Back to School Drive 2025

Scroll down for donation collection sites

Hello GU Family!

We are excited for the upcoming school year. Can you believe that summer is here, and we will launch our 2025-2026 Academic Enrichment Center in just a couple of months? There is still a lot of work to be done in finding a new home and moving! We will not stop our efforts and initiatives to support students and their families, even amid significant changes within our organization. Your gift of school supplies helps support students as they enter a new school year. We also welcome gifts of $100 to support each of our families with everything they need to start the year on a successful note!

Give today!

Backpack Filling Parties

Once we collect supplies, we will need volunteers to help fill backpacks for our Back to School Celebration. If you cannot attend a filling party, can you help shop 8/1-8/4 or online?

Click below to join us!

Shop our Amazon List

Backpack & Supply Donation Sites

Peninsula Community Center

3623 Jefferson Ave.

Redwood City, CA

Redwood City or San Carlos Fire Station

Drop off at any RCFD or San Carlos Station

Redwood City, CA

FEIN 51-0666650

Candice Bun In Community Happenings, , Upcoming Events

April Newsletter 2025

Spring is in the air! The best part is that it is Easter season- He is Risen.

We consider it an immense privilege to serve our immigrant community and don’t take it lightly. Your participation in their story overwhelms us with gratitude. These are some of the hardest-working families, yet the season is difficult. Many families in our community face not having work due to the rains, so we rejoice in clearer days ahead. Every day, our community is facing so many challenges. The fear over deportation is real, and if you’d like resources or a place to learn how to support, advocate, and engage, we can help! When we feel helpless, there are ways to help support the people you encounter daily. You can also offer support by donating items, hosting fundraising campaigns (reply for more info), or spreading awareness about immigrant needs. Additionally, advocating for immigrant rights and attending town hall meetings can make a difference. We are finding that so many people are interested in engaging. Please reply to this email for more opportunities. You can find information on San Mateo County’s website.

As we move toward the end of the school year, we prepare for a move out of the Salvation Army in June. Additionally, we are making plans for the summer camp season. The “summer slide” is a startling reality for our students who thrive in structured environments where they can learn. Children in our community deserve better than sitting in their parking lots or at home watching a screen. Join us as we create the most amazing summer for them. If you’d like to come and read with a child, teach some math or just be a friend, we have room for your gift!

Please take a moment to see all the good things that we have celebrated and make plans to join us for our Annual Easter Celebration on Good Friday! We have room for a few more volunteers and as always welcome your financial support to make this event better than ever. We are thankful for our partners at Stanford who generously offer the use of the park space and portable toilets.

Become a monthly donor!

Consider a recurring gift or make a one-time donation to help with our relocation expenses.

Donate Today!

Easter Celebration 2025

one girl age 4 with dark hair and a white bow on her ponytail. another girl about 4 with brown hair and a pink shirt also coloring.

We hosted our Easter Celebration on Friday, 4/18, at Stanford Park (Bay/2nd Ave. next to Andrew Spinas)! We had over 40 volunteers help us make this event a success for our students and families. Thank you so much to everyone! This included snack donations, too! This is a community-wide event, and welcomed 150+ people. There were games, crafts, face painting, treats, and a giant Easter egg hunt! Thank you so much, Juancarlos, our Community Events Liaison, for your hard work and leadership. We are so grateful to John Becker & Jeremiah Campos for sharing an Easter message with the crowd.

Welcome Back, Teacher Kopo!

Teacher Kopo Tapelu is back at the Academic Enrichment Center and helping guide students. We are so grateful for his expertise, gentle spirit, and fun-loving attitude. You can reach him at kopo@genu.wearelevantar.org or click the photo.

Fun for the whole family!

This past month, families gathered for Kids Carpentry, a four-week workshop led by John Tust that brought parents and kids together through the joy of building. We are so grateful to John!

This past month, families gathered for Kids Carpentry, a four-week workshop led by John Tust that brought parents and kids together through the joy of building. We are so grateful to John!

My husband and I enjoyed watching our girls build their own keepsake boxes from scratch over the 3 weeks the class met. We learned proper terms for various tools, got to get the muscles going with the saws and hammering in nails, and my 5-year-old’s personal favorite, sanding down the wood so it was nice and smooth. We loved every week and thank John for his expertise and fun teaching style! – Crystal Ibarra Tapelu

Save the Date!

Our End-of-the-Year AEC Celebration will take place on Thursday, May 22, at 4 pm.

