Greater Lawrence

Community Action Council, Inc.

                           

She's a bridge between two communities

From the Eagle Tribune Monday, August 30, 1999

Masters
of the
Millennium

33

Isabel Melendez
When Isabel Melendez came to Lawrence in 1959, it was not the America she had seen in the history books in Puerto Rico.

The streets were not paved with gold, she did not have the house she had dreamed of, and, most importantly, she was not able to teach as she had done in her native country.

Instead, she lived in a cockroach-infested apartment that had no shower, and she worked in shoe factories.

But things began to change slowly for Mrs. Melendez.  She left the shoe factories and worked at the plywood and coat factories.  At the latter, she became an assistant supervisor.

Soon after, she opened a clothing store, Casa Melendez, in 1970.  As other Hispanics like herself would come to the welfare office, she would close shop to take them to the welfare office, help them register their children in schools and help them find housing.  Often, she would give them sweaters and other winter clothing from her store at no charge. 

This was preparing her for a lifelong career of helping Hispanics.

In 1973, Mrs. Melendez became director of the Spanish program at Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, a job she still holds.

For 26 years, Mrs. Melendez has been a bridge between the Hispanic and Anglo communities of Lawrence.  The multiservice office offers mediation services for landlords and tenants, helps families look for doctors, offers technical assistance to groups, distributes health-related information and does translation services.

In the 40 years that she has lived in Lawrence,  Mrs. Melendez has founded many of the groups and organizations that still exist today, such as the Roberto Clemente Little League, which brought together 225 children to play softball this summer, and the Christmas party, which distributed toys to 1,300 last December.

She was the first to translate the license manual and hold voter registration for Hispanics in Lawrence.

But she is most proud of Hispanic Week festival, a week-long celebration of Hispanic culture, music, and food at Campagnone Common, now a 21-year-old tradition.  She began the festival after attending the Puerto Rican festival in Boston and wanted to unite Hispanics in Lawrence under the theme, "Together in Harmony."

Mrs. Melendez has also been a notary public and justice of the peace since 1989.

Today, she takes her community work onto the airwaves on her show, "La Voz del Pueblo" -Spanish for "The voice of the people"- on WHAV-AM from 10 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday.

Mrs. Melendez said the secret of her successful career has been believing in herself.

"You have to believe in yourself and create a bond of trust and credibility in people."

She is a mother of four children: Marisa, Jamie Luis, Ronnie and the late Wanda Melendez-who died of asthma last year; and grandmother of five: Jamie and Eduardo Cepeda, Kenneth, Michael and Yaritza Melendez.