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Chris Lally faced one barrier that stood in the way of his aspiration of becoming a restaurant owner. He had the passion, skills, and experience. He worked as a chef in restaurants across the country and globe. However, investing in a restaurant came at a steep cost.

The turning point was when Chris found the Business Opportunity Center (BOC) at El Centro de la Raza. He soon realized there was another path to becoming the entrepreneur of which he always dreamt. Chris attributes part of his success to the BOC’s Food Cart Vendor program, “Getting the help was really important to get to the finish line.”

His drive combined with the resources available at BOC made him an unstoppable force. He continued to build out his dream and secured funding along the way. When the time came a to roll out his vision, Outsider Pizza was born, and it was a success.

Throughout Chris’ entrepreneurial journey, he embodied perseverance. Dreams do come true. If you have the opportunity, come by Plaza Roberto Maestas to see Chris and grab a slice or two of pizza.

Ruben was born with a cleft palate and a hand deformity. He had previously been referred to and was attending a program for students with special needs, but his parents felt that he was not being challenged intellectually since most of his peers had varying levels of developmental disabilities.

A family friend mentioned their positive experience at El Centro de la Raza, so the family applied and Ruben qualified for the free part-day ECEAP program. He started in the José Martí Child Development Center in September 2017.

When Ruben first started at the age of 3, he was very shy and introverted, cried frequently, and he didn’t want to try anything by himself. After observing Ruben, the teachers developed an Individual Learning Plan and encouraged his social-emotional development through culturally-relevant activities in his first language (Spanish). As his self-esteem grew, Ruben became more confident in his abilities and self-help skills, such as using the bathroom on his own, and the social emotional support really helped Ruben develop the confidence needed to grow in other areas of development.

Now, after seven months in the program, Ruben happily participates in class, socializes with his peers and shows initiative in trying and completing different activities. He practices fine motor activities and is able to write his own name and cut different shapes with scissors. Ruben loves to sing and dance; and after an operation on his tongue, his language abilities continue to advance as he pronounces sounds well for his age level and uses increasingly complex sentences.

Ruben’s parents are also very happy with the changes they have seen in their child. They support his development at home by providing him with puzzles and other challenging activities, and they encourage his independence and confidence to complete tasks on his own.

Ruben continues to receive physical therapy, so in conjunction with our dual-language, culturally appropriate curriculum, Ruben is supported in all areas of development, and after the second developmental assessment of this school year (one more to go), Ruben has already made significant growth and/or is meeting widely-held expectations for his age group in almost all areas of development. Ruben has one more year of preschool before kindergarten, but at the rate he’s going, Ruben is on track for success in kindergarten and beyond.

When two people have a passion for cooking, they start their own business. That was what LuLu and Hilda did. They have always wanted a food establishment to call their own. To learn what it would take to become successful owners, they turned to the Business Opportunity Center at El Centro de la Raza.

The Business Opportunity Center (BOC) introduced the concept of a food cart to LuLu and Hilda. Without a formal foundation of building a business, the BOC guided them through the grueling application process of applying for a permit. Some time after submitting their comprehensive blueprint design to the City of Seattle’s Health Department, LuLu and Hilda started their business on April 1, 2018.

However, the endeavor of LuLu and Hilda was not without sacrifices. While their pursuing a food business has opened doors for them, they are challenged by striking a balance between working and spending time with family during the evenings. When inquired about other adversities, they shared a look of mutual respect for overcoming unseen challenges as a team: from responding to public demand and competition from other cart vendors, to abiding by the Department of Health’s guidelines, to tracking their operating costs, and to facing the exposure of Seattle’s weather conditions.

In spite of those trials and tribulations, for the first time in a long time, LuLu and Hilda feel like they are investing in their economic access, opportunity, and stability; but more importantly, in themselves. They feel proud to be contributing back to their households and having their families’ unwavering support. Along the way, they also grew more confident in their use of technology to promote their business.

When asked what is next for them, their eyes glowed, and they said with dignity: a restaurant. (Currently, they offer catering services.) For now, stop by their food cart at Plaza Roberto Maestas and get your fill of Mexican street food. They make their dishes from scratch, including the popular huarache and nachos dishes (for $8!). When you support people like LuLu and Hilda, you are also touching the lives of their families.

