Strategy analyst for bank of the west and is a part of lcf San Francisco latino giving Circle Network. Juan cruz is superintendent of franklinmckinley School District in san jose. And Maricela Gutierrez is executive director of siren, which stands for services, immigrant rights, and education network. Thank you all for joining me today. Yes. Today, we want to discuss why its so important to support the Latino Community here in the bay area, and one of the first topics i wants to ask you about is philanthropy. We hear about philanthropic organizations all across the bay area, but only about 1 of philanthropic dollars in the entire country go to latinobased organizations. And for our community here locally, i want to ask you anna, lets start with you why it is important to give dollars to latinobased organizations. Sure. So, with 50 million latinos in the state, for the Latino Community foundation, it is imperative for us to know that the future of our democracy, the future of our economy really depends on the Latino Community, right . We are the Largest Ethnic Group in the state, and so it is really important to invest in our community now. By 2050, well be 80 of the population entering the workforce, right . So for the Latino Community foundation, is has always been extremely important to invest in latinoled organizations, not only latinoserving, right . Because we know what our Community Needs to survive, right . We know what our Community Needs to thrive. So by investing in latinoled organizations, we are creating a sustainable approach to our communitys future. And, janeth, youre actually very involved with lcf. Why are you one of the people that helps support their mission . Well, you know, ive always been a giver. Its instilled in the Latino Community to give. But ive always given with my time. I havent ever been able to give with my dollars because, you know, i cant give hundreds of thousands of dollars, so i didnt feel like i could make an impact with my dollar. But with the latino giving Circle Network, its amazing to see with, you know, 86 a month, that becomes 1,000 a year, collectively can become half a Million Dollars that we give to our community. Its really powerful. So when i found out about the giving Circle Network, i knew that i wanted to be a part of that movement. And that giving circle basically decides some philanthropies to give to here in the bay area that lcf kind of moderates and decides how to give that and allocate that money. Siren is an organization doing work here in the bay area. Why is it important for the community as a whole maybe they dont support siren. Maybe they support something else. But why latino organizations . Well, you know, like anna said, were one of the largest now the majority. Were saying that the new majority. Latinos are a very powerful community, investing in the economy billions of dollars. We own homes. We are like any other american living in this country that just wants a better life, wants their children to be, you know, professionals and grow up and be hopefully the president of the United States one day. So its very important to invest in nonprofits that are helping build our latino communities, that are helping invest and grow, and looking at deficit areas and building on those deficit areas. And were actually a recipient of a grant that we receive from the Latino Community foundation. Okay. And, juan, you probably see the impacts of this a little bit further down the line, right, in your schools. Thats correct. I mean, our district serves over 50 of our students that we serve are latino background. And so we depend on a lot of the organizations that come and support our families, in a lot of different ways. One way, just recently, Catholic Charities has been supporting our families that were displaced by the floods that took place just up the street from our district office. Those were terrible. Absolutely. And so theres still families that are struggling to settle. Theres a lot of units that are still not liveable. So we depend on a lot of our partners to really serve the community as a whole. The franklinmckinley School District in san jose, for folks that arent familiar with it, and they saw terrible flooding very recently. And the community kind of really banded together, as you mentioned. But sometimes it doesnt take one instance. You know, sometimes people look around and they say, well, why should i give to the Latino Community . Can you guys kind of chime in there . What if im not a latina and im just watching this program . Why is it important to have a robust Philanthropic Community . I believe, given the numbers. I always go for the numbers, right . So just seeing the numbers, seeing that we are the future of the state, and california is such a big part of this nation, its imperative to invest in our youth. For me, the way that we created this giving Circle Network, it almost was organically. 