Centro CHA exists with the mission to enrich the lives of low-income, underserved Latino youth, families and neighborhoods in the City of Long Beach through higher education

opportunities, community advocacy, health and social economic development.

Latino Waves SPRING 2012 CENTRO CHA

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Determined To Succeed

Everyday Jessica Martinez arrives to work as a caregiver donning a smile in her medical scrubs ready to give

back and seize the day. With her sunny disposition, it is hard to imagine Jessica Martinez’s life as one full of struggle. Martinez lived an unstable childhood.

Her mother was a struggling single parent from Texas who had difficulty finding a home for herself and Martinez. While trying to get back on their feet, mother and daughter lived in shelters and public housing. By age 13, Martinez began hanging out with the wrong crowds, a behavior she attributes to adolescent rebellion. These ties caused a strain on Martinez’s relationship with her mother and they began drifting apart. Martinez then began staying with friends.

These circumstances hindered Martinez’s focus in school. The Wilson High School student had a difficult time in subjects like English and Math. Senior year brought new beginnings for Martinez. She gave birth to a son Joshua Chanon on April 15, 2010. She recalled, “Times where tense, there was some backlash for my pregnancy but I ignored it. Counselors and mostly everyone believed in me and tutored me. My boyfriend always helped me.” With this support, Martinez made sure to stay on top of her game and finish high school. Continued on PG. 5

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Dia De Los Muertos Art Exhibit Fundraiser

Art, music and folk tradition came together at the 3rd Annual Dia de los Muertos Art Exhibit Fundraiser. The event was held at Centro CHA’s previous office location at 727 Pine Ave on October 29. The exhibit used art as the forefront in bringing awareness to violence and gang prevention. The Women’s Shelter and YWCA, the largest and oldest women’s organization in the United States, took part in Dia de los Muertos with altars shedding light to domestic violence.

Event ticket holders included more than 100 Long Beach locals and members of nonprofit organizations whose contributions benefitted the violence prevention program, Summer Night Lights.

“Dia de los Muertos is an opportunity to show how violence, its consequences and impact, effects the community. It’s a night to encourage others to volunteer for non-profits and stand up to save lives,” said Danny Flores, an artist and member of Centro CHA’s board of directors. The night’s art exhibit garnered $3,000 in fundraising, with a portion going to participating artists. Altars honoring lost loved ones, typical of the Latino tradition of the Day of the Dead, adorned the office along with 50 Urban and Chicano-Latino inspired canvases and paper-mâché creations.

The traveling art show “Messengers of Peace” participated in the event, displaying art pieces depicting the gang lifestyle and real-life violence victims. Messengers of Peace are a group of artists who have left a life of crime and whose anti-gang message is delivered by their brush strokes. On the walls were works painted by Danny Flores, Manny Velazquez, Ernie Lucero, Luis Wicho Brizuela, Danny Martinez, La Angel and Eric Duarte.

In uniting art and tradition, Dia de los Muertos not only accomplished raising money to help save lives impacted by violence but also provided an audience for Messengers of Peace and young artists.

Police Chief Jim McDonnell was awarded the "Excellence in Public Safety Award" for his dedication to building a stronger and safer community.

Community leaders and activists were recognized for their worthwhile commitment in bettering the communities of Long Beach at the 15th Annual Leadership Recognition Awards Dinner celebrating the 2011 Nuestra Imagen Awards held October 13. The musical group Trio del Alma greeted close to 500 guests, who dined on Mexican cuisine and enjoyed art from local artists leading to the night’s awards presentation, emceed by City Councilman dr. Robert Garcia and host Donna M. Griggs.

The 2011 ceremony added a new category to its list of awards this past year, the “Create Change: Jenny Oropeza Community Service Excellence Award,” in honor of late Long Beach politician and activist, Senator Jenny Oropeza. Nine other achieving Long Beach personalities were recognized for epitomizing “excellence,” including McDonnell who is a strong supporter of Summer Night Lights.The Leadership Awards Dinner also served as an opportunity to fundraise for Centro CHA and its various programs. The 2012 Imagen Awards will be held in September.

Imagen Awards 2011

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Educational Corner

LBCC Takes On New, Exciting Partnership to improve education for Latino Students

LBCC will receive $600,000 from the Lumina Foundation to jumpstart a program to help increase Latino and underrepresented student completion rates.

