Dear Monument Impact community,

It’s been a busy beginning of the year and we’ve reached exciting successes in the first quarter!

To start, we are incredibly excited to share we were awarded a $2 million gift from the Yield Giving Open Call. We were recognized as one of 361 community-led organizations working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States. Thank you to Yield Giving and Lever 4 Change for allowing us to invest in our communities in ways we’ve only dreamt of! 

In other great news, we passed a long-standing ordinance for rent stabilization and just cause for eviction in Concord. However, it’s now been put on hold. Below we share in detail what our next steps are in ensuring the ordinance goes into effect. 

We are also celebrating a 10-year milestone of our Mentes Positivas en Acción program, our flagship 8-week group program led by trained community Promotores. Our 7th annual Stronger Together gala will be an evening of celebration of this milestone -- mark your calendars for September 12, 2024 at the Hilton Concord and keep an eye out for invitations shortly!

Reflecting on 23 years in service, we are proud to have built a community of advocates and supporters like yourselves dedicated to see immigrant and refugee families flourish in Contra Costa County. We are excited to see how new funding, new staff members and continued partnerships deepen our impact as the year continues.  

As always, thank you for being a part of our journey! 

En comunidad,

Judith Ortiz

Executive Director

We are thrilled to share the launch of a new program initiative: Lending Circles. Thanks to the support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, we will be able to offer 0% interest loans to our community of small businesses. Program orientation started last week! Pictured above are business owners in our network, ready to take their businesses to the next level.

After eight years of hard work and advocacy, Concord City Council passed rent stabilization and just cause for eviction! This means great progress for Concord. Though shortly after, the ordinance was put on pause brought on by the oppositional group. Local tenant organizers and community leaders from Raise the Roof coalition are working hard to make sure this ordinance goes into effect. 

If you would like to join our efforts in educating the community on the importance of rent stabilization and just cause for eviction, we will be door knocking until April 15th.

With the support of the John Muir Foundation and Dr. Rosa Maria Sternberg, this year marks a 10 year milestone of launching our Mentes Positivas en Acción course (MPA). These programs help Latinx families learn how to manage their stress, and encourage positive mental health habits in the home, all important conversations to normalize in our communities. We want to congratulate the Family Justice Center on launching Mind, Power in Action, an English version of MPA, and offering it to their community. Because of Dr. Rosa Maria, our Healthy Community team, and Promotores, this program has been deeply successful and has started to be replicated across the county.

Our team is growing! We are excited to welcome three new team members to our team who will work hand-in-hand with community members with application assistance, local resources and business support. Learn more about them below!

Tania Mora

Tania was born in Mexico City but moved to Concord, where she has lived for the past 7 years. She learned about Monument Impact first through the Day Labor member program. Making cakes is one of her passions, along with dancing and traveling.

Brian Ibarra

Brian is the Program Coordinator of the Keep Contra Costa Housed initiative. Born in Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, Mexico, Brian enjoys traveling and watching TV while hanging out with his two cats, Blanca and Woodburn.

Arsinoe Orihuela

Arsinoe is a social worker, academic researcher and former business owner who currently serves as coordinator of the Emerging Business Program. In his free time, Arsinoe enjoys playing soccer competitively.

Our 7th Annual Stronger Together Gala planning has commenced. Save the date for September 12, 2024 for a night of celebration and conversation on the importance of mental health for our immigrant and refugee communities. We are so excited to create an unforgettable experience and are currently looking for community sponsors to support the gala.

Last Wednesday morning, we awoke to the news of the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsing in Baltimore, Maryland after a cargo ship collided with one of its pillars. As authorities revealed more details, we learned that eight construction workers were on the bridge as it fell into the water. They closely mirror our own Day Labor members and the people who come through our doors everyday.

We keep these individuals and their families in our thoughts and prayers and will continue to fight for policies and programs that promote quality of life and social power for refugee and immigrant communities.

Support Our Work

Our work is fueled by partners and funders like you. We are incredibly proud of our accomplishments, and yet, we have much more to do to support our communities in thriving and finding stability in their day-to-day lives. Your support helps us provide direct service, grow our courses that are often wait-listed, and expand our internal staffing to do the work.