EAST BRUNSWICK – Honoring Lucy Ortiz’s passion for education and independence, the Abuela Lucy Foundation supplies funds and supplies to students in need.
The foundation’s initial mission was to improve educational opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds to excel in the life sciences, according to founder Rose Rios.
“I created the foundation and named it after my grandmother, Lucy Ortiz. The term ‘abuela’ means grandmother in Spanish. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico and was allowed only a third grade education as that [is] what was available during the early 1930s for women, unless you were well off,” Rios said.
Rios said her grandmother came to the United States to improve the living situation not only for herself, but for her family. Lucy was the oldest of nine children. She came to the United States and improved her reading and writing. Rios said her grandmother was a strong supporter of women pursuing a higher education and not having to marry for security, but to be independent and self-sustaining.
“She helped bring each of her siblings as well as her parents to the United States and mandated all the woman to finish school and work. Her legacy continues as all her grandchildren are college graduates with advanced degrees,” Rios said.
The Abuela Lucy Foundation provides STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) scholarships, grants and other types of support; however, the foundation adjusted its mission to also provide secondary disaster relief by restocking schools affected by natural disasters as a result of Hurricane Maria, according to Rios.
“We provide school supplies in response to natural disasters, wherever they may occur. We have provided grants and scholarships to educational institutions in the U.S and Puerto Rico,” Executive Director of Communications Danielle Friedman said.
The foundation was recognized as a nonprofit organization in 2016, according to Rios.
“We are currently accepting grant requests for STEM projects in school systems and enrichment groups. Next month we are awarding three scholarships to students who are pursuing a career in the life sciences,” Rios said. “We are funded through donations, both cash … as well as the sale of our book, ‘Phase to Phase: How Medicine is Made.'”
Rios said the nonprofit is a virtual foundation so all volunteers and staff members can work from their desired location.
“When Maria hit, we collected school supplies from corporate sponsors and the East Brunswick community. Over 10,000 [pounds] of school supplies were packed by the East Brunswick Youth Council,” Rios said. “I contacted [Michael] Reissner and he and his team reached out to students and they did an amazing job categorizing the donations, organizing them by school and packing them with care.”
Reissner, as the director of the East Brunswick Department of Recreation, Parks and Community Services, kept the pallets overnight for the foundation as members went over on time, and delivered them to a U-Haul business on Route 18 the next day, according to Rios.
Rios said U-Haul donated storage until the foundation’s logistics partner came and transported the supplies to Puerto Rico. The pallets were shipped and hand delivered by foundation members to several schools in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
“All pallets were intact and not one item was missing. Aguadilla was one of the many towns declared as a disaster zone in low-income areas. Most of the schools we supported were literally on the coast,” Rios said. “Many lost their libraries and the most basic of school equipment, such as tables and chairs. Our initiative to restock the schools was called Project Libros y Lapices. Most of our volunteers as well as myself are first responders, so we also provided … medical aid.”
Foundation members returned to Puerto Rico in February with a corporate sponsor and restocked the science lab of Colegio San Carlos and the Eladio Vega School, according to Rios.
“We also provided equipment for physical education to the Eladio Vega School. Lastly, we donated a Wi-Fi enabled LCD projector and established a cultural exchange program with the Monroe Township Library Youth Group and the Escuela Segunda Unidad Conchita Iguartua de Suarez,” Rios said.
Rios said that during her visit in February, all of the schools the foundation supported still did not have cafeterias with working stoves or refrigerators to provide the students with warm lunches. One school still does not have potable water. The foundation is in the process of checking in with the schools again, but email and phone services are still unreliable, she said.
“The Abuela Lucy Foundation does local talks with various schools and Girl Scouts to share our work in providing secondary relief in response to natural disasters. We felt that Project Libros y Lapices was so successful due to the community’s response, we want to share the process and will continue to support the program,” Rios said.
Anyone interested in applying for a scholarship can contact the foundation for an application. To be eligible, he/she must be a senior in good academic standing, with verified community service in the life sciences and acceptance into an accredited program where he/she is pursuing a career in the same. Two letters or recommendation are required, along with a transcript and an essay, according to Rios.
To support the foundation, residents may provide in-kind donations in the form of new school supplies, arts and crafts, and gently used library books and games. Cash donations are also welcome, Rios said, adding that the foundation maintains an Amazon wish list page.
For more information about the Abuela Lucy Foundation visit www.abuelalucy.org.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
