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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

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!

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

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

Sponsor A Family 2024

‘TIS THE SEASON

Sponsor-A-Family 2024 was a huge success! This year we brought holiday blessings to over 50 families. The day-to-day rising costs of living in Silicon Valley are evident to everyone here, and every little bit helps during this season. So many people were a part of spreading the joy of this season to our community! We had shoppers for gifts, generous sponsors made financial contributions, and volunteers wrapped presents and helped decorate our Christmas space.

Thank you to Little Flock COGIC for partnering with us and hosting this year’s events!

565 Warrington Ave. Redwood City

“Generations United is an organization that invites you into partnership and relationship, and it has been a huge blessing for me and my family. It’s been a great opportunity to meet our neighbors, come alongside communities, and support each other. While it’s easy to become inward-looking, Generations United widens our world and leads the way to model a more compassionate and generous community.”
– Jennifer Wong
DONATE

Take a look at the video below for highlights from last year

Fall Events 2024

Stay up to date with events and opportunities around our community. See below for more information on Fall events in Redwood City, activities, resources, and more.

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

This annual event is a highlight of our holiday season. We would love to see you there! Click below to RSVP and sign up to help or bring food. This family-friendly event begins promptly at 4 pm with volunteer shifts starting at 3 and others finishing at 7.

Use the arrow to view the flyer in English / Use la flecha para ver el imagen en español.

Sign Up/RegístrateSign Up/Regístrate
Our annual Christmas event is coming! Stay tuned for more information on donation and volunteer opportunities!

Back to School Newsletter 2024

Hello GU Family!

 

Since 2007, we have sought diligently to be a light and blessing to the community. We are forever grateful for the incredible community of families, volunteers, donors, and community members who have been a part of our lives. Thank you for the support and love throughout many years, it takes many hands and hearts to do this work.

 

As we head into the time we will vacate our beloved Academic Enrichment Center on 2nd Avenue, I have many reflections. Since being advised of our displacement a few days before Christmas, we have met with several Stanford representatives. We learned about what transpired when they began setting their sights on North Fair Oaks (NFO) and it’s been incredibly disheartening to witness such disregard for the people of this community. It’s a different time now and finding an adequate location has been challenging. Little did we know that gentrification would touch us this profoundly. We have done our best to express our great concern to Stanford. We met with multiple individuals and believed that perhaps if we shared with them ways they could be good neighbors to the predominantly Hispanic families in our community, maybe they’d listen, or at a minimum, consider options on how to best create a sense that they were willing to provide access given how much of the community is being ravaged by their expansion. It seems to have fallen on deaf ears. We hope that change will come in another way and with another organization.

We will re-launch the AEC at the Salvation Army at 660 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City and if you are available to help us unpack and get organized, we’d love for you to join us on Thursday, 9/26 and Friday, 9/27 from 11 am until we wrap up! it’s a much bigger space and we are excited for the 2024-2025 school year! This year, students will be picked up by van from school and returned to NFO by 6 pm.

Please plan on signing up to volunteer to read with a student, do math, or just be a friend.

I’m hoping to meet with you in the days to come!

Backpack Giveaway and 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.

Backpack Giveaway and Back To School

Last week, we had a small “so long” gathering with families in our 895 Second Ave. location. It has been a fruitful season for us and we want to take that momentum with us into our new space. As we prepare to move, we are selling some items and need to move them quickly! Stop by or contact Keith for more information.

On September 26, we will move out of our old space into our new space at the Salvation Army at 660 Veterans Blvd. Friday 9/27 will be our set-up day. “Many hands make light work” and if you are available, we can use you! Click the photo to email Keith and let us know when you can help!

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 begins on Monday, 9/30. 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 and church groups 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 for more information or to sign up.

Click to Sign Up

With programs starting up, we need some passionate individuals to join our team. We welcome your referrals, so please forward this email to anyone interested in working with us.

Click for more information

New programs: We have several workshops we will be hosting for the community and are excited to partner for a mental health initiative and healthy eating sponsored by Sequoia Health Care District. We will also have several groups centering around medical needs in the community in partnership with the Stanford Office of Child Health Equity (OCE).

Great things are ahead with Hispanic Heritage Month, Fall Events, Thanksgiving, and Christmas around the corner. Stay tuned!

Calendar:

9/15 Hispanic Heritage Month starts!

9/15 Fiestas Patrias (Downtown Redwood City)

9/26 Moving Day (895 2nd Ave. Redwood City)

9/27 Move-In/Set Up Day (660 Veterans Blvd. Redwood City)

9/30 First Day of AEC

None of this is possible without the support of our faithful volunteers, dedicated staff, and generous financial supporters.

We encourage donations via Facebook or Zelle (no fees!). We also accept ACH, Venmo, and PayPal.

Details are on our website, click the button below.

