Terrah Goeden grew up poor, yet found her riches helping kids.

A self-made woman, Goeden came from humble beginnings. She had little in terms of material wealth growing up in Central Washington but received plenty of love, understanding and family support to find her way.

She often measured her success in the classroom, not by personal income or materialistic gain. It was the classroom that first fired her passion to learn and to teach others.

Goeden overcame many obstacles and eventually put herself through school, earning a biochemistry degree with a minor in physics from the University of Washington.

“I wanted to discover a cure for AIDS,” she said. “I was actually conducting HIV vaccine research after school.”

But program funding was cut, and she ultimately lost her position.

To get by, she taught, or more precisely, tutored.

She became very good at it, earning as much as $105 an hour prepping college students for exams.

Goeden, however, felt increasingly unfulfilled and frustrated helping privileged students.

“They had all the opportunities in front of them,” Goeden recalled. “I decided I wanted to do something else. I wanted to help people who didn’t have those opportunities, who really needed me.”

Goeden soon found her calling, and her place as a youth tutoring coordinator at Neighborhood House, located in the heart of a public housing community in north Auburn.

For decades, Neighborhood House has helped immigrants, refugees and low-income people overcome economic, educational and employment challenges at centers throughout the country.

The nonprofit, subsidized program provides tutoring, citizenship classes, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, job training, case management, community health programs and transportation to many low-income people each year.

Kids who attend nearby schools find the door open. While help is free to qualified low-income families and student referrals, seldom is anyone turned away.

For Goeden, the center serves as a hospitable “hub” – a center of learning that offers hope and opportunity. On a given day, she works with as many as 35 kids of different cultural backgrounds.

She and her volunteer staff are pulled in different directions, tending to the academically-challenged youth who compete for attention, understanding and encouragement.

The days are long and challenging but rewarding.

“It’s not for the faint of heart,” Goeden said.

Under Goeden’s direction, kids learn how to rely on themselves and each other to fulfill their dreams and to become active, contributing citizens.

“She’s a great teacher who helps everybody who needs something,” said Kellyna McGrath, a fourth-grader at Dick Scobee Elementary School. “I came here because I needed help, and now I am helping others.”

Struggling students get the help they need. The proof can be found on improved report cards and in confident smiles.

“It’s like a second home, a second family,” said Tesha Wilson, a freshman at Mountainview High School who has elevated her grades since coming to the center. “It’s a family environment. Everybody knows everybody.”

The house has proven to be a good fit for the energetic and patient Goeden, considering where she has been and what she has come to be.

“It’s the perfect opportunity for me,” Goeden said between rounds of homework assistance. “All kids love and grow every day. And I love my kids.

“Some of the them are inspirational because of the things they have overcome and seen in their lives.”

Many of the kids who come through Goeden’s doors face multiple problems, especially cultural. Tackling the language barrier is a major task in a community of changing demographics.

Goeden, who also speaks Spanish and knows sign language, is making it work with limited resources. She has a temporary assistant in Angie McCarr, an AmeriCorps Service volunteer, but is in constant need of tutors and supply donations.

The community has come to her aid. Auburn Riverside High students conducted a makeover, even providing a new chalk wall. The Kiwanis Club of the Valley donated bookcases and beanbags for library seating. Others have stepped up, but the needs are always there.

The kids and their families in transition need a compassionate ear and helpful hand.

The mission continues.

“Our focus is education, but a lot of times they need guidance,” Goeden said.

“Every day is very busy,” she said. “It’s tough, but it’s rewarding.”

To learn more about the program, visit nhwa.org.