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Candice Bun
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April Newsletter 2023

Friends,
Easter comes with a great sense of gratitude for the gift of love when God gave His only begotten son to die for us (John 3:16). It always makes me think about how we are called to love this way. Selflessly, extravagantly, generously, and without the expectation of getting anything in return. This is indeed a God kind of love and we at Generations United endeavor to model this as we love those who live in our community. There is so much to celebrate!
We celebrate a new season and welcome Spring with a renewed sense of purpose as we give hope to those who are looking to provide a better life for their families. 50+ small business entrepreneurs have come together in our Business 101 class. These hard-working individuals come every week (sometimes without having eaten dinner or even a snack) to learn and grow together.
We celebrate the beautiful faces of children and volunteers reading and spending time together. Easter is about all things new and we sing a song of hope for a new day. We believe we are called to love those in material poverty. We work alongside them to repair broken systems and push back against the enormous challenges they face. We can do this together…one family at a time. Thank you for caring, praying, loving, and investing in our work.

Give Today

We’d love to see you this month!
There are many opportunities for you to support our students and be a part of events:

Join us THIS WEEK!

As we head into the final few weeks of school, we are calling on all volunteers to support our students in finishing the school year strong! Next week during Spring Break we have some specific needs to help give our Academic Enrichment Center a refresh. We need your help to play games, read, do art projects, and just be present with our students at our AEC. Can you spare an hour or two in the coming weeks? Click below to see the schedule with specific needs and times available below.
Contact Julia to sign up for a time.
Congratulations, Kopo!
Our beloved staff member, Kopo Tapelu was 11 years old when he came to the United States. He has come a long way from that child who spoke no English & has worked so hard to provide the best for his family and remain true to himself. Last month, he took the big step to become a U.S. Citizen. He has always been so proud to be Samoan & now he is also a proud American.
Important Dates
Click here for this month’s AEC calendar with important dates and reminders.
10-14: AEC Closed (Open for Spring Cleaning Opportunites)

 

Volunteer Training
Thank you to all who came to our Volunteer Training last week! Julia put together a wonderful time of learning and sharing to help us all as we serve our community.
Special thanks to one of our Student Volunteers, Olive, for introducing a math contest for our students. Please be sure to join us next time! The next date will be at the end of the summer as we prepare for Back-to-School. Stay tuned!

The Business Class is in full swing! We are so proud of this partnership and can’t wait to see what these entrepreneurs

Thank you, Adela of Marketea for your leadership and this video!

We welcome your financial support and encourage donations via Facebook or Zelle (no fees!). We also accept ACH, Venmo, and PayPal.
Details are on our donation page, click below.
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Candice Bun
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March Newsletter 2023

As we put a bow on February’s focus on LOVE, please know that we are filled with gratitude for you. Our volunteers and supporters help us to do this work day in and day out.
It’s incredible! Snow was seen on the mountains in the Bay Area. Wind, rain, and cold have overwhelmed many families. Please keep in mind that we are always looking for warm blankets, socks, slippers, hats, jeans, jackets, pillows, towels, bedding, and much more. Clean, lightly used items can be dropped off during office hours 9 am-6 pm at 895 2nd Ave. Redwood City. Thank you.
Thank you to the people who donated a new Keurig to us upon hearing that ours had bit the dust! We are grateful!

Give Today

Welcome to the team!

After many months of searching for the right people to join our team, we are thrilled to welcome FOUR new staff members! Two are students from our community who are assisting in the AEC after school: Gabriela & Daniela. Both wonderful ladies attend Everest High School and have been a part of our programming for close to a decade! We are so grateful for them and their wonderful families.

Isis Cedeno and Amy Muñoz have joined our team and you can read more about them by clicking on their photos below.

Business 101: Who would have thought that a dream of 25+ years ago would lead Keith Miller and Generations United to our most recent training sessions for small business entrepreneurs? 67 small business entrepreneurs from our community launched on a 12-week journey to develop their business plans, network, learn and identify funding opportunities.
We were a packed house and had to move many to zoom and an overflow room. Our goal is to impact our community like never before by empowering our hard-working families and alleviating poverty! More to come! Please contact Keith Miller to see how you can be involved at: keith@genu.wearelevantar.org
Some facts from the Small Business Administration (click for more):
  • Nearly one in four new businesses is Hispanic-owned.
  • The nearly 5 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States contribute more than $800 billion to the American economy annually.