Please join us to celebrate this year and rejoice in overcoming many challenges during our move. This will also include a special Graduation Celebration for students moving up to 6th and 9th grades, AND a “Thank You” to our volunteers. We know the future will continue to be bright as we forge ahead in serving this incredible community. Volunteers and donors – we hope you will join us.

AEC Spotlight

Leda Girardi has been working closely with Melany for the past few months. Like Melany, Leda also needed to learn English as a second language during her time in elementary school, which helped them bond easily over their shared experience. When Melany first joined our program, she primarily spoke Spanish. However, through their one-on-one sessions, Melany has become more confident and expressive, gaining greater fluency and comfort in speaking English.

Thank you, Leda, for your time and care!

Thank you, Woodside Priory!

Our friends at Woodside Priory do more than just volunteer; they rally together to make an impact, too! Super Sophomore student Genevieve was a driving force behind a successful spring fundraiser that brought $850 to GU! These students are a shining example of what it means to give and serve in a community. We are so grateful for their generosity in supporting events and initiatives that directly impact our GU students. Through them, these little ones feel seen, loved, and celebrated!

A group photo with 10 high school student mentors and approximately 5 elementary aged students.

Important Dates

Click here for this month’s AEC calendar with important dates and reminders.

Saturday 5/10 – Día de las Madres (Mother’s Day) Celebration

Tuesday 5/13 – Happy Birthday, Keith Miller!

Thursday 5/22 – Graduation Celebration & Volunteer Appreciation

All donations are tax-deductible. FEIN: 51-0666650

Candice Bun In Community Happenings, , Upcoming Events

March Newsletter 2025

Today (March 13) I celebrate my 65th birthday! God has graced my life in so many ways, and I am forever grateful for this journey of faith in which He has allowed me to live. My intentions are clear, and I have a firm commitment to continue advocating for and empowering families in North Fair Oaks/Redwood City. For as long as I can recall, my life has been filled with opportunities to believe in miracles. Often I will say that I am a miracle walking. I believe with my whole heart that God has called me to this work. In March we celebrate women, the missionary St. Patrick, and the first day of Spring. While we acknowledge the progress made since the original commemoration of International Women’s Day in 1911, a lot still needs to be accomplished if we are to create a sustainable future for women and girls. I’m a proud Latina who learned to work hard, love fiercely and believe that I could make a difference in our community. I am blessed to have 2 amazing daughters who I treasure and their families. Getting to be with them all this month has been my joy. Please pray as Crystal continues to heal from her injuries of 6 months ago. We need a miracle!

We will continue to stand with hard working immigrant families amid the fear of deportation. We continue to stay abreast of the legal challenges our communities face every day. Men, women, and children are being separated from their families and we must stand in the gap. Although we were told only criminals were in jeopardy, this is not the case. This past month, we have participated in “Know Your Rights,” workshops and joined forces with other non-profits to equip families. If you need any information or have questions, please feel free to reach out and to pray for the well-being of those most impacted and living in fear. The Immigrant Resource Legal Center (IRLC) has an information page with links to RED CARD resources for those who need it.

Join us as we search for a new building and believe with us that we will return to NFO by the start of the school year in September. It will indeed be a miracle story.

The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:34 NIV

Mental Health Partnership: BeyondOK

We are thrilled to be hosting a 5-week mental health workshop at KIPP Excellencia in partnership with BeyondOK and Sequoia Healthcare District.

The timing was right for us to work together and create cohorts that will learn and stand together as families face grief, trauma, depression, and fear. We have completed three sessions and have two more weeks to go, and in that time we have been encouraged by the way these families are opening up and talking about the challenges they face and their children are facing. This partnership has been nothing short of incredible and we look forward to continuing the dialogue even after the sessions are finished.

These meetings are a chance to connect with other parents and deepens the community ties. Parenting can be challenging under normal circumstances, during these unprecedented times parents can feel even more isolated or ill-equipped. When parents know there are others feeling the same way or dealing with similar issues, it helps them feel less alone.

Happy Birthday, Angie!

Give to GU in honor of Angie’s birthday. Click below to give.

Happy Birthday Donations

We love Angie and are so grateful for her leadership and love for her family, church, community members & even strangers!

Donate on Facebook

Daniela has been a part of Generations United for many years. We have enjoyed having her as a student, intern and now as a staff member!

Hear our story and share it!

Last newsletter we shared this video and now we want YOU to share it with friends and family. Please click and share to your social networks to help us spread the word of all that God is doing.

