Page 16 The Hartford Inquirer Wednesday, April 7, 1999

OPMAD Empowering Parents, Making A Difference
by John J. Thomas Inquirer Correspondent

I sat next. to spoken word artist "Pajama Mama" (Keren Sheffield) in her gray Acura watching Hartford's urban scenery slip by as I listened to her plan for the day. Her first errand involved dropping by the offices of OPMAD to find out what her next assignment would involve. I had always wondered what Keren did for a living. I was about to be enlightened.
OPMAD stands for "Organized Parents Make A Difference". Their headquarters is housed in a Victorian building across the street from Hartford Public High School. As we were led upstairs by Belinda Frierson, Office Manager, Bookkeeper, and all?around troubleshooter for the organization, we entered an environment filled with the nurturing warmth of the empowered mothers who run this program. Belinda took me into the nerve center of the office. This is where these women take on some of the most challenging tasks facing Hartford's schools. What is most striking is the fact that these women take on this task with joy. It is this joy which pervades everything they do, including this interview.
OPMAD lives out it's name. They serve up to 4,000 students per year, offering over 5,000 opportunities for these students to participate in safe, exciting, and meaningful after?school activities. Five hundred parents, staff, and community volunteers are involved in the organization. The curriculum itself is so comprehensive that it, in itself, needs intense organization.
OPMAD organizers are quick to attribute the tangible positive spirit in the office to the fact that they are all volunteers. The parent?volunteers serve in every aspect of the organization, from the Board of Directors down to parent?volunteer. "I thought if I joined OPMAD at the school, I would just attend meetings. I had no idea that I would be this involved," said Francis lonno, a parent?volunteer and Board of Directors member. lonno and other board members are now involved in planning a parade for May 1,1999." It is time to show Hartford what we are about," said Rebecca Medina. Volunteers on the board make policy decisions, budget decisions, plan strategy and generally shape OPMAD itself. Parents volunteer on?site at the schools and are introduced to other aspects of the organization. All of this activity is augmented by paid staff who are dedicated to implementing the programs developed by the board. The paid staff include; Dulcie Giadone, Executive Director, Kathy Evans, Program Development Director, Rebecca Medina, Program Coordinator, Lisa Wascholl, Program Coordinator, and Belinda Frierson.
"What we do is empower parents," said Lisa Wascholl. Lisa should know. She started working for the program as a parent?volunteer." I started as a volunteer and have since occupied every position that the organization has offered," said Rebecca Medina. Rebecca went from being a volunteer to Chairperson of the board, on?site trainer, on?site paid staff, back to volunteer status as President of the Organization, and she now serves as a program coordinator. Rebecca was given training during this whole process. Another tactic OPMAD uses to empower parents is by using them to facilitate the after?school programs. They serve to teach and nurture the children in an intimate way that teachers find hard to duplicate.
"When the children see each other's parents in a positive role, they become more confident in them. This confidence carries on to the home setting where teachers have little influence," said Medina. This frees the teacher from the counselor/ police role and allows them to teach explained Medina, OPMAD also serves as a networking organization.
"The parents have a chance to discuss issues and give each other solutions. Some of our children have attended Trinity, Harvard, and the Air Force Academy," said Rebecca Medina. The organized parents of OPMAD are making a difference. Although the programs are geared to enrich the education of both children and adults, the parents are focused on making a difference in the lives of Hartford's school children. The program would be dead without them. According to OPMAD officials, fostering empowerment is they key to future success in the Hartford Public School System. "OPMAD parents are empowered parents and empowered parents are legitimate partners in the process of giving city children the best all around education possible," concluded Medina.