On Dec. 13 Santiago Canyon College will host its 27th annual holiday party for students who are parents and are part of Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, a celebration that supports them by providing gifts for their children.

The holiday party has been coordinated by Nena Baldizon-Rios, director of the program since it began in 1997,  who is retiring this month after 30 years of teaching at SCC.

Having been a single parent once herself, Baldizon-Rios is passionate about supporting students who are parents juggling multiple responsibilities. The Extended Opportunity program provides services for students enrolled in community colleges who face economic, educational or other obstacles to success, and Baldizon-Rios said this event conveys the message that students are welcomed and cared for at SCC.

“It’s the thought of someone thinking of you, that the college is not here to give you just a degree or certificate, but the college is here to embrace who you are,” she said.

The party and gifts are all funded by donations. “I get money from faculty, from staff, from administrators, from local businesses,” she said. “It’s done with a lot of love because it’s a family thing. Everybody comes together, everybody donates. It’s something that began as a small idea that has just beautifully flourished.”

She also gets donations from SCC alumni who themselves were once Extended Opportunity students. “I get donations anywhere from $5 to $250,” Baldizon-Rios said , adding that today these are processed by the SCC Foundation, which streamlines the donation process.

The holiday party will begin with breakfast on campus at 9:30 a.m. In addition to food, an adjunct counselor will provide games for kids who accompany their parents. Toys donated by the Orange County Fire Department, the SCC community and other groups will be given to parents for their children to open on Christmas or at the party. Because parents so often put their own needs last, they, too, will also receive a few gifts, Baldizon-Rios said. Some years, these have included movie tickets and Target gift cards.

Nena Baldizon-Rios welcomes student parents to the food distribution on Nov. 26. The program provided full Thanksgiving meals to 25 families ahead of the holiday. (Photo courtesy of RSCCD Communications)

This year, approximately 276 students are part of the organization, about 50 of whom are single parents, according to Baldizon-Rios. She estimates 30 to 40 of them will attend this year’s holiday party. When she receives an excess of donations, she’s able to invite the program’s students who are not parents to join them. In addition to this annual party, she and her team also organize food donations to program students for Thanksgiving and a Mother’s Day event in the spring.

Baldizon-Rios has many happy memories of the holiday parties over the years. One year the OC Fire Department donated 18 bicycles. At the party, a couple came to her in tears because the student’s husband had just lost his job, their daughter had asked for a bike for Christmas and they didn’t know what to do — until that holiday party provided the wished-for bike.

Another memory is of a program student who was undocumented and wanted to drop out of college. “He was a smart guy, and I said, ‘Let me help you,’ ” Baldizon-Rios recalled. “I talked to some faculty members and we were able to give him a job with a stipend. Fast-forward, he’s now a citizen. He was recruited a year before he graduated from UC Berkeley by Google, Microsoft and Apple. He’s another donor of the Christmas event.”

Baldizon-Rios is a champion of the Extended Opportunity program. “It’s the best support program you can provide for students who are financially and educationally challenged,” she said, adding that she’s seen many students go on to careers as firefighters, police officers and nurses, as well as attend prestigious four-year universities.

Currently, she and her team are busy getting ready for the holiday breakfast, which requires a lot of coordination to make sure gifts are sorted and organized. “I could not do this without my staff,” Baldizon-Rios said. “They are the best in the world.” She credits Susie Duarte, EOPS/CARE/CalWORKs/Guardian Scholar adjunct counselor, who personally requests donations for this party and who often thanks donors with homemade brownies.

Baldizon-Rios, 65, will retire as of Dec. 19 and said the parting will be bittersweet. She looks forward to relaxing, traveling with her husband and enjoying retirement while they’re both in good health, but “I will miss those daily blessings that I’ve had along the way,” she said. “The privilege and the honor that I’ve had of serving these students through the 30 years, there are no words.”

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