LIFE'S WORK IS HELPING OTHERS; FORMER NUN HANDS OVER REINS AT CENTER.Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer Margaret Rose Margaret Rose, Princess 1930-2002. Princess of Great Britain, the second daughter of George VI and sister of Elizabeth II. Welch grew up poor, as did Sergio Cruz. But Welch entered a convent and the Immaculate Heart Immaculate Heart may refer to:
Their lives crossed on Blythe Street, where the 74-year-old Welch helped pull 35-year-old Cruz into a better life. ``I had one great worry when I became a nun that I'd be bored,'' Welch said one recent morning on Blythe Street, an impoverished neighborhood in Panorama City, ``and I haven't been bored - and certainly not on Blythe Street.'' Today, Welch will retire as director of Casa Esperanza, or Hope House, which is the center she created to provide health care, employment and an array of other social services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales for Blythe Street residents. Though gangs and drugs have not been completely eliminated from Blythe Street, Welch said she will leave having come full circle on the goals she set out to accomplish. Cruz is one of her legacies. He was shot, busted bust·ed adj. 1. Slang a. Smashed or broken: busted glass; a busted rib. b. Out of order; inoperable: a busted vending machine. 2. by the cops and sent to prison before he realized he wanted to turn his life around. But with a record, finding a job was no easy task. Welch's job employment program takes grants and works with such employers as Mission Community Medical Center and others to train and place Blythe Street residents. A perfect fit for Cruz. Before meeting Welch, he had applied to six jobs and was turned down six times. With no resume and a felony felony (fĕl`ənē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor, that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law. on his record, finding a job was impossible until Welch hired Cruz as her personal assistant. ``Sometimes you just need a helping hand, and she was that angel that gave me that help,'' Cruz said. ``Since I've been working with Sister Margaret, it's been a blessing to me.'' Welch taught Cruz how to use a computer, and today he types up job listings for other residents. He also runs Casa Esperanza's weekly clothing giveaway program out of a tiny garage near the center, which is housed in an apartment complex. ``This is part of my job,'' said Cruz as he sorted through boxes of clothing. ``I love to work with people. I've been learning how to work with people. People are poor here, but before, I didn't care. Now, it's different. I care about them.'' For Welch, the obstacles faced by Blythe Street residents are familiar: She grew up poor, the daughter of a mining superintendent father and a mother who was a teacher. She entered the convent determined to help others and has since dispensed of her vows after her religious order broke away from the Vatican. Since then, she has battled with the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. police over their enforcement of an injunction for gang members. ``I think the critical thing is that you respect a gang member as a person because they have value as a person, though you may not respect everything they do,'' Welch said. Like the gold heart pin Welch wears on the lapel of her jackets, her kindness and generosity are more than just for show, said Maritza Artan, who will take over as director of Casa Esperanza on Monday. ``A lot of times when a family is in a tight spot, Margaret has always been there to help,'' Artan said. The tattoo tattoo, the marking of the skin with punctures into which pigment is rubbed. The word originates from the Tahitian tattau [to mark]. The term is sometimes extended to scarification, which consists of skin incisions into which irritants may be rubbed to produce removal program, the domestic violence workshops and the English as a second language classes Welch has created compare little to the small acts of compassions she exhibits daily, Artan said. Casa Esperanza stocks up on baby formula and canned goods to help residents in need, but Welch is known to take residents personally to the store to buy groceries in emergency situations, Artan said. Welch's deeds don't go unnoticed. On a recent day, Blythe Street resident Gloria Estrada stopped by Casa Esperanza and grasped Welch's hands to thank her for the food and clothing she gave Estrada's family. ``We just moved to the neighborhood, and we didn't have anyone to help us,'' said Estrada, who is jobless job·less adj. 1. Having no job. 2. Of or relating to those who have no jobs. n. (used with a pl. verb) Unemployed people considered as a group. Used with the. and caring for her 17-year-old son plus two grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. . ``I had no food, no nothing, and they really helped,'' Estrada said. Welch's concern for the downtrodden down·trod·den adj. Oppressed; tyrannized. downtrodden Adjective oppressed and lacking the will to resist Adj. 1. was rooted in the strong sense of compassion her mother exhibited for others. The philosophy of the Immaculate Heart community - composed of former nuns who continue religious teachings as lay people - is to foster people's access to truth, dignity and full human development and to work to change conditions that hinder that access. This philosophy has always guided Welch's actions. ``What Margaret does is talk to residents and find out what their needs are, and she tries to address those,'' said Albert Melena melena /me·le·na/ (me-le´nah) the passage of dark stools stained with altered blood. me·le·na n. , youth director of San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. Partnership, an agency that has worked with Welch to create youth programs on Blythe Street. ``She's been dedicated,'' Melena said. ``And if you look at Casa Esperanza's longevity, they've made the commitment to be there. And Casa Esperanza will probably be the last ones there.'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Former nun Margaret Rose Welch sorts donated clothes with ex-gang member Sergio Cruz, who works at Casa Esperanza in Panorama City. Michael Owen
(2--Ran in Bulldog Edition Bulldog edition refers to an earlier edition of a newspaper or other print publications. For instance, the Sunday New York Times publishes its bulldog edition, about 100,000 copies, for distribution around the country, at about noon on Saturday. only) Gloria Estrada, holding her grandson, thanks Margaret Rose Welch for the help she was given. Michael Owen Baker/Daily News (3) Margaret Rose Welch looks at the dragon tattoo on the arm of Saul Aguirre before he had it removed Saturday. Tattoo removal is just one of the many programs started by Welch at Casa Esperanza. Tina Gerson/Daily News |
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