BonnerSprings.com

Imagine going to the grocery store, doctor or pharmacy and not being able to communicate what you need.

Pointing becomes a main source of communication with a few recognizable words thrown in.

It’s this frustrating scenario that has led Vaughn-Trent Community Services to begin a new English as a second language program in Bonner Springs.

“I noticed a large Hispanic community in Bonner Springs,” said Lonna Denning, who will be the instructor of the class. “For a small community, there is a large Hispanic population.”

Census estimates for 2008 — the latest available — show about one in five Wyandotte County residents is Hispanic or Latino, though it is not known how many of those speak English.

Meeting the needs of the community is the mission of Vaughn-Trent and Denning figured, what better way to increase the organization’s service than to reach out to a different population. The first class of the program started Wednesday, with an informational gathering that allowed Denning to evaluate each participant’s skill level.

The regular classes will be from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the meeting room next to the Vaughn-Trent office in South Park. While classes have already started, Denning said anyone interested could join at anytime.

Denning, who taught Spanish for 32 years and then taught an ESL course in Leavenworth after retirement, is no stranger to working with people who do not speak English. She said the class will focus on communication and verbal skills rather than getting caught up on grammar. There will also be lessons on filling out forms.

“We just want to help their communication skills,” Denning said. “I think it will further them in their job searches.”

The program is free to participants and is being funded by Vaughn-Trent. Denning said she has high hopes for the program’s future growth.

She said if interest picks up, she hopes to add an evening class so that everyone’s schedules can be accommodated.

“It’s a great service to the community and it’s something I really enjoy,” Denning said. “It’s just the teacher in me. I love to work with these new people.”

A supporter of the program since the beginning, Vaughn-Trent board member Kenneth Tewell said he thought the program emphasized the organization’s interest in the community.

He said he hopes the program helps people in the Hispanic Bonner Springs community feel more comfortable with their surroundings.

Through his conversations with various members of the Hispanic population, Tewell said he thought the program would be well received. He said the program would not force people to pass tests to continue learning, but instead put the students at ease to learn for as long as they like.

“We’re going to try to teach and reach the needs of people,” he said. “We’ll see if we can’t help them fit in better. I think everybody is excited for the additional program.”

Fitting in lines up with the goals of Vaughn-Trent, and Tewell said the new ESL program would only further the organization’s reach into the community.

“Vaughn-Trent’s mission is to meet the needs of the people,” he said. “The needs of the people might be a sandwich or a piece of bread, or another time it’s helping with transportation. I don’t think the needs are directly based on a food pantry. It’s greater than that and we’re just adding to the total service to the community we can have.”

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