Students from the Salandini Villa Si Se Puede Learning Center present a Cesar Chavez Day play

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Every year students from Si Se Puede Learning Centers across California and the Southwest choose a service learning project in honor of Cesar Chavez Day. Students from Salandini Villa Apartments in Parlier, Calif. chose to reenact a play inspired by Cesar Chavez. They spent months rehearsing their lines and building a set and props in preparation for their big performance. Sadly, due to the coronavirus outbreak all in-person programs were canceled. However, the show must go on! Enjoy an animation version of their production.

 

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Ybarra Village, An Affordable Housing Development Near Completion, Set to Achieve LEED for Homes Gold Certification

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Ybarra Village, a joint effort by the Cesar Chavez Foundation and New Directions for Veterans (NDVets), is a new affordable housing community development in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. Set to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, the residential community will feature 64 units as well as on-site social service programs for veterans provided by NDVets. Thirty six units will be reserved for homeless veterans, some with special needs, and 27 will be designated for seniors with a preference for senior veterans.

“The LEED Gold Certification reinforces our commitment to inspiring and transforming communities in a way that promotes sustainability,” said Alfredo Izmajtovich, Executive Vice President of Housing and Economic Development for the Cesar Chavez Foundation. “We are proud to work with New Directions for Veterans in building sustainable and affordable living spaces for veterans in need of housing. We are setting the bar for what can be achieved both individually and community wide.”

Ybarra Village will provide a number of sustainable building methods in order to promote sustainability as well as result in lower utility bills for residents.  Water efficiency will be observed in the properties’ planned landscaping which will include an efficient irrigation system for a variety of drought tolerant plants and tree species that require low water and low maintenance needs, in addition to a shut-off valve, sub-metering for the irrigation system, drip irrigation for 50% of planning beds, timer or controller for each water area, pressure-regulating devices and moisture sensor or rain delay controllers.  In the interior units, water conservation will be achieved by the installation of efficient plumbing fixtures including low flow toilets, shower heads and faucets in both kitchens and bathrooms.  Additionally, all kitchens will have Energy Star dishwashing machines that will use less than 6.0 gallons per cycle.

Energy efficiency will be observed by a number of practices including the use of a high efficiency HVAC system, light fixtures and the use of rooftop solar water photovoltaic panels which will produce solar thermal panels which will pre-heat water for the domestic hot water system.  Energy efficient washing and drying machines will be installed in the laundry rooms.  The units which also include energy efficiency appliances including refrigerators, dishwashers and stoves.

There are a number of areas designated for residents’ use including two ample outdoor courtyards with tables and benches and a barbeque grill for group gatherings or individual use to encourage residents to spend time outdoors.  Additionally, the property includes a large community room, leasing office and office spaces for case management and resident services staff.   Ybarra Village will provide 53 parking spaces for resident use and service staff and a number of electric vehicle “EV- ready” chargers as well as 64 resident bicycle parking racks.

The property’s location is centrally located in the West Adams district of Los Angeles.  The amenity-rich neighborhood is within walking distance of grocery stores, shops, restaurants, schools and public transportation including Metro Buses and the Expo Line.

New residents will receive basic operations and training including a one-hour walkthrough of all features within their units so they can learn about the new sustainable LEED building and the many environmental benefits of Ybarra Village.

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Cesar Chavez Grandson at Dedication in Salinas of Plaque Where Chavez Was Jailed in 1970

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A bronze plaque was dedicated Tuesday, December 4 in Salinas outside the Old Monterey County Jail, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 because of its link with the incarceration there of Cesar Chavez on Dec. 4, 1970. He had disobeyed a rural judge’s injunction against the boycott of a huge Salinas Valley vegetable grower. As he was being led away in the Salinas courtroom after the judge ordered him to jail, Chavez defiantly said, “Boycott the hell out of them.” After 20 days, on Christmas Eve, he was ordered set free by the California Supreme Court, which later found the injunction unconstitutional. Coretta Scott King and Ethel Kennedy, widows of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, visited him at the jail.

“The lessons learned nearly 50 years apply today,” said Andres Chavez, 24, a Chavez grandson representing the Chavez family and Cesar Chavez Foundation at the plaque unveiling ceremony in front of the old jail. “It is my hope that this plaque serves as a source of inspiration and a call to action to be courageous and to always stand on the right side of history, whether it be resisting the separation of families or continuing to support the farm workers’ right to organize.”

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PepsiCo Cesar Chavez Latino Scholarship Fund

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The Cesar Chavez Foundation, in partnership with PepsiCo, invite students of Latino descent who are beginning or continuing their studies at higher educational institutions in Arizona and California, to apply for the PepsiCo Cesar Chavez Latino Scholarship Fund. The Scholarship Fund provides $300,000 in scholarship awards to qualified Latino students in Arizona and California regardless of national origin or immigration status in an effort to promote their academic success. It supports 10 scholarships at $5,000 per student annually and will continue to do so until 2021. Scholarships are granted solely based on academic excellence, leadership in extra-curricular activities, commitment to volunteer service in the community and financial need. They are designed to supplement the students’ financial resources from family, government, and other sources. The intent is to fill the gaps our students encounter in financing a college education. The 2019-2020 application cycle is now open. Click here to apply!