We love having Sheena Wilton of Laurel Street Arts join us in art projects.
Our students worked on these for Valentine’s Day.
AEC Schedule – Volunteers Needed!
March 8, 9, and 10, the AEC will be open EARLY at 1 pm to accommodate parent-teacher conferences. We have some significant needs for that week and would love your support. Please contact Julia ASAP if you are able to help.
Lunch & snack donations daily (these can be prepared at home and dropped off)
Volunteers to read (do you have friends, family, or co-workers who can join us?)
Lead activities or sports (art, crafts, music, field games)
Happy Birthday Donations

Important Dates

Click here for this month’s AEC calendar with important dates and reminders.
13: Angie’s birthday
30-31: AEC Closed


This month we celebrate the incredible achievements of women across history. We are proud to be a Latina-led and founded non-profit and to have the support of so many incredible women. We’d love to have more mentors for our students and business leaders; reply today to be a part of our work!

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February Newsletter 2023

This month we are celebrating love and friendship, of course! We are also honoring the contributions of Black leaders and community members for Black History Month. Students will hear about the Underground Railroad and its connection to (and extension into) Mexico. Click here to read the article.

As we continue to support local entrepreneurs, we are seeking business-owning mentors to work with our Business 101 students throughout the Spring. Click here for the flyer (in Spanish)

Spread the Love

Friend, we invite you to visit our center for “Tacos & a Tour” – a chance to see our work in North Fair Oaks and how you can be a part of the big things happening in our community.We are blessed to have so many wonderful people who support our work and contribute in very meaningful ways. We wanted to give a shout-out to The Wong Family. When there is a need, they are always there to bless GU. In December they hosted a night of community with a taco truck! It was a chilly night and many friends joined us. Jenn made cookies and other sweet treats. Thanks to all who came out for the fun!

Remembering Mary Lou Grunigen

We mourn the passing of our dear Mary Lou this week. This precious saint was a highlight at Fair Oaks School! She was such a fun reading partner for our children! She’d talk about the warriors and made the boys laugh a lot! She was a beautiful example of loving your community selflessly. She is already greatly missed by so many.

Flood Relief Update

Thank you so much to the generous donors and volunteers who gave to support the families of North Fair Oaks affected by the devastating floods early this year. We have received dry goods, paper products, and financial contributions to help families replace their lost supplies and possessions.
Volunteer opportunities

As we look forward to Spring and Summer, we welcome new and returning reading buddies. Join us one hour per week to make a significant impact on a student’s academic success. We have weekday opportunities from 3:30-5 pm. We also need support for special events, crafts, celebrations, and Summer camps! Please consider joining us AND telling a friend! We welcome High School students interested in completing community service hours or seeking a service project during Spring Break. Our upcoming calendar is below and updates are always available on our website. Click for more information or to sign up.

Share a meal and Share the LOVE

Providing lunch or snacks for 15 students would mean a great deal to our Academic Enrichment Center. You can sign up to make or donate one time or regularly. The greatest needs are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Fresh-cut fruit, sandwiches, packaged chips or cookies, and more are great ideas.

We are so grateful for our partnership with Cake4Kids! Local bakers donate their tremendous talent and provide sweet treats for our students. Please click the photo for a sweet video highlighting their work.

Email Julia to Help

There are additional ways to help:

  • Provide meals/refreshments for a fall event. A lunch box, a value pack of chips, a container of cookies, or a bag of apples goes a long way to help keep our students, volunteers, and participants engaged.
  • Sponsor a student to attend the Zoppe family circus. We have been fortunate to take a group every year thanks to the generosity of donors.
  • Volunteer! We still need reading tutors for students and helping hands for community events – especially the Community Thanksgiving Dinner next month. Contact Angie if you would like to help with coordinating this event

Calendar:

  • Dates to remember:
  • February 17 & 20: AEC & Generations United Offices closed
  • February 21-24: Students are on Winter Break, regular tutoring can be scheduled at the normal time.
  • March 13 – Angie Ibarra Miller’s Birthday
What’s next in 2023?

2022 brought so many challenges our way and we are so proud of the way that our team and our community faced them with tenacity. Families overcame huge hurdles in joblessness, homelessness, entrepreneurship, and continued changes in family dynamics. The work that we do is made possible by the generosity of monthly donors and one-time gifts (including corporate grants and matches). Our year-end initiative included a generous gift from Central Peninsula Church to expand the mental health support that we offer to our community. Won’t you join us in our mission to empower the students and families of this region?