Click to view the longer video

Mission Symposium at Peninsula Covenant Church

We were grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Mission Fair at PCC, where we connected with community members and engaged in meaningful conversations about immigration issues affecting the Fair Oaks community. It was a powerful space to raise awareness, educate others on these challenges, and share the resources we use to help families navigate these situations.

Through personal stories, we highlighted the real-life impact of immigration policies and the hardships faced by those most affected.

We deeply appreciate our 15+ year partnership with PCC and the hundreds of volunteers who have worked alongside us during this time and in the past to support our community.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to listen, learn, and engage in these critical discussions! As we continue our work, we invite you to learn more about our efforts to return to North Fair Oaks by reading this article: Much-needed nonprofit looks for return to North Fair Oaks.

We also invite you to join us at Peninsula Covenant Church for their Mission Awareness Lunch on March 30. We will be sharing about what we do and how to get involved, we would love to have your support. We are meeting in Room 20 from 12pm-1pm.

Easter is coming!

Our annual Easter celebration is back! Join us on Friday, April 18 from 4-6 pm for some spring fun as we put on an easter egg hunt, games, and activities for the community! Festivities will take place at the grassy [Stanford] field just North of Andrew Spinas Park. We need the help of many friends to make this event special for all of our little (and big) ones.

Set up/Tear Down
“Hiding”/Scattering eggs for the hunt
Facilitating and organizing on the day of the event

Click here to volunteer or click to view our Amazon Wishlist

Important Dates

Click here for this month’s AEC calendar with important dates and reminders.

Tuesdays 3/18,3/25 – Beyond OK (Mental Health workshops)

Thursday 3/13 – Angie’s Birthday and Daniela G.’s Birthday

Friday 4/18 – Easter Celebration @ Stanford RWC 4-6 PM

All donations are tax-deductible. FEIN: 51-0666650

Candice Bun In , Volunteer Stories

February Newsletter 2025

Join our Email List Click here

Dear Friend,

In Spanish-speaking countries, we celebrate “El Día del Amor y de la Amistad” or “The Day of Love and Friendship” on Valentine’s Day. As we reflect on our friends and the love we wish to share, we are thankful for you.

We are so blessed to be called to this work and find that sometimes the best way to support families is to STAND with them. Generations United (GU) is about lifting others to a place where they can thrive. Right now, many of our neighbors are in fear, so we remain close and continue to provide a listening ear, safe space, and arms to embrace. We are grateful for all of you, who do that with us. We are grateful for the resources we have to be on the front lines. We share them with you and ask you to consider how you too can stand with our neighbors. There are things we can do to help prepare ourselves for the sweeping changes in our midst. A warm smile, caring interaction, and helping hands can all benefit our work today and we invite you to hear the cry of our community up close. It could be a friend of your child, coworker, grocery store clerk, gardener, restaurant worker, or childcare provider. The invitation is wide open to engage and participate in the solution. Please let me know how I can help to educate your workplace, families, and churches. It is indeed what GU does well: mobilize others with broken hearts. 2025 will be a year of LIFTING UP for our organization and we can’t wait to fill you in on what has been brewing as we move into a season of expansion and new opportunities to serve. We are in search of our new location in North Fair Oaks…please pray. A recent article shares more about our journey (Click to Read). Let´s do this together friends.

We love our Volunteers!

One of our faithful volunteers, Genevieve, organized a special afternoon for our students. She enlisted her Woodside Priory basketball team classmates to visit our Academic Enrichment Center. The students (big and small) enjoyed some basketball challenges, a rousing game of sharks and minnows, and then some downtime with small group reading.

They even hosted a fundraiser at the basketball games! We also have an art group that meets from WPHS. THANK YOU to Woodside Priory for your gift of time and fun!

Volunteer Today!

Salud Sabrosa

Kelly Walker leads nutrition classes in our community through a program called Salud Sabrosa (Tasty Health). Participants learn and participate in discussions about healthy food choices, undoing food perceptions, and then get to share a meal! We are blessed to have this partnership with Sequoia Healthcare. Our families are being transformed through healthy nutrition options as we eat together at these gatherings.

Welcome Back, Crystal!

This month, Crystal Ibarra Tapelu has returned to California and we are grateful for her contributions and presence. She continues in her role as Social Media Manager as well as training support for our staff. You can reach her at crystal@genu.wearelevantar.org.