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate the following: Academic excellence, leadership in extra-curricular activities, a commitment to volunteer service in the community and financial need.

Applicant must be an incoming or continuing full-time undergraduate student at any education institution for the 2017- 2018 Academic Year.

Applicant must be of Latino descent. Applicant must have a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Scholarship is available to U.S. Citizen, Permanent Legal Resident, Undocumented, DACA or Eligible Non-Citizen (as defined by FAFSA).

Applicant may only receive award once. Applicant’s immediate family members are not eligible for award within 12 calendar months (e.g. siblings, parents, or children).

 

For any questions on this application, please email:  

scholarship@chavezfoundation.org or bfimbres@chavezfoundation.org

 

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Cesar Chavez Foundation breaks ground on new high-quality affordable housing community

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Cesar Chavez Foundation breaks ground on new high-quality affordable housing community in Fresno for low-income intergenerational families

June 20 celebration features speaking program with Foundation President Paul Chavez, District 3 representative for Fresno Board of Supervisors Sal Quintero, and son of Sal Gonzales Sr.

FRESNO, CA (June 19, 2018) – The Cesar Chavez Foundation is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for Las Palmas de Sal Gonzales, Sr., a new intergenerational affordable housing community in southeast Fresno on June 20. This new residential community will feature 135 units of affordable housing.

“We’re pleased to break ground on our fifth affordable housing community in Fresno,” said Paul Chavez, President, Cesar Chavez Foundation. “In addition providing families and seniors with high-quality housing, the property will also include an afterschool program for young residents and programs for seniors.”

Eighty-nine units at Las Palmas de Sal Gonzales, Sr. will be designated for low income families and an additional 46 units for low income seniors. The buildings will include a computer lab, recreational room, community kitchen, patio courtyard, picnic area, garden area, child activity area, two multipurpose rooms, a library and senior activity area.

The property will house a Si Se Puede Learning Center, CCF’s flagship afterschool program available to young residents, as well as a Si Se Puede Senior Center that enables resident seniors to be active both mentally and physically and empower them to develop joyful, healthful and meaningful lives.

The project was funded primarily through California’s cap and trade program – one of the largest amounts given out in California. It received federal tax credits, state tax credits, tax exempt bonds proceeds and assistance from the City of Fresno. Las Palmas de Sal Gonzales, Sr. will be an energy efficient property with walk paths, bike paths, improved crosswalks and street lighting to better connect residents to four new bus rapid transit stops along the Kings Canyon corridor, linking residents and riders to major retail, social services, education and employment opportunities.

The property is named for Sal Gonzales, Sr. a farmworker and delegate at the United Farm Workers (UFW) Founding Convention in 1962. He supported Cesar Chavez, the UFW and union strikes including the Delano grape walkouts. Sal was very active in politics and aided farm worker lobbying efforts in Sacramento. He was the director of an anti-poverty program called West Side Planning which assisted small Latino family farmers.

Who: CCF President Paul F. Chavez, COO Manuel Bernal, EVP of Housing and Economic Development Alfredo Izmajtovich, District 3 representative for Fresno Board of Supervisors Sal Quintero and Sal Gonzales (son of Sal Gonzales, Sr.)

What: Groundbreaking of Las Palmas de Sal Gonzales, Sr., a new 135 unit affordable housing community

When: Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 11:00 a.m.

Where: 5070 E Kings Canyon Road, Fresno, CA 93727 (drop off location)

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Cesar Chavez Foundation and New Directions for Veterans break ground on Ybarra Village

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Cesar Chavez Foundation and New Directions for Veterans to break ground on affordable housing project for veterans in West Adams district on April 4

LOS ANGELES – The Cesar Chavez Foundation and New Directions for Veterans (NDVets) will officially break ground on Ybarra Village, a new affordable housing community for veterans in the West Adams district of Los Angeles on April 4, 2018. This new residential community will feature 64 units with on-site supportive services for veterans provided by NDVets.

“There is an affordable housing crisis in Los Angeles and this project is critical to helping veterans in need of housing,” said Alfredo Izmajtovich, Executive Vice President of Housing and Economic Development for the Cesar Chavez Foundation. “We look forward to working with New Directions for Veterans in order to provide veterans with affordable housing and the services they require.”

Ybarra Village will feature 64 units with more than half of the units designated for homeless veterans, as well as additional units for veterans’ with special needs. The remainder of the units will be allocated for seniors, with a preference given to senior veterans. There will be a wide range of on-site social service programs for veterans provided by NDVets, including counseling, case management, job training, legal assistance and Veteran Affairs (VA) health services and benefits assistance.

“It’s an unfortunate reality that veterans are more likely than civilians to experience homelessness in their lifetime due to factors like Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” said NDVets CEO and President, Colonel (Ret.) Yvette J. Kelley. “We are grateful to the Cesar Chavez Foundation for making veterans a priority with the construction of Ybarra Village, where veterans will have a safe place to live with staff on-site to help ensure they have the necessary support and resources to retain housing.”

The property is named for Miguel “Mike” Ybarra, a U.S. Marine Corps and World War II veteran. Ybarra was active with the United Farm Workers and worked with both the union and Cesar Chavez to organize farm workers across California. He was a longtime board member of the Cesar Chavez Foundation.