Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Jo Longo.
Hi Mary Jo, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2016, I first went to Guatemala with a group of people from my church. We were going to work with a non-profit called Fundamaya, located in Panajachel on Lake Atitlan. We raised funds through our church congregation as well as our friends and family members. We would install efficient, healthier wood burning stoves, deliver water filters and beds and mattresses that we bought with the funds raised. We also collected shoes and socks for the preschool classes and would do a craft with the children then distribute the shoes and socks. We also raised funds to build small homes and/or bathroom facilities for families.
When I turned 75 years old, I decided that I no longer wanted to do the heavy work of hauling and construction. My sewing group had been sending fabric and sewing machines to help support Fundamaya’s sewing program. So in 2025, I began teaching the people in the sewing classes how to make quilts. I raised money through my family and friends and sold quilted and embroidered items that I had made at craft fairs. So each of the nine women in the class received a new machine upon graduation, learned how to make a quilt and, in fact, completed a quilt during the class and received all of the tools needed to start a small business using their skills.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Raising money is always an issue. So many things are needed to provide the students with all of the tools needed to make a quilt from the sewing machines, rulers, cutting mats, scissors to safety pins and thread.
Getting all of these items to Guatemala was another challenge. There is no mail service there so larger items and large quantities of fabric and other sewing supplies must be taken to Los Angeles, packed into cartons and shipped to Guatemala. Each carton costs $350, so funds must also be raised for shipping.
Language was also a bit of a challenge as my Spanish skills are limited. We did have an interpreter which was a huge help. And, since the students already had basic sewing skills, we were able to navigate around the language.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
For 25 years, I was a special education teacher and taught elementary school. I also taught middle school English and social studies. Then I became a school administrator. I retired in 2009 and, since then, I have been substituting for principals.
One thing that I am especially proud of is helping a school turn around from being a low performing school to a high performing one. I was able to convince the teachers that we needed to change the culture of the school or nothing would ever change. The school became an International Baccalaureate school and has attracted its neighborhood children back to the site. The teachers did a remarkable job of rewriting the curriculum and creating an exciting and rigorous program that has made an enormous difference for every child in the school.
I believe I’m best known for my calmness, fairness and my chocolate chip cookies. In difficult situations I’m able to deal with issues calmly and give clear directions and information.
In my leadership role I am also able to listen to people and be fair in my decision making. This is true with children and adults.
I started making chocolate chip cookies for a classroom of students on their birthdays whose parents were unable to do so. Of course I always made enough for the teaching staff also. When I became an administrator, I started making cookies for every staff meeting. There are quite a few schools in the San Diego district that are very fond of my cookies!
In my retirement, I have become a serious quilter. I make many quilts for charity as well as for friends and family. In 2016, I started going to Guatemala to work with a non-profit that works with the indigenous Mayan people. I have taught 16 Mayan women with sewing skills how to make a quilt. With the help of the congregation at my church, we provided these women with the skills and tools they need to set up a small business in their homes making quilts.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
There was a park in my neighborhood that had a variety of activities including a ping pong table. I was telling some of the boys that my father was a really good ping ping player. They laughed at me and told me that they didn’t believe it. I told my father about this and he went with me one afternoon. To my delight, he beat every single one! I got a bit more respect from those boys after that!
