May 10, 2005 – Shirley Luna

Social work lecturer receives leadership award

A Stephen F. Austin State University faculty member will be recognized during the 21st annual John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Forum Sept. 9 - 11 in Austin as a 2005 Outstanding Texas Local Leader.

The award honors individuals who have made contributions to their communities through public service and will be presented to Ruben Rodríguez, a lecturer in SFA's School of Social Work. Rodríguez joined the SFA faculty in 2002, and has worked to improve living conditions for the Latino population in Nacogdoches since 1997.

"I looked around Nacogdoches and saw families from Mexico and other Latin American countries living in neighborhoods with dilapidated housing and terrible conditions," Rodríguez said. "Children, even handicapped children, had to walk long distances down pot-hole-ridden roads because a school bus could not drive on such a poor surface. Those same children lived in risk of serious illnesses because there was no adequate water or sewage facility to provide service for their neighborhood."

Although federal funds had been allocated years earlier for a sewer and drainage system and a water treatment system in the Briar Forest area, work had not begun. Many of the homes did not have adequate drainage or sewer systems. Sewage polluted many yards and low-lying areas.

Hacer, the Hispanic Alliance for Community EnRichment, a nonprofit organization Rodríguez created to provide assistance and translating services for Spanish-speaking families, offered to serve as a liaison between the county, the construction company and the families, and shortly thereafter, work to improve sanitation began. Along with Rodríguez's SFA social work students, the group sought and received contributions from several local agencies and businesses to repair the roadways. School buses were once again able pick up children for school.

"Hacer’s sole mission is to join together the community as a whole by providing information and education to Spanish- and English-speaking audiences, thereby increasing the understanding of different cultures and allowing for community integration," Rodríguez said.

Rodríguez was honored for his efforts by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers as Social Worker of the Year in 1998.

Rodríguez joined the SFA faculty to direct the Community Resource Center, a grant-funded information and referral organization that provides resources and assistance to families new to this country through an extensive network of agencies, organizations and volunteers.

When Nacogdoches addresses were being changed to accommodate the county's centralized emergency system, the center helped Spanish-speaking residents identify their new addresses and assisted with completing change of address cards to ensure mail delivery, which for many of them already had been interrupted.

In addition to linking more than 150 clients to services annually, under Rodríguez's leadership, the center arranged for the Mexican consulate to provide Mexican nationals in Nacogdoches with proper identification, a pressing necessity as many of this population cannot get state-issued identification without a Social Security number. More than 600 individuals were assisted.

When federal funding for the program ended, Rodríguez began teaching full time at SFA, although he still works with the center on a volunteer basis.

"The center represents clients when they cannot present themselves to agencies during business hours because of their work schedules," Rodríguez said. "The center increases immigrants' awareness of laws and social norms in the U.S., and makes them aware of the existing resources that are available."

At the request of the city of Nacogdoches, Rodríguez helped to develop and served on a Hispanic Needs Committee to explore the needs of the Hispanic community and complete a needs assessment for community leaders, elected officials, organizations and social service agencies. He has facilitated diversity training for city employees and served on the strategic planning committee for the Nacogdoches Independent School District.

"The center coordinates efforts to provide information on college admissions, testing and financial aid to the local high school students, and provides mentors to facilitate the process," Rodríguez said. "We've also joined with the SFA Division of Nursing in developing, planning and implementing health fairs to provide health screenings and information to Hispanics."

Rodríguez expanded the outreach of the Community Resource Center by serving as a board member on a variety of agency and organization boards. According to Dr. Tito Guerrero III, SFA president, Rodríguez's ability to speak and share with both English- and Spanish-speaking people has resulted in both groups learning more about the other’s culture and society.

"Ruben has demonstrated his belief that empowering people with information is the greatest tool," Guerrero said. "He has worked to prepare the community to handle issues proactively rather than reactively and has given SFA social work students many opportunities to learn about different cultures while furthering their studies. The John Ben Shepperd award exemplifies the spirit that all citizens have a duty to serve their local communities. Ruben has certainly demonstrated this spirit through his work. His advocacy role gives a voice to those who, primarily because of language barriers, cannot speak for themselves."

Rodríguez provided diversity training for all city of Nacogdoches employees regarding the local Hispanic community and managed Buckner Children and Family Services' Fragile Families Fatherhood program, which was recognized by then-Attorney General John Cornyn for efforts in enrolling young fathers into the child-support system.

The John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute honors three local leaders and one statewide leader each year. The awards honor the memory of Shepperd, who served as Secretary of State from 1951 to 1953 and as Texas Attorney General from 1953 to 1957.  In his lifetime, Shepperd chaired more than 300 charitable, civic, cultural and religious organizations and was appointed by four presidents and seven governors to numerous national and state boards and commissions. Among his achievements were the establishment of the Texas Arts Commission and the Texas Historical Commission's highway marking system.

Nacogdoches County Judge Sue Kennedy received an Outstanding Local Leader award from the agency in 2004. John David Cowman of Leander and Carol Woods of Georgetown also will be honored as 2005 outstanding local leaders. U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady of The Woodlands is the recipient of the 2005 Outstanding State Leader Award.