FEATURE
Retiree finds adventure in lifelong learning Assisting refugees expands cultural horizons BY TARA ERWIN
F
or Chera Apruzzese Thompson, life has always been an adventure. Since retirement, she’s discovered that volunteering is a great way to continue it. “Volunteering has enabled me to try new things in arenas I have always wondered about,” she says. “These experiences have brought me new friends, a sense of fulfillment, and lifelong learning.” Thompson, who grew up in Los Angeles and lived in Ohio before moving with her husband and two children to Buffalo more than twentyfive years ago, donates her time and skills to area nonprofits such as Operation Good Neighbor, Explore
Buffalo, Paws for Love, Stitch Buffalo, Shea’s, and Tifft Nature Center. Nearest and dearest to her heart, however, is International Institute of Buffalo (IIB), where she’s been a Job Club Instructor and a Tutor Trainer for the Home English Language Learners
Chera Apruzzese Thompson volunteers as an English tutor with the International Institute of Buffalo. Photo courtesy of Ned Miller
Outreach (HELLO) Program. Both IIB volunteer opportunities are perfect for Thompson, who taught ESL to adult refugees for BOCES and the Buffalo Public Schools before retiring in 2017. IIB’s mission is to make Western New York a better place for, and because of, immigrants and refugees. Its Job Club prepares clients for the workforce by helping with resumes, teaching about work safety, and transitioning their professional and personal lives. The HELLO Program offers homebound students, typically women with young children or the 12
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elderly, basic English instruction to help to navigate their new community. Thompson’s always loved travel and experiencing different cultures. In fact, she worked for American Airlines before earning her Masters degree in Adult Education/ESL in her fifties. Before she moved to Buffalo, her husband’s job had them living in Hungary and Australia. And the couple has traveled with Habitat for Humanity and Fuller Center Global Builds as well. “I love teaching and engaging with Buffalo’s refugee population because it lets me engage with different cultures
