American Province Ministry Connections
January 2022
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Casa Cornelia Law Center
Carmen M. Chavez, Esq. - Executive Director
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Casa Cornelia: Expanding services outside of San Diego County to ensure access to pro bono legal services for disenfranchised victims |
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During the last two years, COVID-19 revealed the challenges that indigent children, families, and asylum seekers face when they need an attorney. Many of them reside in rural areas where access to lawyers, as well as other critical services, is virtually nonexistent. The gap between them and the justice system is compounded by their trauma, punitive immigration detention, poverty, and language barriers.
Notwithstanding the pandemic, Casa Cornelia has built bridges in new geographical areas to provide indigent children, families, and asylum seekers with access to qualified pro bono attorneys. Victims can tell their stories to the attorneys and prevail in the justice system. As a result, the Law Center has successfully obtained the release of victimized women and men from detention while continuing to represent them in their legitimate asylum claims.
One of these courageous stories is that of Leon.* Caught in Cameroon’s ethnic conflict between the English and French-speaking regions, Leon suffered torture and trauma after speaking against the mistreatment of his people. Fearing for his life, Leon fled his country and sought asylum protection at the U.S. border.
Once processed, officials placed Leon* in detention in Imperial, far from access to resources for asylum seekers. Nevertheless, Casa Cornelia took his case, obtained his release, and won asylum on his behalf! Leon’s chances of returning to a death sentence in Cameroon would have been four times higher without an attorney.
*Name and photograph have been changed to protect client confidentiality.
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Providence Center
Siria Ana Rivera - Executive Director
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Christmas week at Providence Center was full of holiday cheer. Afterschool program staff were hard at work wrapping presents and transforming our community room into a winter wonderland. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 concerns, we could not have our annual in-person Christmas party. Nevertheless, this did not stop us from spreading Christmas cheer and providing hope and joy for so many of our afterschool families.
We organized a “walk-up” Christmas party, allowing families to participate in the festivities in a safe, socially distanced manner. They picked up bags of Christmas presents for every child, a small gift for parents, and a warm meal for the entire family. Families were also able to take photos with our Christmas tree, decorated by staff and afterschool students themselves!
Ms. Fernandez, an afterschool parent, came to our Christmas event with her three children, Bryan, Kevin, and Aidalis. After taking family photos and receiving their gifts, she thanked us and said,
“I love Providence Center!
You always come through for me and my family."
While we wish that we could’ve held our annual in-person Christmas party, we are so grateful that we were able to safely engage with our students and their families. We are thankful to our community partners and donors for helping us bring the Christmas spirit to Providence Center this year.
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South Central Los Angeles Ministry Project (SC LAMP)
Diana Pinto - Executive Director
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As the Executive Director for South Central LAMP, most of my time is spent working on day-to-day operational tasks. But as is the case for most of us who work in the community, the real joy of our work is in direct services.
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Not long ago, I had the opportunity to lead a workshop on children's development for the moms we serve. After the workshop, a few mothers came to talk to me about their children. Some of the moms cried, worried that their children weren’t developing as they should be.
As a mother of a 17-year-old child who is on the spectrum, I know the pain of not knowing how to help your child when challenges arise. But I recognize that, unlike the mothers I serve, I have resources that are not available to them. I can easily do research on the internet. I speak English and can communicate easily with my child’s teachers and doctors. For the mothers we serve, this is not the case.
For many, South Central LAMP is the first place our mothers learn about their children’s development or challenges. South Central LAMP is where they learn the language that will help them communicate with their children’s doctors, and most importantly, learn how to advocate for their sons and daughters. What a radical thought, that as mothers, we know best and can advocate for our children! This idea is not always taught to the women in our community. It is one of the reasons I feel so privileged to be part of South Central LAMP. I know the work we do not only empowers women, but it empowers mothers. When we invest in mothers, we invest in children, and strong mothers foster strong children. Additionally, the benefits of strong mothers extend to the entire family, and healthy families build healthy communities. And after all, it is healthy communities that really transform our world.
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Sponsored Ministries of the Society of Holy Child Jesus
Casa Cornelia Law Center * Providence Center
Co-Sponsored Ministries of the Society of Holy Child Jesus
South Central Los Angeles Ministry Project (LAMP) *
Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep * Hope Partnership for Education *
Cristo Rey New York High School * Washington School for Girls
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Ministry Connections is a monthly publication highlighting ministries sponsored or co-sponsored
by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.
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