Tribute to Luis Perez
For 35 years, Luis, in partnership with his wife Pamela, has worked tirelessly in the community advocating and developing programs for the children and families of Rochester. During the past 15 years, his focus has been on high-quality summer learning for the children of Rochester to help them succeed in school and in life.
With open hearts and abundant compassion, Luis and Pamela have been dedicated to bringing equity to the summer space for lower resourced as a labor of love, they have been on a mission to close the achievement gap by addressing the opportunity gap that prevents children from learning and growing during the summer break.
Luis grew up in Rochester and understands the many challenges faced by young people. In 1964, as a young boy, he watched from the second floor of his home as people destroyed the neighborhood around him. But Luis was blessed with magnificent parents who always opened their home to anyone in need and taught him that love and compassion can change the world.
He grew up as a productive young man and shortly after high school went to work for the Eastman Kodak Co. Then in 1989, Luis made a life-altering choice. He decided to dedicate the rest of his career to helping people in need. He returned to school and received a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Nazareth College and Master's in Social Work from Roberts Wesleyan College.
In 2009, Luis became the Executive Director of the Horizons at Harley program. The program demonstrated the positive impact summer learning has on Rochester's children. Luis, in partnership with Conger and Mary-Jo Gabel, developed a vision to expand summer learning in the Rochester region, in the next decade, they spearheaded the development of summer learning programs which culminated in 23 sites serving 1500 students through 100 classrooms. In that journey, they engaged anyone with a desire to see the children of Rochester succeed. They recruited and engaged program partners from public and private colleges and universities, private independent schools, suburban school districts, and child-serving agencies such as the YMCA and community- based daycare centers. To date, Luis has been responsible for raising millions of dollars to serve thousands of families and their children.
As Luis learned from his parents, love, compassion and tireless effort and dedication can make a lasting impact on the welfare of a community. Everywhere Luis goes in the City of Rochester people, young and old, come up to him to say hello and to thank him for the difference he has made in their lives. For all of this and more, we, the Board of the Greater Rochester Summer Learning Association and the many, many people who have worked with Luis, are inspired and delighted to honor Luis and wish him well as he transitions to the next phase of his journey.