Black History Month

This month our students are celebrating and remembering the people and communities who have shaped our country by honoring Black History Month. If you have a story to share or want to be a part of our activities, please contact Josselin 650-422-1658.

Calendar:

Tuesdays 2/25, 3/4,3/11,3/18,3/25 – Beyond OK (Mental Health workshops)

Thursday, 3/13 – Angie’s Birthday & Daniela’s Birthday

View the Calendar Here

Our work is fuled by dedicated staff, faithful volunteers, and generous and caring donors. Please consider a financial gift in any amount and click below. Donations on Zelle and through ACH have zero fees. Both Stripe (our online processor) and PayPal offer the option to give an additional gift to offset the processing fees.

DONATE

Candice Bun In

Fall Newsletter 2024

As we head into the last half of the year, I am continually grateful for our faithful volunteers, community, and family of Generations United. Through one of the most difficult years, God has been faithful. We are in a new location and have launched with so much anticipation. It is our grandest season of the year and we encourage you to join us for our upcoming events. Our North Fair Oaks community needs our support now more than ever. A chain link fence now blocks off 8 parcels on the corner location at Bay Rd where we have served hundreds over the last few years (of our nearly 17 in service to North Fair Oaks).

The end of the year always comes with rejoicing with those who join us financially. The last two months of the year are critical as they represent when we receive a significant amount of our giving to fund programs for the next year. Many of you have companies that will match your giving. This year, we are excited to let you know that we have an end-of-the-year match up to $50,000 where your donation will be matched dollar for dollar. Will you help us?

A huge shout out to our staff especially Keith Miller who stepped up with the logistics of our move and Candice Bún, who has done an amazing job identifying candidates and filling in as Crystal has been recovering for the last month. We’re blessed to share with you that several staff members are joining the team in the coming weeks. Identifying qualified candidates in Silicon Valley has been a challenge, so we are so excited! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of us who care and advocate for some of the hardest-working families in Silicon Valley.

Donate to our Annual Year-End Match

The AEC is OPEN!

It’s been amazing to relaunch at the Salvation Army with an incredible group of students and returning volunteers Dennis Logie, John Becker, Andrea Jung, Shauna Bohan, Marta Celis, and a special visit from Drew, Nicole, and baby Quest Jung.

We’ve been blessed with a new volunteer Maddie Kahn, a NFO college student who will join us 2 days a week. As always, we are grateful for our dedicated, committed staff. Enrique has done an incredible job at safely transporting our students. Daniela and Ana Betty also continue their great work with us.

Fall Events

As the weather cools, fall festivals pop up around our community. We are excited to partner with Little Flock Church again and celebrate with our students at their 3rd annual Fall Festival on Oct. 31.

On Sunday, November 3 we will join the celebration downtown for the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead/All Souls Day) celebration. Meet us in front of the Fox Theatre at 3:30 pm.

Click for more information and to volunteer

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

Save the date for our 11th Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 17! We need all hands on deck to help with set up, tear-down, and food contributions. This event brings together our volunteers and families like none other. It’s a perfect time to enjoy a holiday meal together, serve, and enjoy our gifted entertainers for an amazing night of joy. Click the image below for more information and to RSVP.

Click for info and the RSVP

We found this photo from 2017 in our archives! Welcome back, Juancarlos!

Local Organization Partnerships

We joyfully received a grant from the Peninsula Latina Giving Circle last month! What a beautiful gift to partner with this amazing group!

Happy Birthday, Ana Betty!

We are so thankful to have Ana Betty as part of our team as she has been an integral part of our community for many years! We celebrated her on October 23!

Felicidades, Ana Betty!

Make a Difference today!

There are numerous ways for you to participate in supporting our students and families:

Provide meals/refreshments for a fall event.
A box of chips, a container of cookies, or a bag of apples goes a long way to help keep our students, volunteers, and participants engaged.
Come take photos or share a gift!
Help us decorate the AEC!
We are looking for volunteers who will teach music!

Calendar:

10/31 Harvest Festival @ Little Flock Church 565 Warrington, RWC
11/1-2 – Dia de los Muertos (celebrate on 11/3)
11/3 – Sunday, Dia de los Muertos in Courthouse Square, Redwood City
11/17 -Sunday, Community Thanksgiving Dinner @ NFO Community Center

Save the Date for Sponsor a Family! We are gathering information from our families and looking for volunteers to help with shopping, wrapping, and delivering. We also are collecting donations towards the gifts now. Click to give today.

Donate to Sponsor A Family

Backpack & Supply Donation Sites