Help St. Mark's Educate and Uplift Immigrants

Help Immigrants Thrive: Support a Volunteer Coordinator for St. Mark’s!

For over twenty years, the St. Mark’s Community Education Program has been a lifeline for immigrants in Massachusetts, helping them learn English, prepare for citizenship, and integrate into their communities. We are the largest nonprofit in the state focused on immigrant education, yet we operate almost entirely on the dedication of volunteers.

Every year, we provide life-changing educational opportunities to over 400 students, many of whom arrive with little or no English proficiency. Our students are parents, workers, and community members striving for a better future. Through free English classes and citizenship preparation, they gain the skills and confidence needed to secure stable jobs, support their families, and contribute to their communities.

Now More Than Ever, Immigrants Need Support

Recently, there have been increasing efforts to make life more difficult for immigrants—raids near schools, churches, and hospitals have created an environment of fear and uncertainty. These actions don’t just affect individuals—they destabilize entire communities, including ours in the Greater Boston Area. When immigrants struggle, their families, workplaces, and neighborhoods feel the impact.

That’s why our work at St. Mark’s is more urgent than ever. By providing education, resources, and a clear pathway to integration, we are helping immigrants gain stability, find employment, and contribute fully to the community. But to continue this work, we need a full-time volunteer coordinator to support our growing number of students and volunteers.

Stories of Impact: Tam Thanh Ma’s Journey

Tam Thanh Ma first came to St. Mark’s to improve his English. Like many of our students, he sought to build a new life in the United States, but his limited English skills stood as a major obstacle. He needed to pass his citizenship test, scheduled for August 23, and was paired with one of our volunteers to improve his conversational skills.

His volunteer teacher described their work together:

“From the beginning, I tried to get Tam to focus less on memorizing facts from his N-400 application and more on turning those facts into a story—his story. What words would he need to tell it? That became our goal.

It wasn’t easy; his English was very limited at first. Then, tragedy struck—his wife became ill, forcing us to postpone his test [originally scheduled for August 23]. On August 22, she passed away. That would have crushed a lesser man, but Tam became even more resolute. He continued studying and, against all odds, passed his test on October 3.

I am incredibly proud of him—but not as proud as he is for overcoming such great adversity.”

Tam’s story is one of perseverance, resilience, and the transformative power of education. And he is just one of the many students at St. Mark’s working toward a better future.

Why We Need Your Help

Despite our incredible growth—from 25 volunteers five years ago to over 100 today—our full-time staff still just comprises one person. While our dedicated volunteers make this work possible, we have reached a point where we need a full-time volunteer coordinator to sustain and expand our programs.

This role will allow us to:

✅ Recruit, train, and support more volunteers to meet growing demand.

✅ Expand our ESL and citizenship classes to serve even more students.

✅ Provide better resources and structure to ensure students succeed.

We are aiming to raise $15,000 to fund half the cost of this critical position. With your support, we can continue to empower immigrants, strengthen communities, and transform lives. As a 501(c) your donation is tax-deductible.

Every Donation Makes a Difference

Your contribution will directly support the education and future success of hundreds of immigrants in Massachusetts. Whether you give $10 or $1,000, every dollar helps us build a stronger, more inclusive community.

Please donate today and help us continue our mission! Your donation is tax-deductible.