LBCC President Eloy Ortiz Oakley took some time for a conversation with Centro CHA on the exciting progress to come with the Lumina partnership and grant.

How did the Lumina Foundation partnership begin to take course? How was Centro CHA an asset?

The partnership came as invitation only, the Lumina Foundation called for those colleges with the potential to achieve their goals. LBCC, with key community partners,

worked directly in putting together a winning proposal. Centro CHA is one key community partner who enhances the quality and aspects of the community. What Centro CHA does is improve the chances of those who want to succeed in college. We wanted to work with Centro CHA for the way they focus on Latino students.

What does the partnership mean for LBCC and students throughout Long Beach?

It is a huge recognition for LBCC and will serve as a building block to our programs that are already in practice. It will help us to reach out for more community partnerships. The Lumina grant will allow us to bring resources together for Latino students and help them succeed.

Where do you think is the “disconnect” between the large number of Latino students and the low graduation and completion rates for these students?

Data shows us that through the decades, Latinos lack in certain areas. Lack of institutional knowledge that exists in longtime generations is not there. There is disinformation as to how to go onto higher education. There exist barriers in how to afford their education by providing private information in financial aid forms and revealing personal information. There seems to be lacking preparation for coursework, particularly in remedial Math and English.

What do you feel Latino students need to understand about their importance and necessity in the American workforce in the years to come?

This is no longer a moral argument; Latinos will be the largest demographic group in our workforce. We must, as educators, be able to teach the skills necessary for them to navigate through the workforce. We must continue in building on this group. Latino students need to understand that through education they will be able to find economic freedom and provide for their families. Studies clearly show how much earnings they bring in relates to how far they are able to go in life. Not graduating puts at risk your future livelihood. They need education to survive.

An Eye on Latinos

Nearly nine-in-ten (89%) Latino young

adults ages 16 to 25 say that a college

education is important for success in

life, yet only about half that number-

48%-say that they themselves plan to

get a college degree.

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*Statistics about Latino Educational Attainment

Source: The Pew Hispanic Center

Among foreign-born young Latinos

ages 16 to 25, nearly three-in-ten

(29%) say they plan to obtain a

bachelor’s degree or more. However,

a higher share (36%) of foreign-born

young Latinos says they do not want

to continue their education.

More than one-third (36%) of Hispanic

females ages 18 to 24 say they are

enrolled in school. In contrast, 30% of

Hispanic males ages 18 to 24 say

they’re in school.

Determined To Succeed

In the early dawn hours of November 19, Marlene Guevarra, 53, arrived first in line outside Centro CHA headquarters, awaiting the Citizenship Workshop that was to take place. With documents in hand, Guevarra was about to take the first step into becoming a naturalized citizen, a dream decades in the making.

Guevarra became a resident of the United States 21 years ago after fleeing from her native country of El Salvador. From 1980 to the early ’90s, El Salvador was in a state of civil war and political unrest. Guevarra witnessed “los enmascarados,” a group named for their masked attire, threaten her community and her safety. “I feared for my life and for my children, who were one-and-a-half and six years old. I decided to come to the United States,” said Guevarra. This journey eventually brought Guevarra and her children to settle down in Long Beach. After watching her children grow and become citizens, Gueverra finally decided it was her time and chose to arrive in the early morning hours to get on the path to citizenship. The Citizenship Workshop is a segment of Centro CHA’s Citizenship Program, a program initiated as a response to the thousands of Long Beach residents that are eligible for citizenship, yet are unaware of it.

“We noticed a lack of acceptable quality within naturalization services. Certain notaries and lawyers would take advantage of people, making them unsure of who to trust,” said Centro CHA Executive Director Jessica Quintana. In collaboration with the Knight Foundation and American Dream Fund, Centro CHA launched the Citizenship Program in 2004. Since then, the program has helped close to 300 residents. The goal is to steer those eligible into the pathway of citizenship and also weave new citizens into the fabric of the community, allowing them to be more civically proactive and engaged. The program offers yearlong one-on-one complete service to individuals seeking naturalization with a step-by-step review of the process including filing the N-400 application, preparing for the exam by providing study materials in both English and Spanish, passport photography and follow ups of their application status.

Rocio Powers, 36, from Guadalajara, Jalisco, had no idea how the naturalization process worked. While attending the Long Beach School for Adults, Powers searched for additional classes to become a citizen, she was referred to Centro CHA’s Citizenship Program.

