LatinaLista — Many non-profits don’t have time to wait for the paperwork before they get started on accomplishing their mission. That’s the case with Chicas Latinas de Sacramento.
Begun three years ago by Angela Rosas to encourage volunteerism and philanthropy among Latinas of the city of Sacramento, California, the organization has over 150 members. The goals of the organization are multifold:
- Encourage volunteerism and promote value of giving back.
- Reach the youth through classroom programs (history, music, dance, art, food, etc.), fairs, cultural workshops.
- Create family friendly, accessible, and free cultural events.
- Unite Latino businesses and organizations – assist in reaching Latinos in ALL areas of Sacramento and bringing events/fairs to those populations.
- Resources – host resource fairs and provide educational/employment training.
According to Rosas:
Look at (just about) any Latino family and you will find statistics represented: teenage pregnancies, domestic violence, drug use, gang activity, school dropouts, and incarceration. What is harder (or at least isn’t as visible) to find is the culture and traditions that make being Latino wonderful, especially in the low-income communities.
I want us to help our brothers and sisters (promote volunteerism) but I also want to promote and inspire cultural awareness and provide the next generation with a sense of true pride and the knowledge of what it means to be Latino. They say negative cycles are “generational” – it is our belief that so are positive cycles.
The organization has already been active in the Sacramento community but to be able to achieve more the group must now officially become a non-profit. That means filing the necessary paperwork, finding a lawyer and creating a web site — all things that take money that Chicas Latinas doesn’t have at the present.
To help raise money for this next important step in the organization’s evolution, Rosas and her team have created a fundraising campaign on indiegogo — Help the Chicas Latinas de Sacramento become a nonprofit.
With only a few weeks left, the organization has a long way to go to reach their goal but they’re not letting that stop them from fulfilling their mission:
Our mission is to make a positive impact in both the Latin and Sacramento community by improving, connecting and embracing our culture and the community in which we call our home.
