Sara Mullally ’09 loves her home state and the people in it. She attributes her serving and caring nature to growing up in Arkansas and being surrounded by “neighborly folk.” A Spanish and international studies major, Mullally wasn’t sure what she wanted to do after graduation, but she knew she wanted to help people.
“I didn’t see any jobs that worked directly with Spanish speakers in Arkansas. It’s kind of hard to break into that nonprofit field or any kind of job like that,” Mullally said. “So, I went to Texas and worked as an AmeriCorps member at a shelter for immigrants, and that’s where I got the skillset and the idea to start El Zócalo.”
Mullally came back to Arkansas two years later with the idea that there were probably a lot of Spanish-speaking people residing in the state who didn’t know where to go when they had a medical emergency. “I decided to go to all of these different nonprofits, ask questions to learn about them and meet with their leaders and meet with people from their community,” she said.
Mullally has always had a passion for serving others, and what started as neighborly love has blossomed into a thriving nonprofit grassroots organization. In September of 2011, Mullally and her friend, Kelsey Rezille, founded and started El Zócalo.
“We are a volunteer-based organization in Central Arkansas with a mission to promote a dignified life for immigrants,” Mullally said. “In the beginning, we went to churches, houses and Cinco De Mayo parties just to see what it was that the people actually needed in order to design El Zócalo to be able to help at its maximum capacity.”
Mullally also credits the University of Central Arkansas for helping El Zócalo flourish. “Going to UCA was a huge benefit for El Zócalo. A lot of my fellow alums got involved and volunteered to help, and the UCA Honors College has been involved with the organization since 2012,” Mullally said. “A variety of UCA classes have taken on El Zócalo and done class volunteer projects. Not only that, but also the UCA Spanish club sent volunteers to El Zócalo, and then the UCA Political Science Department and the International Studies Department got involved as well! I truly feel that everything that we’ve done, UCA has been a part of.”
For Mullally, helping those around her is just common sense. “It’s just the Arkansas value to want to help your neighbor. It isn’t just me who does it… it’s Arkansans. Our community and the people who I was raised with, if we see somebody who is struggling, why wouldn’t you help that person? Especially if you have the means and the know-how to do so?”