CHEER celebrates ESL, Spanish program graduates

In a heartwarming ceremony held June 25, CHEER celebrated the graduations of its first English as a Second Language and Spanish classes at the CHEER Community Center in Georgetown.

The event, attended by families, friends and community leaders, highlighted the dedication and hard work of more than 120 students who successfully completed the rigorous ESL and Spanish programs. The atmosphere was filled with pride and joy as each student received a certificate of completion, symbolizing a significant milestone in their journeys toward greater opportunities and integration into one another’s communities.

“We got several grants from Delaware’s Division of Aging totaling $240,000 for all seven senior centers, but we got very short notice of deciding what our program would be,” said Beckett Wheatley, CHEER CEO. “It had to do outreach to the underserved Hispanic population in our area, so we brainstormed and decided that we would do ESL and Spanish classes. The program had to end by June 30, so we’re trying to find a way to continue to fund it.”