The Emanuel School was the product of the dreams of Javier and Rosario de la Cruz. During the early years of their marriage, Javier and Rosario attended school at night to earn their Masters degrees in Education and School Administration, respectively. Believing they could help children escape poverty through education, in 1992, they opened their home in Nazaret to twenty-three students who were unable to attend school elsewhere. The children not only received an excellent education, but also learned of God’s love for them.
Three years later, Mission Emanuel was founded and the Child Sponsorship Program began. Since then we have added the Mission Emanuel school, Jardín del Cielo, which is pre-school through the 2nd grade and it is located on the Mission property in Cielo. Enercida Reyes is the principal, with Glendi Lora is the assistant-principal and head teacher. Cindy Sweeney is the Director of Child Sponsorship (pictured with Glendi and Enercida) with Nicole Braun as the Administrative Assistant. Our Dominican Sponsorship staff includes Emmanuel Corsino as the Director of Family Ministries, with Lissette Capellan as the creative supervisor.
We partner with Rosario’s elementary school, Centro de Estudios Emanuel, located in Nazaret. She is the owner and Alex Feliz is the administrator/principal. For High School, we offer two schools, Crossover and Mi Primer Amanecer. If students want to continue their education beyond high school, our sponsorship program provides continued support. Between the campuses, there are more than 400 students enrolled, ranging from preschool through the university.