14 women came to us. Not all of them are latinas. We do have nonlatinos in our network because they have been affected by a latino in their workplace, in their family, in their home. Because we are everywhere, right, and we are american just like anyone else. So its almost organic how people, latinos and nonlatinos, are trying to give back to our community because they see our potential and they see how much we contribute to this economy and to this nation. They know that we are a part of the community, we are a thriving part of the community. Are latinos givers . Yes. Oh, yes. [ laughter ] we give to our church, to our community, to our friends. Anyone that needs a place to stay. Food. We have no question, we give. But the way we see it in the foundation is that we are its not necessarily in our culture to give in a traditional way, in a philanthropic way. Philanthropy became such a faraway concept for us, so what were trying to do is change the narrative and say, you can be a philanthropist. You dont have to be a multimillionaire person to be a philanthropist. You can give 86 a month that becomes half a Million Dollars in a couple of years, right . And i think in other ways, also in serving. You know, our community really steps up and serves, especially when theres a need, like just recently in our district. So a lot of people banded together to help the families that were affected. So sometimes not with dollars, but certainly with our time. Mmhmm. When we come back, i want to focus a little bit more on some of the actual philanthropies that exist here, along with siren, in the bay area and what they focus on. Because we can talk about giving dollars, but we want to talk a little bit more on certain subject matters that were really trying to tackle here in the bay area and in the Latino Community. So stick around for that. We need a short break. And when we do come back, were gonna talk about some of those issues. Welcome back to beyond the headlines with cheryl jennings. Im Jessica Castro filling in for todays special roundtable edition, focusing on our bay areas Latino Community. And we have talked about the importance of supporting philanthropy in the Latino Community, but now we want to speak a little broader and talk about organizations that actually impact immigrants here in the bay area. There are programs that support english as a second language. Theres also Legal Services. I think a lot of times when folks think about the Latino Community, they think about folks coming here from outside of the u. S. And speaking spanish. So can you guys talk a little bit more about what organizations are here . Which ones are big and why thats important to have, even, within our community. So, yeah, i mean, i represent siren, which is an immigrant and Refugee Rights organizations. Were celebrating 30 years this year of providing free Legal Services. We also do policy advocacy, local, state, and federal, and community organizing. And then theres Many Organizations that have been around for many years doing this work, like the immigrant legal resource center, la raza centro legal, carecen which supported Central Americans here in San Francisco, the National Immigration law center. So Many Organizations have sprawled out to help immigrants and refugees, you know, transition into their new country. What kind of questions do immigrants have . Why do we even need Legal Services for someone trying to navigate the legalm teysrehe in the u. S. . Yes. So, you know, theres many different stages of immigration. You know, when an immigrant comes into this country, it may be asylee status, maybe theyre an unaccompanied minor, or maybe theyre a family that came here on a visa or someone that came here on a work visa. And sometimes they overstay their stay, so they need Legal Support in order to become, eventually, a citizen. All families that migrate here, or that have lived here for years, like my dad. Hes been in this country for 40 years. Hes a legal permanent resident. You know, he wants to be a citizen now so he can vote at the next election. He would need Legal Support to make that happen. Its very costly to get immigration Legal Services. Right. And so nonprofits like siren and others provide lowcost services, or free, to many immigrant families that are looking to become citizens. We immigrated here, me and my family, and we had to go through the entire legal process, get a visa, you know, go through the greencard process, and then finally get your citizenship. And that is a lengthy process often for folks. We were lucky that we were able my parents spoke plenty of english to get through that process, but oftentimes, maybe, juan, you can talk about this, folks just dont have english as a second language, or theyre still trying to acquire that and trying to go through the legal process, as well. Im sure you get questions about that at your schools. Yeah, absolutely. And one of the things that we are providing is english classes for our parents, and so were providing them at the school, providing childcare so that thats not a barrier. So three days a week, three hours a day, they come and learn basic english, and part of that is also having them understand the School System so that they can advocate for their children. So not only are they learning english, theyre learning the School System, as well, so that they are better prepared to support their children. Because theyre often different in different countries, just the educational system as a whole. And, janeth, you came here with your parents. Can you talk about your experience coming to the u. S. And maybe some of the services that theyve sought throughout the years, or you have sought . Of course, yeah. So i came to the u. S. When i was about six years old. Okay. With my parents and my three siblings, and yeah, it was a complete culture shock, right . My parents brought us here for a better future. From a personal standpoint, i just have to say that, having the support from organizations and my school and mentors and people who believed in me, really made a big difference in my life. I mean, i cant imagine being where i am today. You