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Amy Miranda

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First-generation American gives back at Providence Family Services in Chicago

Carla Hernandez is a first-generation American and a first generation college student. Growing up in a family that emigrated from Mexico and as a child of a single parent, Carla is keenly aware of the needs of immigrant families and their struggles. This understanding has impacted her life goals. As a third-year student at DePaul…

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Guerin Outreach Ministries: Catholic religious sisters offer English classes, friendship to residents of St. Anthy Trailer Park in rural Mecca, Calif.

Martha Arrendondo is 46 years old and has been in the United States for 26 years. She works in the grape fields in and around the Coachella Valley in California. Right now she is looking for a better job, and she knows that improving her ability to speak English would help. Martha says she speaks…

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Sisters with California’s Providence in the Desert offer English classes, friendship

Martha Arrendondo is 46 years old and has been in the United States for 26 years. She works in the grape fields in and around the Coachella Valley in California. Right now she is looking for a better job, and she knows that improving her ability to speak English would help. Martha says she speaks…

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Sister Betty Smigla joins Guerin Outreach Ministries board

Sister Betty Smigla, SP, was recently appointed to the Guerin Outreach Ministries board of directors. Early in S. Betty’s life as a Sister of Providence, she spent seven years ministering in the South American country of Peru. Since returning to the United States she has continued to work with and advocate for the Hispanic population,…

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Sister Dorothy Gartland receives Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award

Congratulations to Sister Dorothy Gartland for receiving the third annual Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award. “If you live long enough and continue to work, somebody will eventually give you an award,” laughed the ever-humble Sister Dorothy upon receiving the award on Oct. 14. For the past 14 years, the “retired” Sister Dorothy, 81,…

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Providence Family Services Volunteer Sister Dorothy Gartland receives Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award

What does a woman who spent her life bringing about education and justice do in her retirement? Well if it’s Sister Dorothy Gartland of Providence Family Services in Chicago, she does more of the same. Sister Dorothy, 81, a member of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Indiana, spent her younger years as…

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Dynamic Providence in the Desert founder celebrates 60 years as a religious Sister

The trailer park residents at the east end of the Coachella Valley in Southern California are some of the poorest people in the United States. Mostly immigrant farm workers from Mexico, they are often marginalized and discriminated against for their lack of money, differing culture and inability to speak the English language. Enter a tiny,…

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Organizations find something to believe in at Providence Family Services

To know Providence Family Services (PFS) is to believe in the work it does; or so seem to attest two recent grants awarded the not-for-profit charity. From its beginnings in 1993 with two bi-lingual counselors, Providence Family Services, located at 1540 N. Monticello Ave. in Chicago, has grown to also include English-as-a-Second-Language classes, after-school homework…

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PFS volunteer brings love for justice, education to her work

Students and volunteer tutors who come to Providence Family Services in Chicago may recognize Sister Dorothy Gartland as the no-nonsense supervisor of the afterschool homework program. They are directly impacted by her dedication to increasing education levels of local youth. What they may not recognize is the wealth of history and advocacy she represents. The…

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Energetic Providence in the Desert founder focuses on education, justice while celebrating 60 years as a Sister of Providence

The trailer park residents at the east end of the Coachella Valley in Southern California are some of the poorest people in the United States. Mostly immigrant farm workers from Mexico, they are often marginalized and discriminated against for their lack of money, differing culture and inability to speak the English language. Enter a tiny,…

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Providence in the Desert opens new doors for student

Martha Langarica is a shining example of what Providence in the Desert is all about. Martha came to the United States from the state of Nayarit in Mexico 25 years ago. She came to work in the fields so that she could make enough money to pay for her mother’s heart medication. Several years later…

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Amy Miranda is a Providence Associate of the Sisters of Providence and a staff member in their Advancement Services office. Amy is a 1998 graduate of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. She currently manages the SP publication HOPE and works on marketing support for Providence Associates, new membership and Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.