"The door is always open…"

Luisa first came to Good Samaritan Family Resource Center in the 1980’s as a client and civil war refugee from El Salvador. While she herself was receiving services, Luisa began volunteering at Good Sam to help other refugees. Later, as a single mother of three children, it was not easy for Luisa to find work without the proper job skills. Good Samaritan hired her as a receptionist and gave her further administrative assistant training. Looking back, Luisa believes that Good Samaritan gave her the opportunity that changed her life. “They really gave me a hand when I most needed it. The door is always open here.”

Now, Luisa really enjoys talking with other immigrants in her position as receptionist. “We interact as equals,” she says, “and because of that I can figure out what they most need.” For Luisa, an immigrant who has struggled to succeed in her new country, helping to meet the needs of other struggling immigrants is a natural and rewarding job.