TOWN 'N' COUNTRY, Fla. — As we recognize Hispanic Heritage Month, there is a Hillsborough County employee who is being celebrated for her years of service working with our seniors.
Director Frances Duran Brea uses her own background to connect with generations who came before her, helping to bridge that gap between our Hispanic seniors and the rest of our community.
When Brea enters a room, she’s treated like a celebrity.
“It’s priceless,” Brea said.
For the past 15 years, Brea has been going above and beyond to connect Hispanic seniors with all the services and activities available through Hillsborough County Aging Services.
“These types of social events that I coordinate bring all these cultural groups together, and it's just such a beautiful scene,” Brea said.
When Brea looks into the eyes of these seniors, she sees her own parents and grandparents.
“My family came from a very poor area in the Dominican Republic in the capital and migrated here like so many immigrants do, looking for the American Dream,” she said.
One of Brea’s first goals when she started working for the county, was to make sure their Spanish-speaking seniors were always included.
“Very important to have bilingual programming to attract these citizens,” Brea said. “It wasn’t common practice to have the literature in Spanish, and that was one of the things that I kind of took on early.”
One minute she’s planning a bingo game, and the next, she’s fixing some very important equipment, like an oxygen tank.
These seniors say it’s obvious this is much more than just a job for Brea.
“You can tell when she does it with so much love, individually, that attention she gives you,” senior Octavia Blasse said.
