AUBURN - When Yolanda Rivera came to Auburn in 1992, she didn't speak English very well.

In order to ride a bus, the Puerto Rican mother of five had to write her destination on a piece of paper and show it to the driver. She would leave the supermarket without all the items on her list because she didn't know how to find them.

She also brought English and spanish dictionaries to work.

"I used to try to speak English, but nobody understood me," she said. "That first year was really tough."

Rivera, who today speaks English fluently but with a thick accent, now helps others in the same situation.

"When I see other people coming and they start going through what I went through, they don't have to tell me, I know," said Rivera, founder of the Hispanic Community Center in Auburn. "It happened to me."

In May 2004, she opened the center, housed in SS. Peter & John Parish House at 169 Genesee St. For the past year, she has worked to provide translation and consultation services for Cayuga County's Hispanic community.

The center's goal is to alleviate the language barrier that can prevent Hispanics from taking advantage of different county services and becoming part of the community, Rivera said.

Rivera translates letters, gives Hispanics information on how to buy a car and drives individuals to doctors' appointments for free. She helps people understand medical bills and advocates on their behalf.

"A lot of the time there are services (Hispanics) don't know they qualify for or where to go," she said, noting that it can be very frustrating for Spanish-speakers who can't even tell their doctor what is wrong with them. "If I didn't open this office, I don't know what people would do."

Rivera also receives translation requests from Auburn Memorial Hospital and different areas of the county health department, including a service for prenatal care and the Cayuga County Healthy Men and Women Partnership.

Partnership coordinator Valerie White recently worked with Rivera to promote free cancer-screening events.

Rivera translated fliers, which were then distributed to dairy farmers in the south of the county, where many Hispanics work, White said.

"It seems to me that she will do anything to help other Hispanics get on their feet and get the services they need," White said.

Though the partnership hasn't yet had any Spanish-speakers show up at its screenings, White said that she and Rivera will continue reaching out to a "medically underserved" community.

Such work can be time-consuming - helping one person may require an entire day.

Rivera is thankful to have a dedicated volunteer, Judah Rodriguez Sierra, also from Puerto Rico, to help with translating and transportation.

A former counselor at the Auburn Correctional Facility, Sierra balances Rivera's gentle manner with her tough demeanor.

But she also has a softer side. When Sierra called a family in Guatemala to talk about its relative's medical problems, she immediately went into "Mom" mode.

And that's not uncommon.

Sierra has taken on the role of abuela, or grandma, for many Hispanics in the area, and they call her at home to settle family disputes and solve problems.

Rivera said that she and Sierra have become an extended family to those they help.

"They (immigrants) feel isolated," she explained. "They feel lonely a lot of the time."

Compared to other groups in the county, the Hispanic community is relatively small. According to 2000 U.S. Census figures, there are about 1,640 people of Hispanic or Latino origin in Cayuga County, or 2 percent of the total population.

But Rivera said that the numbers are increasing and that such figures do not represent the entire Hispanic community, particularly the migrant laborers. Most of these workers are from Guatemala, with some from Mexico, Sierra said.

Rivera also knows Hispanics in the area from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Chile, Nicaragua and Venezuela. They came to Auburn because they had family here or wanted to find work, she said.

Sierra believes that Auburn is a good place for Hispanics to settle because the city has an immigrant history and is made up of people that are family-centered and work-oriented, ideas that Hispanics also value.

For the most part, it has been a welcoming place, but Sierra wants more residents to realize all of the positive elements that Hispanics, including migrant workers, contribute to society.

"They do the jobs that other people here cannot afford to do," she said, noting that migrant laborers are extremely hard-working. "The food (residents) get many times is from the hands of these workers."

Angel Cirino, the pastor of Candelero de Oro, a Hispanic church in Genoa, also talked about Hispanics' eagerness to find employment. Cirino said that they work as cleaning people, on farms - wherever they can get a job.

"The important thing is to work," he said in Spanish, noting that it can be difficult for those who don't understand English to find employment and that businesses have become more strict since 9/11.

As far as Rivera knows, Cirino's church is the only Hispanic congregation in Cayuga County; she would like to start Spanish-language services at Parish House if the Hispanic community showed an interest.

Rivera is full of such ideas. She spoke at length about future plans: computer training programs, salsa classes, partnerships with the Spanish Action League in Syracuse, cooking and nutrition courses with the Cornell Cooperative Extension and translations of material for the American Red Cross.

Sierra would like to see the center offer educational services. Many new immigrants she has seen are coming to America with no more than a fourth-grade education.

Right now, the center's greatest obstacle to achieving these goals is three-fold. It's a matter of time, money and volunteers.

Rivera said that both the Hispanic and American communities need to show greater interest and that the center doesn't have a lot of funds ("we can't charge anything, even if they offer," she said of those she serves).

But Rivera, who doesn't receive a salary, isn't in it for the money.

"It can be frustrating sometimes, but it's very rewarding being able to help," she said. "It's a mission, it's not a job. I do this with my heart."

Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net