resettlement and Support Program. She was one of the founding volunteers in our Conversation Partners program. In 2009, Ms. Buelow began tutoring an Iraqi student one-on-one, and became a tutor in our After School Program for refugee youth.
Beginning in summer of 2011, Ms. Buelow lead a new program called Newcomers/School Readiness Program, which fills a vital need for our newly-arrived refugee youth who have a month between arrival and enrollment in school. As co-founder and lead volunteer of this program, Ms. Buelow meets with the newly-arrived children at our offices, or in their homes, to provide backpacks, to review school vocabulary and important English phrases, and to get them excited about starting school. Her assistance in these programs leads to higher levels of achievement for these children in school. For the adults with whom she works, improved English ability means the difference between obtaining and keeping a job – and falling into poverty. Ms. Buelow, through her friends and church, has spread the word about our volunteer opportunities, referring at least two acquaintances to our programs, who themselves have given many hours to our refugees.
Outside of her direct work with our needy population, Ms. Buelow is a tireless advocate for legislative change and support for poor people in New Mexico. She is a member of Bread for the World, an inter-faith group that advocates methods and legislation that will alleviate poverty. As the coordinator for the local group, Ms. Buelow regularly meets with our representatives to advocate for education initiatives on behalf of our disadvantaged families. Ms. Buelow is also a member of the social justice action committee at her church, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community. Their most recent project is called “Offering of Letters” and is an event to bring various people and groups together to write letters to our representatives on issues affecting the poor in our community (including food stamp benefits cuts).
Finally, Ms. Buelow is also a member of Albuquerque Interfaith, a legislative action group that advocates on behalf of the poor, addressing issues of just wages and the importance of early childhood education.
