Volunteer enjoys helping others, one lesson at a time
Mary Ann Soran knows firsthand the power of knowledge and education. Throughout her career as an educator, she worked in industries as varied as fashion and pharmaceuticals. And now, as a retiree, she has spent the past seven years teaching women about important parenting and life skills as a volunteer for Coachella Valley nonprofit Mama’s House.
“I love volunteer work because I learn new things every day, and it keeps me stimulated and engaged,” Soran says.
Thanks to the organization’s Earn & Learn Program, she has been able to stay up-to-date on the latest information about pregnancy, taking care of children, baby delivery and parenting.
The program is of tremendous help to the residents of Mama’s House, many of whom arrive with only the clothes on their back and their baby in tow. Residents earn points by taking classes, which they can spend at the organization’s boutique to obtain clothing, shoes, jewelry and personal care items that have been donated by the community.
Soran learned about Mama’s House through a Bible study class entitled “Great Women of the Bible — Celebrities of the Old Testament,” which her church taught at night to the residents of Mama’s House. Soran knew right away she wanted to be a volunteer, so she started out as a babysitter and eventually transitioned into teaching classes for Earn & Learn.
“When we are discussing parenting and pregnancy issues as these come up, most of the residents are soaking this knowledge up like a sponge, especially if they’re having their first child and have not been through a pregnancy before,” she says.
Through the program, residents spend approximately 250 hours learning about pregnancy, infant care, parenting and infant relationships as well as necessary life skills such as buying a car, renting a home and creating a workable budget.
Soran says she enjoys volunteering because the organization has such a strong sense of positivity. She strongly believes that knowledge is power and that these residents can reap many benefits from what they learn.
“My job is like the tree of knowledge, where we pick a good fruit that is on it, and the residents soak up that knowledge to be a better parent,” she says. “These women want to turn their lives around and provide good lives for their children. Mama’s House is a place where they can feel safe and cared for. Through the program, we are letting them find a voice and a path in life.”
Many Mama’s House residents did not graduate high school and not have their GED. “I try to get these women interested in what we are teaching because some of them have not had a formal education or really did not do well in school or did not want to go to school,” Soran says. “So, I have to sell education and learning and what it can do for them on a positive level in their lives. We want to teach them that education is going to make them a better person.”
Residents also learn about relationships and loving themselves and how not to let another person define them.
“These women have all endured some kind of abuse,” Soran says. “I think my skillset in education has really helped them, because the teaching and instruction we offer is on a one-to-one basis and not in a large group setting. It is very individualized.”
She says many of the women are extremely bright but have simply not had the opportunity to shine. At Mama’s House, they have the incentive to succeed and survive on their own with their children. For many residents, this is their last chance, and many of them are highly motivated to succeed.
One of the biggest reasons for Soran’s volunteerism is the feeling that she’s making a difference in families’ lives.
“The work we are doing and the material we are teaching at Mama’s House is benefiting not only this generation but many generations to come,” she says.
Madeline Zuckerman is owner of M. Zuckerman Marketing & Public Relations, Inc., a strategic marketing, branding, public relations and special events firm with offices in Rancho Mirage and Newport Beach, Calif. She is a founder of McCallum Theatre, a board member of the One Valley Foundation, the official nonprofit of the Coachella Valley Firebirds and has been a guest reporter with The Desert Sun for the past 16 years.