Message from the Executive Director

Dear friends,

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about volunteers and how important they are—not just to Monument Impact and the entire nonprofit sector, but also to our democracy.
Volunteers made Monument Impact’s first ever Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration held on September 27 a success! It was quite a party. You can see photos from the event by Clicking here. But that celebration would not have happened without volunteer support.
Ten local restaurants donated delicious food representing Mexican, Peruvian, Salvadoran and Cuban cuisine. Our staff, and others, volunteered many hours to create the space, tend bar, register guests and help throughout the evening. Our volunteer Board of Directors secured a number of sponsors.
Every week, Monument Impact has volunteers who play integral roles in the organization. You can read about our volunteer coordinator John Gallagher here. Rob Andrews is one of our long-term volunteers who has been teaching ESL for our Career Track students for approximately five years now. Learn more about Rob here. Another volunteer, Professor Albert Ponce from DVC, teaches ESL to our Day Laborers and is moderating our Candidates Forum.
 
Because we are in the midst of election season, I am also reminded about the thousands of volunteers who go door-to-door talking to their neighbors about the importance of voting; work for their candidate of choice; do phone banking; and register voters. This is democracy in action. Volunteers also take time off work to talk with their elected officials about policy solutions that address critical issues impacting their communities.
 
Therefore, it’s vitally important to engage in WHO gets elected. Here in Concord, we have our first District Elections. In spite of how little time there was for new candidates to prepare, this is an historic moment for the city.
 
On October 10 th, Monument Impact will be part of this history as a co-host of our first Candidates Forum for District 3 with First 5/CCRG and Raise the Roof Coalition. This is a great opportunity for candidates Dominic Aliano and Kenji Yamada to state their positions on how to benefit the community and to hear directly from those who live in the Monument. It will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the First Presbyterian Church, 1965 Colfax Street in Concord.
We find that local residents have been very vocal about local needs, so this forum is one way for candidates to get to know our community. But we also know that we have to do more. In the past few weeks, our organizers have reached nearly 1,500 Concord residents with information about district elections and potential policy that could ease the housing crisis, and registered about 200 new voters, including
pre-registering high school students.
The stakes are extremely high right now to be engaged in the democratic process. The current housing crisis coupled with the urgent need for immigration reform requires even more volunteer hours to ensure that a greater diversity of community voices are being heard.
 
Ultimately, residents want action. Working with our allies from Raise the Roof Coalition, we are mobilizing residents, voters and non-voters alike, to stem the escalation of no-cause evictions and unreasonable rent increases in Concord. Please join us!
 
For more information about how to get involved as a volunteer at Monument Impact, contact john@monumentimpact.org. To engage with us on the housing crisis, please contact jennifer@monumentimpact.org. If you are interested in Board service, please contact me: debra@monumentimpact.org.
In gratitude,
Debra Ballinger Bernstein
Executive Director
Spotlight on our Volunteers:
Joh n Gallagher
John Gallagher recently retired from the corporate world. Not one to sit still for long, John began taking Spanish and social justice classes at Diablo Valley College (DVC), where he has learned alongside college students who are directly impacted by the racist immigration policies being pushed by our federal government. Through the relationships John has built at DVC and his own convictions about compassion and fairness, John began looking for ways to get involved in immigration justice.

It was at a Social Justice conference at DVC this past spring when John connected with Monument Impact. Since then, John has been working with us to build an internship program, both a needed asset for a small nonprofit like ours and an opportunity for young people to gain skills. 

Rob Andrews
Rob Andrews has served the Monument Community for five years teaching English as a Second Language to Monument Impact’s Career Track participants. A former professional baseball player, Rob played second base for the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants and he coaches Junior Giants.

Rob initiated a night class at Monument Impact to help community members of various programs who were interested in learning English. Later an opportunity to teach ESL to Career Track students became available and he’s been committed to Monument Impact since.

“Rob always creates a fun and interactive atmosphere that continuously motivates students to learn,” said Elba Velasquez, Workforce Development Manager

MONUMENT CANDIDATES FORUM: OCTOBER 10
Monument Impact, Central County Regional Group, First 5, and our Raise the Roof Coalition allies will be co-hosting a Monument Candidate’s Forum on October 10, 2018 at the First Presbyterian Church of Concord, 1965 Colfax St, Concord, CA 94520 , from 6:30-8:30 PM. This important forum will provide Monument residents with a unique opportunity to hear from the two District 3 candidates, Kenji Yamada and Dominic Aliano , on the issues that matter most to families and the community. See you there!
Know Your Rights and legal observer training workshops. Get Involved! Register today
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