DONATE
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Holiday Recap 2022

Sponsor-A-Family Recap

Thank you to all who were a part of Sponsor-A-Family 2022 and bring Christmas cheer to our neighbors in Redwood City. This year, we partnered with caring neighbors to bring holiday blessings to 65 families. We have many more families still facing the ongoing challenges and effects post-pandemic and every little bit helps during this season. We are grateful that you chose to be a part of spreading the joy of this season to our community. In addition to shopping for gifts and making a financial contribution, some also chose to provide a homemade holiday meal. There are still many ways to partner with us as a volunteer or donor. We invite you to share with friends and invite others to join you! Use the hashtag #GUChristmas22 to share your own memories!

Take a look at the video below for highlights from 2022!

$75,000 Match through 12/31/2022

Our annual year-end match is an opportunity everyone can participate in! Click here to give a one-time gift or set up a recurring donation. Inquire with your employer about matching giving opportunities! **Remember that Zelle and FB do not charge ANY fees to GU for your donation**
For a list of items needed, see our Amazon Wish List or check the list on our donation page.
DONATE
NOW

Christmas At the Fox

We are incredibly grateful to Brandon Pasion for sharing his gifts and allowing Generations United to be the beneficiary of his annual concert at the Fox Theatre in Downtown Redwood City. It was an incredible night and we were so honored to be a part of it.

The video below was featured on this night and we couldn't be more grateful

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December 2022 News

This time of year provides a perfect time to reflect on the year and how grateful we are for you! We are incredibly fortunate even though many of our families have experienced great diificulties. Our work continues to touch the hearts of those in our community. Many desperately need encouragement. Thank you for being that and so much more.
December is the month when gifts are given and received. For many families, the gift of friendship and encouragement can be the best gift. For others, there are distinct tangible needs… Our families are some of the hardest working individuals, and we recognize that they are trying to provide for their families – in one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S. Through all of this, they still smile, give, laugh, and are filled with gratitude because they are together.
Would you join us for one of our GU events to celebrate this opportunity to provide hope to another – and participate in our December $75,000 Match Campaign? A generous donor has made it possible to have your donation go further – by being matched dollar for dollar. Come volunteer with us as we bless many for the holidays and by signing up to spend time with children and families in 2023. These are the best gifts. You are the “best gift” to GU.

Sponsor-A-Family

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and that means it’s time for our annual Christmas Celebration! We will have a gathering at our AEC location (895 2nd. Ave. Redwood City) on Saturday, December 10 where families can pick up their gift packages. More information is below.

Gift wrapping

Fri 12/9 2-4 pm
Sat 12/10 8 am-12 pm

Gift giving and Delivery

Sat 12/10 1 pm – 4 pm

Every dollar goes a long way to help bring Christmas cheer to our students and families. It’s our joy to partner with our generous community to do this. You can help by donating any amount to the Sponsor-A-Family fund. You can even donate a holiday meal or bring a treat to share at our Christmas Celebration.

Our annual, year-end match campaign is underway and we have already raised $15,000 in our campaign! This will allow us to plan well through the holiday season and launch 2023!
We are always accepting donations from our Amazon Wish List or check the list on our donation page.
DONATE
NOW

Thank you!!

We’d like to extend a BIG “THANK YOU” to all who joined us for our Thanksgiving meal. We enjoyed a beautiful time at Little Flock church with volunteers and families from our community.

As a small token of our gratitude, we put together a short video with some highlights from this year so far. Please take a moment to relive the moments from Easter, Mother’s Day, Summer, Fall Festival, Día de Los Muertos, Thanksgiving, and more.

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Thank you 2022

We are so grateful to each and every one of our loving neighbors.
This year we provided meals, gave away clothing, provided academic support, and spread so much love to our students and families.
This would not have been possible without the faithful support, tireless commitment, and loving dedication of our donors, volunteers, and community partners

Thank you from our students, staff, and community. Please view a short video below with some highlights of the year!

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In Community Happenings, , Upcoming Events

November Newsletter 2022

Click for Community Thanksgiving Information
Just like that Generations United turns 15! As a young girl growing up in a challenging environment, I had a longing for mentors, encouragement, and support from caring adults. That desire led to a dream that children and families would have the opportunity to succeed. No matter what the circumstances, children deserve to be set up to flourish. We are grateful that this dream became a reality in November 2007 when Generations United stepped out in faith and became incorporated. After various endeavors, we launched an evening program at Hoover School in early 2010. This was the first step in our vision to empower children to succeed and to partner with caring leaders in Redwood City.
Students with mentors are 55% more likely to enroll in college and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions than students without mentors! Facts from Mentor.com (click to read more)
The vision of creating a safe and nurturing community while mobilizing caring adults in intergenerational relationships continues today. We are filled with gratitude for the hundreds of people who have joined us on this journey. No one knew what the future would hold, but we knew it would include providing an opportunity for many people to work together, sacrifice, and collaborate for the betterment of the lives of many. Join us in asking: How can we continue to collectively support students and their families in the days, weeks, and months to come? We will continue to touch the lives of many through our willingness to invest and stay the course in these difficult times. We are stronger together.
Below, we included an article from our friends at CZI. They also produced this beautiful video highlighting GU and the artwork of our students.