“Sometimes you are afraid or don’t know where to go,” said Powers, “I went to their offices and found them so helpful, Lupe Velasco would call me, answer all my questions, give me tips for my interview, DVDs and study materials. The staff made me feel really comfortable.” The teamwork paid off, Powers attended her naturalization ceremony this past December 2 and admits that the sensation was overwhelming. “You don’t realize what you go through until you stand there, it is very emotional. I had goose bumps. It was a good feeling. It was a big step with a big responsibility,” she said.

The Citizenship Workshop takes place two to three times a year in partnership with the Interfaith Community Organization, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, National Association of Latino Elected Officials, and YMCA. The workshop assists as many as 100 Long Beach and surrounding community members with their naturalization applications and legal counseling. Close to 30 volunteers assisted at the November 19 workshop. Accompanying Marlene Guevarra that morning was Roxana Garcia, 43, who has been living in the U.S. for 15 years. Garcia shares a similar story as Guevarra, as she also left a chaotic El Salvador with hopes of a better life for her and her family. At the Citizenship Workshop, Garcia was informed about her and her children’s citizenship eligibility. Garcia said her quest for citizenship was simple – she wants Latinos to give back and help, “I want to have a political impact and help this country.”

New Citizens, New Dreams

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Through her pregnancy, Martinez completed class assignments and homework that allowed for her to graduate with honors. Not

only was Martinez a young mother, but she also had to care for her ailing grandfather. “My grandpa was the only male there for me.

He was like a dad to me. He wanted me to succeed in life,” said Martinez. In caring for her grandfather, Martinez developed a

passion for working with the elderly as a personal caregiver. She became eager to learn care-giving skills and build a career. “I had a

plan: to go to school and succeed for my son,” she said. It was her boyfriend, Jacob Chanon, who referred Martinez to Centro CHA

after his experience with their programs.

In Dec. 2010, Martinez enrolled in the personal caregiver education program and joined the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth

Academy Project under Centro CHA’s LIFT Program, where she worked to advance her reading and writing skills. Her training began

at 8 a.m. on weekdays, with a midday break and ended at 6 p.m. Martinez understood, “I had to go forward and take care of

business.”

During her time at Centro CHA, Martinez acquired job training and care giving certification and advanced in basic skills. “Their help

was perfect,” said Martinez, “The staff is so wonderful and great. Because of them, I feel blessed. Without their help, it would’ve been

a struggle.” Centro CHA also assisted Martinez with paid job training, transportation, childcare, food vouchers, work uniform and

emergency rental assistance payments.

Acknowledgements and milestones came to Martinez in 2011. She advanced an average of four functional levels in both reading and

math, attained her CPR/First Aid certification, and completed work experience at the Bellagio Manor, during which she attained the

National Work Readiness Credential and occupational skills training as a personal caregiver. The Bellagio Manor saw potential in

Martinez and offered her a full-time position as a Certified Personal Caregiver. Martinez’s achievements have sparked an interest in

her to move up in the healthcare industry. What is in store for Martinez? She shared, “This is just the beginning. Everyday I set goals

for myself. Five years from now I want to be working as an ultrasound technician because I love kids. College will be the first step in

that door.”

When asked what people should learn from her story, Martinez said, “Even if you have a rough life, it doesn’t mean you have to give

up. There is always a reason things happen. You have to reach for the stars.”

Determined to Succeed Continued from PG. 1

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CONNECT WITH US!

A message from the Executive Director:

In the past year, Hilda Solis, our U.S. Secretary of Labor has been a great

example of what a community leader should be – a strong advocate for our

youth.

Our youth are facing major challenges this summer as the jobs become

scarce. At Centro CHA, we are following Solis’ example and urging

businesses to create opportunities that our youth need. This means jobs.

This summer, I urge you to be an advocate for our youth by providing them

with an opportunity to expand their skills in the growing workforce. Like

Secretary Solis, you can be a strong leader and change the life of a youth.

Help put a youth to work this summer by sponsoring a paid summer

Internship position for $1000. You can submit all contributions to Centro CHA.

If you would like to submit your payment by visa, master card, or American

express please call Lupe at (562) 570-4722

Thank You To All of Our Sponsors & Supporters!