One of the first ARISE Staff Meetings 

The ARISE concept of identifying community assets and putting these assets to work in bringing new life to that same community came to light in the Las Milpas area of Pharr in South Texas.  This concept was put in motion by Gerrie Naughton, a Sister of Mercy, in 1987.  Soon after her initial steps, the birthing process for the ARISE concept was assisted by some young women from the colonia community.  The concept that is now ARISE revealed itself step by step as the people of the community recognized new needs and began to see that there were indeed persons within their own community who had the gifts to assess those needs.  The initial need identified by many persons was English as a Second Language (ESL).  Soon, Las Milpas women who knew English were taught how to teach the English that they knew to other persons from the neighborhood.  Families in the neighborhood who could offer a space (any kind of space) that could be used as a place to meet for the English instruction did so.  This plan showed great success and as time went on ESL became the first formal program of ARISE.  Soon the people began to talk with each other and realized that they did not have to negate their own cultural practices as soon as they crossed the USA.  They wanted Ballet Folklórico for their children.  Those classes were provided.  As the ARISE children involved themselves in their schools they started asking for Ballet Folklórico there.  The schools responded.  Today almost every school has Ballet Folklórico for their students.

 

                                                         

ARISE Las Milpas Ballet Folklórico                                      participating in the Día del Niño Celebration.

 

 

                

 

Soon after, came the Early Childhood program.  This program helped children to grow ready to enter the Public school with skills equal to their peers.  As other needs were identified there was a response if that was within the capacity of the staff.  If the staff did not have the skills to meet a certain need it learned that it could call on another agency with the appropriate skills to help respond to that need.  This is how the ARISE Neworking program came about.  This program was given one staff person to get to know the agencies of the Lower Rio Valley and to invite those agencies into the Las Milpas community to explain those services.  This program is unique to ARISE Las Milpas.  Today that program has grown to become the ARISE Networking and Advocacy program.