Every day, students greet Joshua Paris in the hall. They know him as a passionate teacher and chair of the math department, yet few know that he is also the co-founder of a nonprofit organization providing hundreds with educational opportunities in the Dominican Republic.
Las Margaritas Foundation—founded in 2012 by Joshua Paris and his wife, Tanya Paris, who also teaches kindergarten at Pierce school—provides children in the Dominican Republic with access to a high-quality education. According to those involved in the foundation, its impact has been endlessly rewarding and heartwarming, both for families and volunteers.
The nonprofit started as a summer camp, but then expanded into a larger foundation with a year-round school. Cailin Montilla attends the school and is able to participate in the many different programs it has to offer.
“We learn art and crafts, and they help us with school assignments,” Montilla said. “We have a STEM program for technology and an English program. There are different activities every day. We have a large variety of things that we can do there.”
Tanya Paris said meeting the region’s needs is a main focus of the foundation.
“The nice thing about our foundation is that it’s all about the need of the community,” Tanya Paris said. “Now, because of the work that we are doing during the school year with our centers, the children in the community are getting a lot of nice and quality programming.”
Las Margaritas has many additional initiatives, including “Send a Girl to College”, which gives young women educational and financial support to go to college; programs for single mothers; spreading awareness about teen pregnancy; and an outreach initiative, where they recently contributed to an orphanage.
“Often in the Dominican Republic, young women aren’t as empowered as they are here in general and don’t necessarily have as many opportunities as young men,” Joshua Paris said. “So we provide scholarships for a good number of young Dominican women to continue their education post-high school. And then in return, we ask them to spend some time working in our school with younger kids.”
Joshua Paris said he takes pride in how students’ long-term involvement has created a productive and cohesive group of people.
“We’ve built this community fabric of parents and their children and some of the local schools. And I think the stronger community connections that we build help make the whole community stronger,” Joshua Paris said.
The community has shown great appreciation for the foundation over the years. Yolanda Montas, Tanya Paris’ sister, said she enjoys seeing this gratitude.
“We went to the orphanage, and we saw how they welcomed us, all the hugs and the kisses and how they appreciated every little thing that we did,” Montas said. “You just give a little bit and how that could mean so much in the life of others.”
Tanya Paris said that seeing long-term students return to the program with meaningful memories has been her favorite part of running the foundation.
“When we go and visit, [the students] come by and play dominoes with us or bring projects that they did when they were campers three years ago. They come and talk to us about their favorite things that they did,” Tanya Paris said. “That fills my heart with so much joy.”
Carmen Montilla is a director of the school and said she enjoys being able to aid the students in their learning.
“It is something I am grateful for a lot. Every day I get up and say ‘Is there a child I can help today?’ and I feel very good,” Carmen Montilla said. “I feel very grateful for the foundation because it has helped me help children who need a lot of help.”
For Joshua Paris, the effect of the foundation has translated into his life in Brookline.
“I think what it’s really helped me identify is my own power and my own privilege,” Joshua Paris said. “And all of these experiences have helped me come to a better understanding about who I am and the advantages that I’ve had. And that makes me a better educator.”
