Elvia Flores, Chair of the Region 10 ESC Board of Directors, created a sanctuary of learning in a modest storage room of an apartment complex, a space that would eventually earn her the Governor's Volunteer of the Year Award and the opportunity to carry the Olympic torch. This was just one chapter in her remarkable journey of service that has spanned decades and touched countless lives.
If you ask Elvia how it all began, she’ll take you back to a house in Matamoros, Mexico: a two-story home with a sprawling yard where her aunt ruled with a generous heart. Her aunt, who remembered every tenant’s birthday and made volunteering look as essential as setting the dinner table, imprinted on young Elvia the importance of serving others. This early influence shaped Elvia’s worldview, even as she worked as a migrant laborer while helping raise her nine siblings after her father left the family.
“I had to figure out if my dollar was for gas, for hamburger meat, or to pay bills,” Elvia said, recalling the budgeting skills that made her an unexpected expert when she later faced questions about finance while running for school board. Necessity, she said, was the best kind of education.
Wherever there was a gap, Elvia stepped in. When a mother with five sons in prison wept during a community meeting, fearing her grandchildren would follow the same path, Elvia didn’t host another meeting or write a policy memo. She moved refrigerators and car engines out of a storage room in her apartment complex and sat down on the dusty floor to help kids with their homework after school.
That room eventually became a proper classroom when a local man, moved by a television segment about Elvia’s work, had it painted, furnished, and outfitted with books. It was there, in the remodeled heart of an apartment complex, that she helped give children a better path forward.
The after-school program she established transformed lives in tangible ways. Years later, a chance encounter at a local hardware store revealed the program’s lasting impact when a mother approached her: “Thank you so much for what you did for my kids.” The woman’s three children had grown into successful adults: one a school counselor, another working for AT&T, and the third owning a recycling business.
For her work, she received the Governor’s Volunteer Award from George W. Bush and was chosen to carry the Olympic torch for the 1996 Atlanta Games.
When Elvia speaks about the torch, her voice catches a little, as if still in awe that life could unfold in such unexpected, beautiful ways. She remembers jogging through Arlington streets, torch held high, training for the weight of the moment (literally and metaphorically) alongside her son, both of them laughing, carrying their sticks like champions.
Throughout her years of service, Elvia’s devotion remained rooted in education. As the first Hispanic woman on both the Garland ISD School Board and the Region 10 board, where she has served for approximately 20 years, she has been a passionate advocate for ESL programs and Head Start.
Even after decades of board service and countless awards, Elvia speaks of her work with profound humility. “I didn’t ask for it,” she says. “I just knew I had to do something.”
Today, with three family members in education, including her daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law, Flores continues to bring valuable perspectives to her board service. “I always ask questions, especially about ESL and Head Start,” she says. “I want to ensure that the kids, not just the teachers, get the support they need. That’s what it’s all about—getting kids to excel, not just go from one grade to the next because they’re old enough.”
From carrying the Olympic torch in 1996 to her ongoing service today, Elvia Flores embodies the “it takes a village” mindset and reminds us all that change happens not only in classrooms but also in dusty apartment storage rooms converted into modest learning spaces. Her life’s work proves that one person, motivated by compassion and a commitment to education, can build a legacy that spans generations.