The Collaborative Bulletin is created by Jasmine P. Corena & Likhi Rivas

Message from the CEO

We made it through the month of June, a very busy month. The community People’s Plan/El Plan del Pueblo, meeting brought together community members together plan the road map for El Plan del Pueblo. Dr. Manuel Pastors USC and Dr. Ed Flores from UC Merced helped set the tone of the meeting. We had over 100 community members in attendance. The community listed what this Plan should include: Mental Health, Job/Training program, Housing, Education, Environmental Justice, Environment, Public Safety, Economics 101, Infrastructure, and Art/Culture.  

The Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communication funded the agency to educate the Community County-wide on extreme heat and COVID-19.  With 100-degree-plus weather during the month of June was timely to educate the community. The community has been asking that we have an Art/Cultural event, we had our first Poetry Night.  Our youth program on the performing arts has been great for the youth in our community. The July newsletter will give you much more information. Have safe Summer. 

Perfecto Munoz, Chief Executive Officer

June Monthly Recap

The People’s Plan June 7th

The commencement of El Plan del Pueblo is here! Dr. Manuel Pastor and Dr. Ed Flores were both able to join us to discuss why community action is a significant contribution to the future of Stanislaus county. Dr. Pastor stated, “Equity is not just a fairness issue, it's a prosperity issue” because of what the data reflects. By 2050, Stanislaus county will be ¾ Latino because of the children of immigrants that are not only causing growth in Stanislaus county, but the San Joaquin Valley. However, due to the generational gap, current policies and political agendas are influenced by the older white population that does not reflect the community of Stanislaus county. The majority of the Latino population is young so they don’t have the right to vote, but this brought up an important point at the summit: The youth needs to be involved. They are the ones that are going to carry the voice of their predecessors and fight for the prosperity of their community. They should be educated on how the action taken today by themselves and their parents is going to affect them. This movement needs the voice of the Stanislaus youth, but they are our future.

OCPSC Introduction

New resources are here! The West Modesto Community Collaborative has been funded by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research: Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC) to spread awareness about California’s most important public awareness and community outreach campaigns such as water conservation, extreme heat, COVID-19, and ITIN information. We will begin our outreach efforts by focusing on extreme heat and water conservation.

California will be one of the places where we will see weather extremes due to climate change so as a state we need to adapt to a hotter and drier future. Contrary to popular belief, California is still in a drought even if we had large amounts of rainfall in the past year. As a result, we hope to provide information on how to conserve our water and how we can implement small changes in our daily lives to continue to do so. Along with that, we also hope to provide more information on how we can prepare for extreme heat waves and very hot summers. Our outreach efforts begin in July, so keep a lookout for us on when we’ll be in your city by following us on our social media page linked below.

Comadres In Action

The West Modesto Community Collaborative had the pleasure of joining the Cesar Chavez Committee at their Comadres in Action Luncheon. Attendees were able to hear empowering stories from Rosa Escutia-Braaton, Rosalinda Vierra, Becky Campo, and Carolina Alfaro who come from all walks of life. We were able to hear life stories in regards to hardships, family, controversies, and laughable moments. As an office that is majority women, we were able to learn from strong and powerful women who have had similar experiences in their personal and professional lives. The women on the panel are an inspiration to all women who are trying to make a difference in their community. 

Poetry Night & Open Mic June 29th:

We thank the Taller Poético del Valle for hosting and participating in the Poetry & Open Mic Night that took place at the King Kennedy Memorial Center. This event represented pride of one's culture, pride in one's artistry, and inspiration to make your dreams a reality. In the West Modesto community, art is seen as something that is lacking and the community has made that known during the community builders meetings. We hope that we can continue to have art and cultural events at the center that represent our community. We encourage every one of you to attend these events, to bring your children, and to foster the idea that art has no boundaries.

Music by: Arturo Barajas-from mariachi:"Oro California"

WMCC Program Spotlight:

The Navigation Program

Project Coordinators Jasmine (left) & Lily (right)

West Modesto Community Collaborative has partnered with the County of Stanislaus Community Services Agency to offer the American Rescue Plan Act Navigation Services. The program helps assist individuals or households that have been impacted by the pandemic, which have been most severe among low-income populations. This includes assistance with food, housing, and other needs; job training, behavioral health, and employment programs for people with barriers to employment who faced negative economic impacts from the pandemic, and much more. Services are offered but not limited to zip codes 95351, 95354, and 95358.

As project coordinators Jasmine C. and Liliana F. are here to help navigate you with finding the right resources to help alleviate any hardships you may be facing. The Navigation Program began March of 2022 and has helped over 200 families with multiple services. As project coordinators our goal is to fulfill every request needed by helping individuals or families find resources either within West Modesto Community Collaborative or by referring to an outside agency within Stanislaus County.

As an organization we make great efforts to promote programs such as the Navigation Project by

attending local community events such as local health fairs, school events, resource fairs, and even

Modesto Farmer’s Market. All these efforts to promote the program are necessary ensure that we can reach all community members. We understand that sometimes it is hard to stay informed with the different resources and events happening however, we are committed to reaching individuals and families through local community engagements. Here at West Modesto, we believe in elevating, educating, and empowering community members! Applying is easy! Please visit our website at www.westmodestocollaborative.com and under program tab, click the Navigation Program or apply by visiting our social media pages.

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/westmodestocollaborative/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WestModestoCollaborative/

Client Success Story: Deanna Waters

Community Organization Spotlight:

Stanislaus County Youth Empowerment Program

Stanislaus County Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) is a female founded organization

established in 2020. Our mission is to provide young people with the tools to prepare them to

become effective leaders, achievers, and contributors in their own lives and communities. We

envision a world where all young people can have the confidence to achieve their dreams

regardless of their racial, economic, or social background. We believe in creating a culture and

environment that ensures we all R.I.S.E together.

Monthly Community Drives: YEP, has recently begun an organization initiative to host monthly.

donation drives in order to give back to the local community. Our current donation drive runs

until the end of June and focuses on collecting personal care and hygiene products. The intent

of our July drive will be to collect school supplies and other school necessities for back to school

season! For additional information or questions, please e-mail outreach@stancoyep and check

our Instagram for our drop off schedule.

STAR: The Student Academic Retention (STAR) program provides Modesto City School District students (K-8) with academic support, tutoring, homework assistance, and social-emotional learning opportunities. To enroll for the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year, please send inquiries to info@stancoyep.org.

Rooted In Rising: Rooted in Rising Backyard Garden is an urban backyard garden that

empowers our community to cultivate food sovereignty, and end racism, and injustices within

our local food system through land stewardship practices. The strongest force behind our

mission is village mentality and as a village, we believe we can assess our own individual pains

and traumas as we steward the land to heal. We are rooted in rising together. IG Link:

@rootedinrising.garden

Summer Wellness Series:

Check out upcoming events open to the community this summer!

IG Link: @stancoyep

Upcoming Events

Community News

Have something to share? For inquiries please email our Communications Director: Jasmine P. Corena

jcorena@westmodestocollaborative.com



Stay Up-To-Date with West Modesto

Vibin' with West Modesto

On this episode, we introduce our new co-host Likhi! We discuss all the events and changes coming to West Modesto Community Collaborative, along with some history talk about Juneteenth.

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