By Sharon Chin
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NAPA VALLEY, California (KPIX) — The US welcomed more than 2.5 million new citizens in the last three years, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The application process can be time-consuming and complicated, so longtime volunteer Betty Labastida has been guiding Napa Valley newcomers on their path to the American Dream.
“You are part of a bigger thing,” said Labastida. “You are not just volunteering. You’re part of this person’s life and future and their children’s future.”
Labastida volunteers at free bimonthly workshops helping dozens of people fill out their applications for US citizenship. The program is organized by Napa Valley Together, a collaborative that serves the area’s immigrant families.
Labastida is passionate about her work; though she was born a U.S. citizen, her parents and sisters came from Mexico.
“Once they immigrated, my father became a U.S. citizen as soon as he was able. He knew English, he had no problem. with it,” she explained.
But the process was tough for her Mother.
“She was intimidated by it. It’s not easy to learn English. It’s not easy to learn all the civics questions,” Labastida said. “She became our project.”
In the end, her mother became a U.S. citizen, along with Labastida’s sisters. The experience inspired Labastida to volunteer.
“So for me, it’s like a way of giving back,” she said.
For the legal permanent residents who come for help, the forms alone can be daunting, requiring details about family history, travel, employment, and more. Labastida assists with the paperwork and helps people study for their interview and civics questions in English.
She urges them not to give up.
“Lots of times when applicants say ‘Oh, I’ll never know this,’ ‘I can’t do this,’ I’ll always tell them my mom’s story,” she smiled.
Organizers with the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area say Labastida is its longest-serving volunteer at the citizenship application workshops, starting when they first began 13 years ago.
“She’s extremely invested in the clients, wants to make them feel comfortable,” said North Bay regional directing attorney Madeline Hernandez. “They see her empathy, the way she relates to the other clients, and I think it’s a really good model for our other volunteers.”
Volunteers learn a lot from her, and Labastida’s contribution makes a difference.
The free citizenship legal services workshops had over 3,000 applications over the last 13 years. Organizers report that well over 90 percent have been granted U.S. citizenship.
For Labastida, it’s the latest chapter in her life of service. As a family nurse practitioner for the U.S. Department of State, she’s completed missions across the globe.
Now retired, she also volunteers in many ways, including leading Napa River Earth Day cleanups and collecting food bank donations.
“When people are successful or appreciative of what you’re doing, you want to give more,” she said. “I think that’s part of why I volunteer.”
So for her volunteer work that includes assisting newcomers on the path to U.S. citizenship, this week’s CBS News Bay Area Icon Award goes to Betty Labastida.
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