POQUOSON — Blooming Minds Tutoring is blending culture and education in a celebration on Nov. 15 that aims to bring people together and foster understanding within the community.
The tutoring center, founded and run by a husband-and-wife team, will host a multicultural event focused on Hispanic traditions. The goal, according to organizers, is to build trust and connection through authentic, hands-on experiences for children and families.
“When we first sat down to think about it, we wanted to bring a sense of community,” said Andrea DeRubba, owner of Blooming Minds. “We want people to feel proud of where they live, see how much they can learn from each other, and bring the trust back to our community.”
The event, themed “One Craft, One Bite, One Dance at a Time,” reflects the idea of taking small but meaningful steps toward unity. “It’s that first small step to bringing and building a community,” said DeRubba.
Blooming Minds, which has been open for about a year, focuses on nurturing the whole child, academically, socially, and culturally. Many of its students thrive outside of traditional school settings, and the center aims to provide them with real-world learning experiences that go beyond the classroom.
“We love creating authentic, hands-on experiences where they can start to learn about things, but not sitting at a desk at school,” DeRubba explained. “It’s about building background knowledge, which is a huge predictor of strong reading comprehension and literacy skills.”
For this event, Blooming Minds partnered with Los Compadres restaurant in Hampton and local educator Mr. Ramirez, who brings his passion for Hispanic culture and teaching to the celebration. Los Compadres offered their restaurant as the venue and is donating food for attendees.
“We shared the same vision in building community,” DeRubba said. “I had the educational part, while he had the place that felt safe and welcoming for families. It’s truly been a team effort.”
The event will feature piñata making, mask crafting, live Hispanic music and dancing. Spanish conversation activities and traditional foods will round out the day, creating what organizers describe as an “all-encompassing fiesta” for students and families.
Beyond the festivities, Blooming Minds hopes the event encourages empathy, curiosity and belonging among young learners. “We’re in a diverse world,” Andrea said. “Social media can make people feel distant, but events like this help kids build empathy and understand people different from them.”
Community members are invited to support future events by volunteering or donating to Blooming Minds’ nonprofit arm, Pathways to Growth, which provides scholarships for underserved and English learner families to access educational programs.
“People can donate, volunteer, or simply show up,” DeRubba said. “Just being there shows that building this kind of community matters.”
“It’s exciting for everyone involved,” DeRubba added. “We’ve spent a lot of time and effort building this business, and seeing families come together like this makes it all worth it.”
Since opening, Blooming Minds has hosted several creative learning experiences, from a “Wild, Wild Reptiles” event with live animals to an entrepreneurs club that teaches kids business skills. The team hopes the Hispanic traditions celebration will become an annual tradition, one that continues to grow along with the community it serves.
The free event takes place Saturday, Nov. 15 from 2-3:30 p.m. at Los Compadres Taqueria Y Marisqueria. Learn more on the event’s Facebook page.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story was based on an earlier flyer for the event. This story has been updated.
