Board Member Spotlight: Rae Pearl Canizares

For Rae Pearl Canizares, people are always at the center —learning about them, helping them, and teaching them. Whether serving asChairman of the Rockville Housing Enterprises Board of Commissioners, teachingwith the Language Outreach Program (LOP), or working as a therapist, her workhas consistently focused on using her skills to make a meaningful difference.Over her nine years as a Reach board member, she has helped guide theorganization with that same community‑driven spirit. As she prepares to stepdown from the board this summer due to term limits, we want to thank her foryears of service.

Rae Pearl first encountered Reach while attending a choirperformance in which her son was singing. The event was a collaboration withReach (then CMR), and she found herself drawn to brochures detailing ourcommunity programs. Soon after, she began teaching English with LOP. Herconnection to the mission continued to grow, and in 2017 she officially joinedthe Reach Board after discussing the opportunity with the former ExecutiveDirector.

Rae Pearl is always eager to offer her insight, connections,and time – she has served on the planning committee for the annual gala, assistedwith volunteer needs, and helped recruit new supporters. Assisting with fundraisingis a particular area of interest. She jokes that there are countlessindividuals in Montgomery County who have the capacity to give—“but there areonly 24 hours in a day, and I can’t do it all!”

Among the causes closest to her heart, the Language OutreachProgram stands out. Helping immigrants learn English, she feels, is about farmore than grammar or vocabulary—it’s about opening doors. She explains, “I loveLOP because, through education and helping immigrants learn English, I can be achannel for assisting them to actualize their earning potential and find theirplace in American society.”

A fun fact? Rae Pearl laughs easily at herself, and shewants others to laugh with her. “I am clumsy! There is not a day I don’t do afaux pas—stubbing my toes, bumping my head… I’m a little Mrs. Bean in action!”

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