Carroll County used to be a lonely place for Spanish-speaking immigrants.
“I was one of the few people who spoke Spanish here. I went to Washington to buy my food,” said Jenni Sharkey, who came to Carroll 18 years ago after growing up in Peru. But what a difference a few years makes.
“Especially in the last few years, there has been a big change in the county. I can hear other languages on the street now,” Sharkey said. Sharkey and Elena Hartley, who is also from Peru, founded United Hands of Carroll County, part of the Community Foundation of Carroll County, to help ease the transition for new immigrants arriving in Carroll County. They recently were awarded the Hispanic Heritage Award for Exemplary Organization by the Governor?s Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
Now in its third year of operation and located in the new Carroll Nonprofit Center in Westminster, the organization is busier than ever, serving primarily Hispanics and some Chinese immigrants.
“We give new residents information about services that are available for them in the county, we do the outreach programs for some service providers, and we help with translations,” said Sharkey.
Sharkey and Hartley coordinate with county officials to help new immigrants navigate unfamiliar forms and procedures dealing with everything from school registration and family planning to traffic court documents.
Both women are U.S. citizens, and hope the outcome of the immigration debate will benefit everyone.
“I hope whatever comes out of this will be good for all of us ? the country and the immigrants,” Hartley said. She originally settled in Bethesda with her family, but decided to move to Carroll because of its reputation for a better quality of life.
“I don?t think anybody wants to live in the shadows,” Sharkey said. “People I come into contact with want to be a part of this country.”
For Sharkey, assimilating into a new culture while retaining her Peruvian identity required being proud of where she came from but “at the same time [respecting] the culture where you are,” she said.
Both women taught their children to speak English and Spanish.
“It?s important to communicate in English, but after 18 years, I?m not proficient,” said Sharkey, who said the learning process continues every day.
