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FACES & PLACES : COMMUNITY HEROEducation For AllWRITTEN BY Diane GershunyWhen doctors Martha and Faustino Bernadett created The MolinaFoundation in August 2004, its overall mission was to enhance learningand educational performance through the promotion of family and healthliteracy, math competency, and teacher effectiveness.Since its inception, the 501©3 corporation has effectively reachedunderserved children directly through schools and indirectly throughorganizations and community-based groups including clinics, AssistanceLeague, Junior League, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA/YWCA, and faithbasedorganizations.Martha Bernadett, a family physician, is the eldest daughter of the lateDr. C. David Molina, founder of Molina Healthcare, who came from afamily with a rich legacy in healthcare and education.“My parents were both teachers before dad went back and became aphysician. Everyone in my family — as well as my husband’s — valueseducation very highly,” said Bernadett. “Most of us have advanceddegrees from the local universities. Four out of five of us went to CSULB,and the fifth went to Sacramento State. We owe a debt of gratitude toour parents and teachers, and to the public education system.”In exploring how they could give back to the community, the Bernadett’slooked at what the needs of the community were. What they found wastheir greatest impact could be made through supporting teachers, whoin turn, inspire the children.Bernadett said their target audience is children, students, teachers,principals, administrators, parents and families who need helpovercoming the most common barriers of both poverty and Englishas a second language.“Children who are inspired and that can enjoy life-long learning will havericher, fuller lives,” she said. “In order to get to that point, they need tobe exposed to things like books and have confidence in their abilities.”Bernadett recalls when she was in 7th grade and how she had a reallygreat math teacher. “I’ve always taken an interest in math, especially forgirls who I think don’t have a lot of confidence in their abilities. That’s asmaller but growing part of the foundation,” she said.A larger part of the foundation, and the inspiration for its inception, isthe Book Buddies Literacy Program, born out of an idea by a MolinaHealthcare pediatrician.“There are studies that show the disparities in the number of booksin homes between children who live in poverty and those who live inaffluence, and it’s hundreds of times greater,” said Bernadett. “Werealized that this was something that we could do to make a difference.”54JUNE 2010 TRAVEL & LEISURE