Feel Good Friday - Cesar Chavez Foundation

Today we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month and the work of Cesar Chavez by highlighting the Cesar Chavez Foundation.

Created by Cesar Chavez in 1966 and headquartered in Keene, California, the mission of the Cesar Chavez Foundation (CCF) is “to carry on Cesar’s life’s work of uplifting the lives of Latinos and working families by inspiring and transforming communities through social enterprises that address essential human, cultural and community needs.”

Cesar Chavez was a labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farmworkers Association which later became the United Farm Workers labor union. His motto, “¡Si se puede!” (“Yes, it can be done!”), guided him through his work as a community organizer and champion of social change, the environment and consumer rights. 

CCF is a self-sustainable fund. They raise money through various social enterprises that are then used to provide services to target underserved communities. Their current areas of focus include housing and economic development, education, multimedia communications, and preserving Cesar’s legacy. 

The Housing and Economic Development Fund builds and manages high-quality, service-enhanced, affordable housing for working families and seniors across California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. That includes over 5,000 multifamily units and more than 300 single family homes. The Education Fund supports after school and summer school programs as well as develops culturally relevant curricula for teachers to use. More than 110,000 students have been served through these programs.

Radio Campesina is the flagship program of Chavez Media. It’s one of 14 digital radio stations CCF operates across California, Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia and it reaches over 1.5 million listeners! Most of the programs are broadcast in both Spanish and English. 

Since they began, CCF has invested more than $860 million in underserved communities. What a wonderful way to continue the legacy of Cesar Chavez. His life and work is also being preserved at the National Chavez Center in La Paz estate in Keene, California, which you can visit seven days a week.

If you’d like to support CCF and the work they do, there are some unique ways to get involved. You can request a speaker to come speak at your next event or shop for merch to show your support. You can also raise awareness of this organization on social media. Follow the Cesar Chavez Foundation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel. ¡Si se puede!

Feel Good Friday - Latinitas

We continue our celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month with a look at an organization that is inspiring confidence and empowering community, Latinitas.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, the mission of Latinitas is to “empower girls and their communities through culturally relevant education.” They focus on STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), digital equity, career exploration, and economic opportunity.

Let’s start with culturally relevant education. It’s designed to connect to the lives, identities and aspirations of the students and their families. The curriculum encourages students to engage with the topics and see themselves in the stories. Role models who are professionals with similar backgrounds inspire success and create an environment for girls to build confidence, develop leadership skills, and explore creative career pathways.

There are a number of educational programs that Lantinitas runs. Club Latinitas is an afterschool program focusing on technology, digital media, culture and identity, open to girls ages 9-14. During the summers, this age group can attend Camp Latinitas where every week there is a new theme such as architecture, engineering and fashion design. 14-18 years old can learn the programming language Python in eight weeks by attending the free, virtual program Code Chica. Families can participate in the multi-generational programming which covers digital literacy and workforce readiness. There are also a variety of one-day Chica Conferences where technology and media are used as tools to explore careers, and Latinitas Magazine, the first digital magazine made by and for young Latinas.

These programs are attended by approximately 3,000 girls across Texas every year. In the 2023-2024  year, there was an 87.5% growth in enrollment in Club Latinitas, 220  girls attended the Chica Conferences, Camp Latinitas had 3528 impact hours and the multi-generational programs had 1167 hours of impact.

If you’d like to help empower Latinitas across Texas there are many ways to do so. Texans reading this post can volunteer. The rest of us can make a monetary donation and amplify this work on social media. Follow Latinitas on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Feel Good Friday - GreenLatinos

National Hispanic Heritage Month begins on Monday, September 15th. Let’s get prepared by learning more about today’s Feel Good Friday organization, GreenLatinos.

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, GreenLatinos describe themselves as “an active comunidad of Latino/a/x leaders emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture united to demand equity and dismantle racism.” As a national non-profit, they confront both national and local environmental issues in the Latino community.

This includes advocacy around the following national issues: fighting for climate justice and clean air, preserving public land, creating sustainable communities, and ensuring water equity so that everyone has access clean, healthy, reliable, and affordable water for drinking.

In addition GreenLatinos runs several programs. The Latino Climate Justice Framework is a comprehensive framework for addressing the climate crisis and serving the needs of Latino/a/e communities across the country. It was created by 22 Latino/a/e organizations and is used as a blueprint by GreenLatinos partners. The Sustainable Cities Urban Greening Initiative is distributing $2,650,000 in grants to increase and revitalize green spaces in urban Latino/a/e communities across Los Angeles, Albuquerque, and Chicago. 

The Justicia Y Equidad Fund provides general operating support for small environmental, conservation, and climate justice organizations and programs serving frontline Latino/a/e communities. And finally, the Urban and Community Forestry program promotes tree equity in historically underserved and underrepresented communities, by focusing on tree planting, maintenance and restoration. There is also specific programming across New Mexico, Illinois, Texas, California and Colorado.

In 2024 GreenLatinos distributed over 25 million in funds through their various grant programs and continued to educate and advocate for initiatives that support the environment. You can read all the details in the 2024 Impact Report.

If you’d like to support GreenLatinos in their work, there are many ways to do so. Become an advocate or a member, make a donation and spread the word on social media. Follow GreenLatinos on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and LinkedIn.

Feel Good Friday - St. Mary's Food Bank

It’s the first Friday in September, which means it’s also National Food Bank Day. A perfect day to learn more about the organization that started it all, St. Mary’s Food Bank.

Founded in 1967 by John van Hengel and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, St. Mary’s Food Bank is the world’s first food bank! Their mission is “bridging the gap for Arizona communities with nourishment for today and hope for tomorrow.”

As they explain on their website, food insecurity is a problem for 2 million Arizonans, which includes 1 in 5 children. To address this issue, St. Mary’s Food Bank provides food at no cost to over 900 partner agencies across Arizona. These include organizations such as food pantries, homeless shelters, meal centers, domestic violence shelters, afterschool programs for at-risk children and low-income senior living centers.

The programs run by St. Mary’s Food Bank and their partners include food distribution through both food banks and home delivery, child nutrition programs that provide healthy meals to children in daily after-school programs and during the summer, and a skills center that provides tailored job training in the culinary and foodservice industry as well as the warehouse and logistics industry.

Working with their partner agencies, St. Mary’s Food Bank distributes over 300,000 pounds of food each day. In fiscal year 2023, the total was more than 123,000,000 pounds of food, which is the equivalent of 93,000,000 meals! This food has been a lifeline for so many families across Arizona. You can read individual stories at this link.

If you’d like to support St. Mary’s Food Bank on National Food Bank Day, or any other, there are many ways to do so. People in Phoenix can volunteer their time and the rest of us can donate our money. Everyone can raise awareness by engaging on social media. Follow St. Mary’s Food Bank on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel.