Karla Stroman Enriches Lives through Literacy

Most people do not make lifelong friends during a job interview. But Karla Stroman’s inner strength and obvious dedication to children so resonated with Linda Dodd that “what was supposed to be a job interview” became an instant connection, heralding a deep friendship. Today, 30 years later, Linda describes Karla as “very unassuming and quiet, but a strong kind of quiet. She’s a leader, a visionary. We have always had each other’s back, and it’s easy to have her back because she always does the right thing. She always does what is best for kids.”

Karla has devoted her life to education, becoming a teacher as soon as she graduated from Fresno State University, CA, where she met her husband Ed. When job opportunities brought the couple to the North State, they immediately fell in love with the area and decided to raise their son and two daughters in Red Bluff. As her children were growing up, Karla worked as a classroom teacher and reading specialist. In 2004, ready to use her extensive experience to affect even more kids, she became the administrator for a Tehama County Department of Education program called Safe Education and Recreation for Rural Families (SERRF).

SERRF hosts 25 afterschool programs for kids in Tehama County, providing expanded learning for 2,000 K – 8 students. SERRF offers homework help and tutoring; social skills and healthy lifestyle lessons; safe, fun ways to recreate; and more. Rich DuVarney, Tehama County Department of Education’s superintendent, says Karla has cultivated an incredibly creative team to make SERRF a fun and engaging learning experience for kids. “There are SERRF sites all over the county, so the curriculum needs to be creative for the kids and organized, so it is easy for the teachers to teach,” Rich explains.

While Linda likewise describes Karla’s creativity, she also sees SERRF’s success as a manifestation of Karla’s unique ability to recognize and utilize the talents of her team to reach the program’s goals. “Karla sees the bigger picture,” Linda says, “and she’s always looking forward to the next challenge. She sees the good in people, their strengths. She’s also very disciplined, both in her personal life and in her work.” This powerful blend of delegation, insight, forward-thinking, and discipline enables Karla to have visions for the future and to work with others to turn those dreams and goals into realities.

Karla has a special passion for promoting literacy, particularly because kids who cannot read well by third grade quickly fall behind their peers in all subject matters. To promote literacy, Karla has helped coordinate programs like SERRF’s summer “Book in Common” program, uniting SERRF’s 1,000 summer school students with the rest of the community through timeless tales like Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. Sponsored by Enjoy the Store, Dignity Health, and Delta Kappa Gamma, the program culminates with a community movie night featuring an adaptation of the summer’s selected book.

Karla’s current efforts to promote literacy include kick-starting “Reading Pals,” pairing children with community volunteers for a reading hour once a week. Programs like “Book in Common” and “Reading Pals” illustrate what Rich identifies as one of Karla’s greatest skills: her ability to connect with and unite the community. “It can be easy to just focus on our education tasks,” Rich notes, but Karla recognizes the value of incorporating the proverbial village to raise children.

“It’s important for all of us to do everything we can so our kids can become healthy, productive adults and caring citizens,” Karla says.

Although prone to arriving at work early and staying late, Karla makes time for bicycling outdoors with friends and teaching an indoor spin class at Tehama Family Fitness Center, which she owns with her husband and daughter. She also part-owns Physical Therapy & Wellness Center, where her son and husband work as physical therapists. All three of her children live in Red Bluff, and now five granddaughters, all under the age of six, have taken Karla’s heart by storm. Linda describes Karla as “very committed to her family,” and Karla cheerfully admits her granddaughters “keep me really busy.” From her granddaughters to the kids of the SERRF program, Karla invests deeply in children. Her activities today are like seeds growing into the well-being of Tehama County for many years to come.

The mission of our be the change column is to feature community members from the North State who are actively making a difference in community life. If you would like to nominate someone who is making a difference, please write to pn@northstateparent.com.