Monthly Message – January ’10

 





Dear friends,

 

Like many of you, Esperanza is celebrating the beginning of a new year, and the launch of a new decade!  Often, a new year brings resolutions, the sense of a fresh start, and the commitment to work even harder for the things we believe in.  In whatever commitments you have made for 2010, we trust that you will see the fruits of your labor as you help to serve and strengthen your community.  We take this opportunity to thank you for your support of Esperanza’s mission in 2009, and to encourage you in your own mission of service to others. 

 

We’re looking forward to another great year at Esperanza, as our staff, clients, and students return from a much-deserved break.  Some of the projects we are working on in 2010 include:

 

·       We are exploring Hispanic participation in national service and volunteerism through engagement with AmeriCorps.  We hope to help create a more collaborative, inclusive environment for Hispanic organizations and individuals to participate in structured service experiences.  We’ll submit our grant proposal at the end of this month!

·       We have been awarded a HUD contract that will allow us to work with 10 of the community organizations in our network who provide housing counseling and financial literacy education.  We will help build their capacity to deliver more effective services, so they can help more families become first-time homebuyers or avoid the threat of foreclosure.     

 

And, of course, we continue to forge ahead with our national immigration advocacy campaign, Esperanza For America.  We’ve laid significant groundwork in 2009, and every day the network of campaign supporters grows.  Over the remaining weeks in January, we will take important steps forward:  We will have the privilege of meeting with a group of African American clergy, to discuss the issue of immigration reform as a matter of universal national importance; we’ll begin text campaigns in partnership with faith and secular artists; and we will hold an event to mark the campaign’s official launch.  We still expect Senator Schumer (D-NY) to unveil his version of a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the coming weeks, and we want to be prepared for action.  If you haven’t yet signed up to support the campaign, sign up today!  Also, keep sending us the stories of people you know who have suffered as a result of our current broken system.  Your personal experiences are the most compelling reason for our continued fight for change.  Visit our website often, at www.esperanzaforamerica.com, for regular campaign updates.

 

We are hopeful for a change in 2010, and we rely on you to help make it happen!

 

In Christ’s name,

 

The Reverend Luis Cortés, Jr.

President

Esperanza