THANK YOU for all you do to help so many succeed through your prayers, love, encouragement, and support. We couldn’t do this without you! Join us for our Thanksgiving Community Dinner (see below). We’re excited that this dinner will be held in our community!

November Events

  • Sunday,11/13- Community Thanksgiving Dinner @ Little Flock Church in North Fair Oaks (info below)
  • Tuesday, 11/15 – Generations United turns 15!!!
  • Sunday, 12/4 – Christmas at the Fox (details below) Get your tickets now!

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

We would love to see you at our annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 13. We will be at Little Flock COGIC and all of our community members, volunteers, and donors are invited!
Join us or Donate today

Día de Los Muertos

Thank you to those who joined us as we honored the memory of loved ones who have passed on. In the Mexican tradition, an ofrenda (altar) is put up in the home with photos of our departed relatives and friends. You can also include various items that they loved along with other symbolic things. We welcomed community members to add to our altar at our AEC and had a celebration together with snacks, and sharing!

Local & Global Mission Fair at PCC

Danza Colibri was the highlight of a recent event to engage the community at Peninsula Covenant Church (our partner for over a decade). They hosted an event to encourage their members to go GLOBAL AND LOCAL to mobilize more congregants to engage. As long-time supporters of Generations United, we were so proud to represent all of the work that we do in the community and demonstrate the talents of our students and families! These children participate in music and dance classes weekly at our location in North Fair Oaks and are quite busy this season. They will join us at our December holiday event!

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative featured GU in a blog post highlighting our students’ artwork.
Visit our Donation Page
Click here to view our AEC Calendar and stay up to date!

Giving Tuesday
Remember that the Tuesday after Black Friday is #GivingTuesday and is the biggest giving day of the year for nonprofits! We have a goal of $15,000 in honor of our 15 years of service to the community and we need your help to spread the word! Share Generations United with your friends. Tweet, add to stories, TikTok, or Facebook…whatever you do, join us as we expand our reach. Don’t forget to add GU to your AmazonSmile donations to donate a percentage of your purchases to us. Info here.
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to kick off the Christmas Season and support Generations United. We are so blessed to partner with Brandon and look forward to seeing you at the show!
VIP tickets are available. Click the photo for more information.
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October Newsletter 2022

Thank you to the countless volunteers, donors, partners, and supporters who love our community. As we head into the last part of the year we know that many of our neighbors will be considering how to stay warm, provide food and make time for celebrations. That said, we’d love to have you join us for a number of events we have planned! Please see the calendar items below. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to have our children’s artwork featured at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Community Room! We look forward to sharing the video with you as it becomes available! What a gift!

Back To School Match MET!

We raised $25,000 and that gift was DOUBLED by a generous match donor! These funds help us prepare for a successful and busy fall filled with events, small groups, cultural celebrations, and community gatherings. We are closely approaching our Sponsor-A-Family initiative which is a highlight of the year for our incredible families, dedicated volunteers, and generous donors.

Community Art Project Unveiling

Our students’ art was unveiled and celebrated at the new Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Community Space in partnership with Redwood City Parks and Arts Foundation at an event with 200+ guests on 10/7. The video below was produced by the CZI team, please enjoy it! Thank you, as always, to Sheena Wilton of Laurel Street Arts. Her leadership, love, and gift have made a huge impact on our children and community!

Project Glimmer

For 5+ years, we have been a recipient of generous donations through Project Glimmer. They have provided hair care, makeup, gift bags, and more for our young women and mothers.
It has been a tremendous blessing and recently, a clothing donation provided much-needed fall and winter wear for our community!

This month we are kicking off several small groups at our AEC site and beyond for various members of our community! Our small group launch has been amazing!
  • Youth group – partnership with Rise City Church
  • Women’s group – Counseling with One Life/Una Vida
  • Digitize your Business II with Renaissance and Adela Jaimes kicks off on October 13th for 6 weeks!

