Program Year: 2008-2009
Funding Amount: $10,000
Program: Mano a Mano Family Center – The Community Wellness Initiative
LUS Volunteers interact with young program participants during a summer activity focusing on nutrition at the Colonia Libertad Community Center in South East Salem
Mano a Mano Family Center received $10,000 in generous support from the PGE Foundation, in support of our Youth Development programs in 2008-2009. The objective of the proposed project was to provide culturally appropriate After School programs, that primarily targeted Latino youth, ages 11-18, and who were at risk of dropping out or of becoming involved with gangs. Funding was requested to cover After School program expenses, leadership workshops, and volunteer trainings for our activity leaders and mentors.
This project is expected to benefit 125 Low Income children and youth between the ages of 11-18. The majority of them will be Latinos, but services are available to all. We will specifically target children and youth in the McKay High School feeder system, as a high needs area affected by low academic achievement and increasing gang activity. This area includes 13 elementary and middle schools. Services will be based at a facility we will share with Catholic Community Services in North East Salem, with easy access to Keizer residents.
Our main site is located at Colonia Libertad, a low income agricultural worker housing community in South East Salem, developed and managed by the Farmworker Housing Development Corporation. A second location is expected to open at a facility in the Northgate neighborhood in Northeast Salem, through a partnership with Catholic Community Services.
The PGE Foundation is charged with a singular mission: To improve the quality of life for Oregonians. To achieve this wide-ranging objective, we award grants to organizations that support what we consider pillars of a vibrant society — education, arts and culture, and healthy families. These focus areas provide us generous latitude in our ability to reach out to individuals and communities that may be otherwise overlooked. We are fortunate to work with a permanent endowment that will help us add to the lives of Oregonians for years to come. To learn more about the PGE Foundation please visit their website here .
On behalf of the clients, staff, volunteers and Board of Directors of Mano a Mano Family Center, we thank the PGE Foundation for their support and look forward to a continued partnership in years to come.
Sincerely,
Levi Herrera-Lopez, Executive Director
Mano a Mano Family Center
UPDATE: APRIL 27, 2009
Through collaboration with the Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality and Catholic Community Services, we opened a new office in Northeast Salem to serve the community with the highest needs in our area. This second center is fully operational now and hosts our youth programs, the parent involvement programs of the Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality and our Self-Sufficiency services.
In addition, an informal survey is being completed with participating youth to identify the number of Developmental Assets participating youth possess, based on the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets. Early results indicate over 65% of participants have 15 or more of the Assets identified as necessary for healthy development, including caring about homework and school, and caring about the wellbeing of those less fortunate than themselves.
From July, 2008 to date, this project served a total of 151 youth, ages 11-18 years old. 96% of participants are Latinos and four percent are other, including White, Black, Native American, and Asian/Pacific Islander.