| What a time to be El Buen! The past few months have been filled with excitement for new initiatives to serve the community, funding opportunities, and community engagement. Thank you for continuing to join us in partnership to make a meaningful difference for families in Central Texas! – Dr. Rosamaria Murillo, CEO  What’s Happening We AMPLIF(Y)IED Youth Education! This year during Amplify Austin, El Buen fundraised for our youth STEM Education and Leadership Summer Camps. We far exceeded our goal of $35K and raised $50K, all thanks to YOU!! This has been our most successful Amplify Austin campaign to-date, and we attribute it to the inspiration of “el futuro.” Youth are the future, and as an agency, El Buen is committed to ensuring each child experiences a sense of belonging, engagement, and inclusion through high-quality education programming. Outdoor Families Event  On April 15, in partnership with El Ranchito, we held our annual Outdoor Families community resource fair, which brings together summer programming and essential services to local families through connection to the outdoors. It was a huge success, with community partners and over 160 community members participating! Honoring Our Volunteers  In honor of volunteer appreciation week, we hosted a volunteer appreciation event with a community garden bed dedication ceremony. Staff and Board members joined us in celebrating our amazing volunteers, who are truly at the heart of making El Buen’s mission possible. Volunteers are a lifeline, the light, and the hope for our community and El Buen. Our team is supported by nearly 300 volunteers providing more than 3,000 hours of service annually. Their time, heart and passion make a positive impact in our community.If you are interested in volunteering, contact us at volunteer@elbuen.org. Program Updates Vaccine Access for All  During the pandemic, El Buen became a leading organization creating access to COVID vaccines and education. This program has brought us local and national attention from news outlets and funders including the City of Austin and the Urban Institute. In collaboration with Austin Public Health, we recently unfolded biweekly vaccine clinics to those who do not have medical insurance or a medical home. During these vaccine clinics, routine vaccines such as hepatitis A & B, Flu, TDAP, HPV, MPox and more are offered at no cost. We have facilitated over 375 routine adult vaccines to over 203 individuals to-date. El Buen is proud to offer access to health care services to our most vulnerable populations. Program Kick-Off: Public Benefits Assistance and Enrollment  As we continue to address food insecurity, we look for ways to create sustainable and long-term access to food for families. El Buen recently became re-certified as a HSCC Community Partner agency to support families with enrollment for public benefit programs like SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, CHIP and more. Recent funding and new team member, Reyna Lopez enabled us to develop a pipeline for community members to access public benefits. We are thankful for Reyna’s leadership and her passion, she quickly jumped to the task and has worked diligently to make this kick-off a success! The first step is scheduling a conversation with our benefits team to identify programs they are eligible for and walk through the application process together. Our Bilingual Community Health Navigators play a critical role in ensuring families feel secure and do not face language or technology barriers to access benefits enrollment, allowing El Buen to improve food security, boost health outcomes and cultivate self-sufficiency amongst families. Click here for more program information! Food Access Expansion and What Comes Next  As El Buen’s Food Access team continues to address the needs of families facing food insecurity, we think of ways we can increase our capacity to expand our reach. We are thrilled to share we were awarded funding from the Peace, Love and Happiness Foundation and an anonymous donor to purchase and maintain a refrigerated van – El Buen’s Mobile Food Van. Over the last three years, we have seen a growth in food pantry clients who live in zip code areas considered part of Austin’s Eastern Crescent. An area identified as a food desert and home to most of Austin’s communities of colors and has longer distances to food retail, lower household incomes, and fewer transportation options compared with the rest of the city. This refrigerated van will allow El Buen to increase the volume of perishable food secured and delivered to our most vulnerable communities while improving the capacity we have to respond during emergencies including natural disasters and relief efforts for communities in crisis. Meet our Director of Programs: Stephanie Cerda  Stephanie is a proven and passionate leader with over 15 years of experience in the education and nonprofit sectors. She has deep expertise in strategic planning, program development, executive leadership, and has dedicated her career to supporting community members with basic needs, education, and health access. She currently serves on City of Austin’s Resilience Hub Community Task Force, Austin PBS Community Advisory Board, and the City of Austin/Travis County Food Plan Community Advisory Committee. Her favorite pastimes include live music and camping with her husband, four kids, and their two pups. We are thrilled she has joined the El Buen family and lead our programs in this next phase of our work! What’s Ahead En el Juego: Back to School Campaign El Buen’s En el Juego: Back to School Campaign raises awareness about the power of education, supports our comprehensive year-round out of school time education services and back-to-school supplies distribution event in August. As we prepare to kick off this campaign in July, we are also preparing to host our third annual back-to-school backpack and supplies distribution event for 1,000+ students! You can support our efforts by donating funds, purchasing items on our amazon wish list, or holding a supplies drive at your church or workplace. Please contact us at development@elbuen.org to learn more! Save the 35th Anniversary Date! Join us April 13, 2024 to reflect on El Buen’s 35 years of community impact while we celebrate our vision for the future and what comes next. Our program will include the unveiling of a mural designed by a local artist reflecting “el futuro.” We have an open call for community members to join our design committee for the mural. If you are interested in joining our design committee OR if you are interested in being an event sponsor, please contact us at development@elbuen.org. Join Our Mission Consider supporting our mission to strengthen families in Central Texas! DONATE Become a Friend of El Buen Become a volunteer Connect With Us Connect with us at development@elbuen.org and schedule a time to tour our campus and learn more about our programs and how you can get involved! El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission7000 Woodhue Dr Austin, TX 78745Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser Unsubscribe  |
Al Dia with El Buen #2