Check them out on Uber Eats and Facebook!

#GiveBIG Now at www.givebigseattle.org/el-centro-de-la-raza to Score Sounders Tickets or Autographed Jersey!

We are excited to announce that Sounders FC is supporting our efforts again for The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBig event on May 9. Osvaldo “Ozzie” Alonso has selected El Centro de la Raza as his GiveBIG nonprofit of choice! Mil gracias to Ozzie Alonso for choosing to support us, and to everyone who has scheduled their donations in advance!

El Centro de la Raza was founded 46 years ago when we first envisioned a world free of oppression based on poverty, racism, sexism, sexual orientation, and discrimination of any kind that limits equal access to the resources that ensure a healthy and productive life in peace, love and harmony for all peoples and our future generations.

We encourage donors to help us uphold our vision founded 46 years ago by donating $46 to El Centro de la Raza for #GiveBIG2018. Your gift will go towards awarding ten high school seniors each the Roberto Felipe Maestas Scholarship to attend the higher education institution of their choice, and continue to fund our other youth-focused programs so that children can establish a proper foundation on which they can thrive as a productive community member.

When you give to us for GiveBig, you could be randomly selected to receive a pair of tickets to Sounders FC v. Real Salt Lake at CenturyLink Field on Saturday, May 26. The match begins at 2:00 PM. We will also select at random another donor to receive an autographed jersey from Ozzie Alonso. We will leave it to you to decide your custom message from Ozzie!

The Movimiento Afrolatino Seattle (MAS) is looking for volunteers to assist with their spring concert called “Pregones de mi tierra” on Saturday, June 9, from 4 PM to 8 PM at Plaza Roberto Maestas. Click here to learn more about the available volunteer opportunities.

MAS activates and empowers communities through art by raising awareness about the history and cultural contributions of Latinos of African descent. This free event is sponsored by 4Culture and supported by El Centro de la Raza.

Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney was a trusted pastor, civil rights advocate, and visionary leader. During his lifetime, he recognized many injustices facing communities of color and was moved to take action. Dr. McKinney was compelled to give his fellow community members a stronger voice by protesting peacefully. He saw the civil rights era as a more prominent movement to promote stronger protection rights for all people. We are an extension of Dr. McKinney’s work because our community members continue to face social, political, economic, and legal injustices. However, his passion for and legacy of social justice remain a source of inspiration to us. We continue to keep his loved ones in our hearts and thoughts. Read Dr. McKinney’s obituary, here.

Aureliano arrived at El Centro de la Raza where he initially requested assistance for translation services. He had received a box from CenturyLink though never subscribed to such a service himself. Could it be that someone was using his identity?

One of our case managers at El Centro de la Raza then called CenturyLink on Aureliano’s behalf to inquire about the unsought box. It turned out that CenturyLink had dispatched the equipment in advance of obtaining Aureliano’s signature. While someone had used Aureliano’s identity to acquire telecommunication services, he was free of any liabilities.

That case manager identified another opportunity to further assist Aureliano by asking him about his experience with pulling credit reports, a management tool to track his credit history. Aureliano had yet to request one. With his consent, the case manager proceeded to help him obtain his first credit report on the spot.

Moments later after downloading Aureliano’s credit report, he was staggered to discover that he was liable for $30,895 in collection debt, much to which he was not privy. He had never received any bill notifications related to the list of unfamiliar expenses. Aureliano and his case manager acted immediately by challenging the supposed debt across eleven accounts. On that same day, they prepared and submitted debt validation letters to multiple creditors.

After roughly three weeks of anticipation, Aureliano was able to breathe a deep sigh of relief as the weight of $28,000 dissipated from his shoulders. An insurance company had mistakenly billed Aureliano and thus issued a reversal notice. Aureliano’s name was no longer tied to that enormous debt.

Today, Aureliano remains on the right path towards financial empowerment. He meets monthly with his case manager at El Centro de la Raza where he has demonstrated with proficiency how to complete and maintain a budget. He continues to save despite living from paycheck to paycheck.