Growing up as a first-generation Latino in historically impoverished Boyle Heights, Juan De La Cruz remembers the times he and his siblings did their best not to get sick. Like many other Latinos in under-resourced neighborhoods, the lack of health insurance meant panic, a memory that fuels his work today. For the last 16 years, De La Cruz has dedicated his life to philanthropy, serving in different capacities with the Los Angeles Unified School District and Young Men’s Christian Association. Today, he manages an $11.3 million budget as president of the Adventist Health White Memorial Charitable Foundation (AHWM), a nonprofit that supports research in the medical field and education. As a leader in philanthropy, De La Cruz is an industry minority, an inequity he hopes to change by spreading awareness and promoting himself.
Tag: Boyle Heights
Posted inLGBTQ
First LGBTQ+ Center Mi SELA Opens in Southeast LA
The Latino Equality Alliance (LEA) opened Mi SELA, an LGBTQ community center at 4265 Florenve Ave. which offers leadership development, academic support, parental guidance, substance abuse education, counseling and other drop-in opportunities.
Posted inRepresentation
Alfred Fraijo Jr., East LA native and lawyer, launches BIPOC-led firm, The Somos Group
In March, Fraijo Jr. launched his own firm, The Somos Group, an entirely BIPOC-led multidisciplinary group committed to broadening “equity goals and advancing the value and expertise of people and communities that have been historically underserved and undervalued.” Fraijo Jr. exudes confidence and control, with healthy dashes of humility and curiosity as he sits and readies himself for questioning. There is a stark difference between the accomplished man today and the 18-year-old senior whose high grades and acceptance to an Ivy League were featured in a 1995 LA Times article.
Posted inGovernment
Three LA communities to vote on how to use $3 million in city budget
Individuals, 15 years of age and older, who live, study or work in Boyle Heights, Mission Hills-Panorambggta City-North Hills, and Southeast LA will have until April 30 to vote and help decide how an estimated $3 million of the Los Angeles city budget will be spent to benefit their communities.
Posted inRepresentation
JORGE NUÑO, political activist on what needs to be done about LA scandal
During the 1980s and 90s, Nuño grew up in a house nestled near Vernon and Main street in South Central Los Angeles with his sister and their two immigrant parents from Jalisco, Mexico. “I grew up adjacent to the [LA] Coliseum,” Nuño said. “When you grew up in the hood, you’re like, ‘Where you live?’ ‘Ah, I live by the Coliseum,’ so that you can give people some context of what part of LA you live in.” Nuño founded The Big House, a small business incubator housed in the 10-bedroom mansion that Nuño purchased in South Central, where nonprofits can have physical offices in their community.
Posted inLA Elections
CALÓ RECAP: Football Rivals at LA Coliseum, controversial t-shirts, mayoral candidate rally
There have been notable events that have happened in Los Angeles, many which have been overshadowed by the leaked audio between four prominent Latino leaders. CALÓ NEWS is recapping some of the events that occurred in the vibrant communities of LA during the past two weeks. These include the East LA Classic football game at […]
Posted inHealth
Latino Equality Alliance provides mental health, Covid-19, HIV help
Latino Equality Alliance (LEA) is a Latinx LGBTQ+ nonprofit located in Boyle Heights. The organization was founded in Los Angeles around 2009 as a direct response to the passing of Proposition 8, an initiative that defined marriage as legitimate solely between a man and a woman. CALÓ NEWS interviewed Eloy Armendariz, the alliance’s development assistant to discuss issues involving the Latinx generation and healthcare.
Posted inEnvironment
BELINDA FAUSTINOS’ passion for environmental justice never sways
Whether working for State of California or for nonprofits, Faustino, who was born in Boyle Heights, has fought to protect the environment. She was recruited in 1999 by Hilda Solis, a member of the LA County Board of Supervisors, to serve as the Executive Officer with the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, a California conservancy with a goal to preserve open spaces for recreation and educational uses. Additionally, Faustinos served as the Deputy Director for 17 years with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. And that’s just a small part of her resume.
Posted inCulture
CAFECITO CON CONCIENCIA: Merging social justice, critical thinking and café
David Solis, Suzy Amezcua and Leonardo Rodriguez attended California State University, Northridge, became friends and later created the podcast Cafecito con Conciencia, which translates to Coffee with Conscience.
Posted inPublic Safety
CALÓ ON THE STREETS: Gente sounds off on public safety, public frustrations
Why do so many Latinos tick off enumerable problems in their neighborhoods, from a sense of fear from thugs and police alike to a desire to live a better life given how hard they work and how much tax dollars they contribute to public coffers? Primary elections are now a memory and the general elections appear on the horizon, CALÓ NEWS caught up with Latinos on the streets to let them voice what they want and need from public officials and local government.
Posted inJustice
Gente sounds off on public safety, public frustrations
Why do so many Latinos tick off enumerable problems in their neighborhoods, from a sense of fear from thugs and police alike to a desire to live a better life given how hard they work and how much tax dollars they contribute to public coffers? Primary elections are now a memory and the general elections appear on the horizon, CALÓ NEWS caught up with Latinos on the streets to let them voice what they want and need from public officials and local government.