There are additional ways to help:

  • Provide meals/refreshments for a fall event. A lunch box, a value pack of chips, a container of cookies, or a bag of apples goes a long way to help keep our students, volunteers, and participants engaged.
  • Sponsor a student to attend the Zoppe family circus. We have been fortunate to take a group every year thanks to the generosity of donors.
  • Volunteer! We still need reading tutors for students and helping hands for community events – especially the Community Thanksgiving Dinner next month. Contact Angie if you would like to help with coordinating this event
Click for Volunteer Information

Calendar:

  • Mondays, Continuing 10/17 – Una Vida- Grupo de mamás (6 weeks)
  • Thursdays, Starting 10/13 – Business classes w/Adela Jaimes (6 weeks)
  • Sunday 10/23 – Missions Faire Peninsula Covenant Church (Come on out!)
  • 10/31 – Fall Festival Little Flock (click for info)
  • 10/28-10/31 – preparation for Día de Los Muertos: community members are welcome to bring photos of loved ones who’ve passed to our AEC as we prepare remembrance altars. We will have a celebration on 11/1 from 4 pm – 6 pm.

Here is our AEC calendar should you like to join us for the fun! We have added Danza Colibri to our Wednesday programming! The children are loving this! We continue dance and music with Fridays and Sundays as well as Taekwondo on Thursdays at 5:30 at Salvation Army.

DONATE to buy student tickets to the circus
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September Newsletter 2022

Happy Hispanic Heritage month! Our summer was incredible and the school year has been a whirlwind. Thank you so much to the many volunteers, partners, and donors for an amazing 2022 so far! By now, you should have received our 2021/2022 Impact Report. If you would like a copy, please let us know. Here is a link to it online. As we consider Redwood City’s Latino population, which today makes up nearly 40 percent of the community’s population, Latinos have played an integral role in our city’s growth even before it was founded. Fernando Vega was the first Latino to serve on the Redwood City Elementary School District Board and the first to serve on the City Council in the early 1970s. Priscilla Marquez Mosher followed Fernando, joining the school board in 1977. Ruben Barrales became the first Latino elected to a countywide position as a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in 1992. In 2001 Maria Diaz-Slocum joined Alicia Aguirre on the school board, making it the first time two Latinas served together in the City. Aguirre subsequently served on the City Council and was elected Mayor of Redwood City in 2011, the first Latina to serve in this vital role.* Alicia was part of the mural festivities celebrated this summer! We invite you to read below and catch up on all we have going on this Fall and we hope to see you soon!

Back To School

Our students have been settling into the new school year and we are excited to launch this week. Please read below for some tangible ways that you can support our students and families, including volunteering, prayer team, and donations.

Our work together has been so much fun and incredibly rewarding for our students and families. Just this past week we were able to collaborate on a new project that will be displayed at the new Community Space on behalf of CZI and the Redwood City Parks and Arts Foundation. Thank you as always to Sheena Wilton for her dedication and passion!

Can you help a student this year?

Now is a great time to engage with our community by reading with a child. Just one hour a week makes a difference in the lives of our students and families. Our fall programming began on Monday, 9/12. We have weekday opportunities from 4:00-5:30 pm (you choose 1 hour that works for your schedule). Please join us AND consider telling a friend! We welcome High School students who are interested in completing community service hours or seeking a service project. Our upcoming calendar is below and updates are always available on our website. Click the button for more information or to sign up.
Click to Sign Up

$25,000 Match

Our fall match campaign is at 38% with $9,535 raised so far! Every gift is DOUBLED so please help us start this school year off with a BANG!

We encourage donations via Facebook or Zelle (no fees!). We also accept ACH, Venmo, and PayPal.
Details are on our website, click the button above.

Here is our AEC calendar should you like to join us for the fun! We have added Danza Colibri to our Wednesday programming! The children are loving this! We continue dance and music with Fridays and Sundays as well as Taekwondo on Thursdays at 5:30 at Salvation Army.

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CZI Art Project

Generations United has been selected to be a part of Redwood City Parks and Arts Foundation at the CZI Community Space. We have space for 31 students to participate in this incredible opportunity. Please read the details below and click the button for the date that your student is able to participate.

Generations United ha sido seleccionado para formar parte de la Fundación de Parques y Artes de Redwood City en el Espacio Comunitario CZI. Tenemos espacio para que 31 estudiantes participen en esta increíble oportunidad. Lea los detalles a continuación y haga clic en el botón para la fecha en que su estudiante puede participar.

Use the buttons below to register/Utilize los botones abajo para registrar

Please choose Monday OR Tuesday. The art project will be from 4 – 5:30 pm.

Favor de escoger lunes O martes. El proyecto de arte será de 4 a 5:30 pm.

The forms below will automatically close once the attendance limits have been reached. Contact Julia to be added to the waitlist.

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