know, i graduated from mills college. I got my mba from mills college. And i dont think that wouldve been possible without the support that i received from these organizations, these people. You know, individuals but also organizations that know how to provide the knowledge and the resources that i needed. Anna. Well, all of you guys are connected. I know you guys have worked together in the past, right . Janeth, you know anna very well. And, anna, youve helped support maricelas siren organization. And so is that part of the reason that youve decided to give back, i mean, everyone here, sitting here, you know, kind of working within the Latino Community . For me, its interesting being in the Latino Community foundation and having the network of donors and our Community Partners and our accelerator, which well talk about later, i guess. Its amazing how our culture is so rooted in family, right . So every event that we have, every program that we host, we cant help but make true connections, right . Were all about authentic relationships and were all about people, and i feel like thats how the Latino Community, from abstract, becomes so close to everyone, because it becomes family, right . So its no surprise to me that im here with two of the people that i know, and im sure now well be family, as well. Absolutely. Do you think that culture kind of seeps into the organizations and the work that they do . Definitely. And many of the eds that i know, or folks around this table, dont just do their daytoday job, which is already doing nonprofit work. We volunteer. Were running other programs and groups, you know, volunteering with museums, helping in our schools. So i think theres definitely a culture of giving back and knowing where you came from and how you got here, and knowing that you need to help others to get to that place. And, juan, you mentioned this giving some opportunities for parents to be immersed in the American Culture once they do come here to the bay area, if they are from outside of the United States, learning english. And we walk to talk a little bit more about those Educational Opportunities and philanthropies that do touch on that type of work. So were gonna talk about education in the Latino Community when we come back. Stay with us. Welcome back to beyond the headlines with cheryl jennings. Im Jessica Castro, helping out with todays special conversation about diverse hispanic community. We have been talking about the value of immigrant services for newcomers to this country. Wet an wal ttoabliouk t educati. But before we talk about the traditional type of education, were gonna talk about something very special happening with lcf, the Accelerator Program that you have. Even partnered with google for education in a nontraditional sense, because its educating certain leaders in philanthropy on how to prop up some of their organizations. So business skills, if you will, right . Right. So we are extremely excited at the Latino Community foundation to launch the first ever latino nonprofit accelerator in the state. For us, the main goal is to stand beside our leaders working on the front lines with a family day after day and to give them true ownership about their own strategy, about the future of their organizations. They already create amazing impact within their communities, and they often do it in a shoestring budget, right . So with the accelerator, well give them funds, well give them oneonone coaching with a fundraising specialist, and well also help them with their marketing, right . And overall, it will be also a Leadership Development, a cohort learning experience for the leaders that are already amazing, and were just so proud to stand beside them, right . And were even more excited to have google. Org be a supporter of our accelerator. Okay, why is it important to have that kind of education, not only in business but to maybe accelerate our latino leaders from a young age . Lets talk a little bit more about traditional education and building up those leaders in the Latino Community. So, absolutely. I mean, we know that education is one of the key factors for upward mobility and success. So, you know, in our district, we are attempting to close the achievement gap by closing the opportunity gap. And so weve been very intentionally focused on early learning. And so we cant wait for students to come to us in kinder ready or not, so were working with our partners in head start and state preschool, and the families, to really work around, you know, whats their zero to five look like so that we can have them better prepared for school and therefore greater prepared for life. And so were really being intentional about that work, something that we hadnt been doing for a long time. We were just waiting for them to show up. Yeah, those are very critical ages. E rleaarth a language or culture, the easier it is to immerse yourself in it, right . Jenath, maybe you can attest to that. Yeah, definitely. I think having had someone believe in me at an early and, you know, guide me and direct me and tell me, you know, these are the things that you need to do to get from a to b, made such a big difference, right . Because its challenging, and its very much needed to have that support system. cause otherwise, you kind of fall through the cracks, right . There were many times where i wanted to, you know, throw the towel in and give up cause it was hard. But having that support system really pushed me through, you know . And a lot of that is education, its knowledge. Because