When her son started kindergarten at Fort Worth ISD’s Richard J. Wilson Elementary about 14 years ago, Tomasa Flores noticed something: He wasn’t speaking in full sentences in English or Spanish, which he spoke at home.
She wanted to be close by. She wanted to support him. Then she realized the school needed help.
That was the beginning of more than a decade of volunteer service. Her efforts led to her nomination for 52 Faces of Community, the Fort Worth Report’s weekly series spotlighting unsung heroes in Tarrant County.
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At the end of the year, these rarely recognized heroes will gather for a luncheon where the Report will announce one honoree to represent Tarrant County at the Jefferson Awards in Washington, D.C.
“I liked everything I was doing,” Flores said in Spanish. “I saw the school needed a lot of help. That motivated me — helping and seeing children’s happy faces.”
Flores, a parent of four Fort Worth ISD graduates and grandmother of two current students, has become a fixture at the south Fort Worth campus. Since 2012, she’s held nearly every leadership position in the PTA, including five terms as president.
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“She makes families feel seen, heard and empowered to be involved in their children’s education,” district spokesperson Jessica Becerra said.
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Beyond planning school events and fundraising, Flores is often the first person new families meet when they walk into Wilson Elementary.
Many are Spanish-speaking, and she helps them navigate registration, communication with teachers and the district’s processes. Nearly 2 in 3 students on campus are English language learners, according to state data.
“Sometimes families don’t know what to do or how things work in this country,” Flores said.
She tries to give them a little guidance.
“I’m always available,” she said.
Her reputation has spread across the community.
“She makes families feel seen, heard and empowered to be involved in their children’s education,”
said district spokesperson Jessica Becerra.
Some neighbors knock on her door. Other parents call her directly.
Flores organizes events that draw hundreds of families. The purpose is twofold: raise funds for the school and create moments for parents to spend time with their children.
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“Many parents work or have other commitments,” she said. “At these events, they give a little of their time to accompany their children. That’s why we do them.”
Over the years, those events funded T-shirts, classroom supplies and teacher needs. Flores said she feels proud after each one.
“Every event has been a success, not just for me personally, but for the school,” she said.
Flores said her years of volunteering changed her as much as they have helped the campus.
“I’ve grown as a person,” she said. “I didn’t know how to deal with other people, how to communicate. I’ve learned things I never thought I could do.”
Her influence shows at home, too. Her children felt motivated seeing her at school and proudly pointed her out to friends, she said.
Now, one of her sons is a chemical engineer; another just started at Texas Christian University on a full-ride scholarship; and her youngest daughter was recently accepted to Fort Worth ISD’s Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
Still, she’ll keep supporting Wilson Elementary as long as possible. Teachers and administrators tell her the PTA wouldn’t be the same without her, and some joke she’ll never be able to retire.
For Flores, that’s fine.
“Mientras usted me permita seguir viniendo,” she said.
As long as they allow her to keep coming.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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