theres a lot of power in knowledge. So just knowing what to do and knowing that you can do it, and even just knowing that its a possibility, like, i can be a college grad. I was the first in my family. Wow, congratulations. Thank you. Its amazing. Yeah, and its very important. And, of course, all four of you sitting here leaders in our community, so. I think also Leadership Development is really critical for young people. So i know that a lot of the programs that the Latino Community foundation has invested is in the Leadership Development of young people, so really training them on how to be their own agents of change, their own advocates. So we work a lot with immigrant youth that are wanting to do Something Different in their communities and change policies and learn how a bill becomes a law, learn how they can speak to their local congressman or speak at their school board. So those types of trainings are really vital. And, juan, probably pulling in so many folks from all over the community to talk to kids is critical. Yes. And, you know, not just to kids but also our parents, you know, empowering our parents to be the advocates for their children and advocates in the community and that their voices matters. And so we work both with our parents and then we work with our students with different agencies, and internally with our staff in regards to empowering them that they have a voice, that the aspirations that they have for themselves are achievable. But we have to work with both the adults and the students, as well. And is that because the Education Culture is very different in a lot of countries compared to the United States . Can you talk a little bit about that as far as what you see the difference is between american versus latino families . Right. I mean, certainly our systems are very different. At least in mexico, from my understanding, you know, they leave it up to the school, right, and the parents, they stay back and let the school take care of it. Here, we want them involved, right, so we have to make sure that they understand the difference. But also, i think its knowing their rights and knowing that schools are safe places for them to come and be advocates. And so part of that is just learning the new culture of school here but also making sure that they know were here to support and its a safe environment. We touched a little bit on Legal Services, we touched a little bit on education. Were just skimming the surface, really. But we also talked about philanthropy. Is that where all of this intersects . Philanthropy, giving back, trying to mesh everything together, just having a robust system for people to fall back on when they really dont understand something, you know . I think that its about the community and how healthy the community can be with all theseu know, our parents and our students and the whole community feel connected and that they have an opportunity to provide change within their community. Okay, so numberone thing that anyone watching can do to help up the Latino Community . Maybe at home, maybe in their schools, maybe in their businesses. One from each of you. Anna . Go to our website. [ laughter ] latinocf. Org. There are so many different ways of giving back and of contributing, but honestly the giving Circle Network is kind of an easy step into philanthropy. Its like a 101 into giving back to our community. So if i could say that join our latino giving Circle Network. Okay. Jenath . Anna, you took mine. No. [ laughter ] i would say if youre interested in mentoring, its such a powerful way, i think, to empower and inspire and kind of show youth, you know, like i mentioned before, how to get from a to b, you know . So i think if youre interested in mentoring, look up ways and programs in which you can do this. I think thats been a big one for me. Ill recycle that. Find an organization that calls, you know, in something that you feel passionate about and be involved in that. Okay. And mine is volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. So give back to organizations like siren and others that do good work in their community. Okay, thank you all for being here. Thats all the time that we have for our television show. We are taking our conversation online, so you can find much more there. Just join us at abc7news. Com for our digitalonly segments. Back to you, cheryl. Thanks, jessica. And thank all of you for joining us today. We are going to continue our discussion in an onlineonly segment. Now, to watch it, just go to our website abc7news. Com community. Were also on facebook at abc7communityaffairs as well as cheryljenningsabc7. And follow me on twitter cherylabc7. Thanks so much for joining us. Have a great week. Well see you next time. And a look at chaos and clashes during an independence vote in spain. Spain. And theres o wow nice outfit. When i grow up, im going to mars. Were working on that. Some people know how far they want to go. A personalized Financial Strategy can help you get them there. See how access to j. P. Morgan investment expertise can help you. Chase. Make more of whats yours. dog panting another 2am stroll, huh . Im worried. I have this medical bill. Dave, you have anthem, and they have people to talk to who are empowered to help answer any question you. dog grunting, panting is. Is he okay . Real people . Living and breathing. Hopefully not breathing like that. For all the things that keep you up at night, Anthem Blue Cross has a solution. 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