Donate Here

FEIN 51-0666650

Cultural and Community Opportunities

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Generations United!
Explore the culture around our city and find ways to get and stay connected to our neighbors in Redwood City.

We’ve added a map below for some of the suggested locations. Have fun exploring!

1. EL ELOTE Fiestas Patrias in Downtown Redwood City – Sun. Sept. 15, 3 pm – 8 pm

2. EL PAVOJoin us in our Community Thanksgiving Dinner in November (details to follow)

3. LA IGLESIAAttend a Spanish-speaking church (Kairos Church or Verbo) Comunidad Familiar Cristiana, Familia Cristiana Verbo, Templo La Luz

7. LA MÚSICA Listen to Spanish worship music or attend a concert in Spanish

10. EL PAN DULCETry a warm concha or a Mexican snack (Panaderia Michoacán)

11. LOS TACOSTry a new restaurant/food (pupusas, tamales, caldo, birria, etc) or from a region you’ve never tried (Cuban, Puerto Rican, Peruvian)

15. EL MERCADOVisit a Hispanic Market (Mi Rancho, El Mercadito Latino, Chavez, etc.)

16. LA CALAVERA– Attend Redwood City’s Día De Los Muertos Festival (details to follow)

17. LA BANDERA– The Mexican flag will be raised in Redwood City Downtown at 10 am.

24. LA DANZAGo to a cultural presentation (Colibrí Rojo), an art exhibit, or join us for our Danza & Music classes on Fridays (4:45pm-5:45pm) or Mariachi lessons on Sundays (9:00am-1:00pm)

Join our friends at the Redwood City Public Library for more events to honor Hispanic Heritage Month!

June Newsletter 2024

Dear Friends and Partners,

The end of the school year is always bittersweet. It is full of celebration because we are so proud of our students and their hard work this year, and sadness because we will miss our dear children over the summer. Please let us know if you’d like a summer prayer card as we continue to lift up these young ones even while they are out of school. We are grateful for this wonderful space we’ve called home on 2nd and Bay.

We will be packing up and would love to have you over for a visit and encouragement as we continue to identify a new location to serve families in NFO. We still have big questions about this displacement and continue to ask them. We encourage everyone to listen to those in the community without access to the beautiful spaces built around them. We have lifted our voices and will continue to do so. Our families deserve better. We attended the Preschool to Prison Pipeline Conference and are still reeling over the incredible challenges that were presented. Please take a moment to listen (click to view the presentation) as the disparity in our county alone is challenging. Many systemic issues in our education system need to be revamped, and there are too many to cover in this newsletter. We urge you to continue learning about these issues and consider partnering with Generations United to support our work in bridging communities. Come out for a visit – call me today at 650.619.1300 or reply to this email to set an appointment.

The disparity is only growing and we need the community to rise up. I realize this is not easy and I am sensitive to the many demands on people’s time, but we have committed ourselves to being bridge-builders in Redwood City and making a difference. God has given insight to us on how to mobilize together… let’s do it!

Developing Story: A devastating fire occurred just down the street from us on June 3. These apartments had been slated for affordable housing for those facing extreme poverty. Our hearts break for the families currently impacted and the 170 households that would’ve benefited from the affordable housing that burned down. This is affecting the community we reside in and serve daily. Some residents have immediate needs due to water damage on their property.

Click the photo for more information
Photo by Braden Cartwright

We will keep you posted as we identify what the needs are. We have been working with other organizations and partners to offer support as we become aware of additional needs. We initiated a cleanup effort on June 8 and continue to meet with neighbors to identify their most pressing needs. Click the photo below for a recap. Please reply if this is something you would like more information about.

Mother’s Day Celebration

We enjoyed a wonderful celebration with our mothers and mother figures last month! It has been a blessing to partner with Stanford and have use of the park around the corner. Thank you to all of our dedicated staff and volunteers for all of your hard work and support.

We celebrated all of our graduating students with a celebration at our AEC. We are so proud of our hard-working young men and women!

Art camp with Teacher Brayden and Teacher Kopo was a great success!

GU On the Move

As we wrap up our time at our current location, we are still actively pursuing all leads for a new facility. In the meantime, we are having “packing parties” at our site this month to prepare for our move. Click here for more information on how and when to help. If these times don’t work for you, please reply and let us know when you can stop by! We need help purging, cleaning, and boxing up our supplies and furniture. If you want to be added to our “move team”, please click here to email Candice and we will reach out to you when it is time to start taking things over and setting up.

Summer at the Center!

While our hours of operation are limited during the summer to pack up, we still host tutoring sessions for reading partners and students. We still need friends to come by and help keep things looking good and running smoothly: clean-up, gardening, small projects, organizing books and materials, and packing up! Are you available next week? Sometime this month? Join us!

Mission Opportunity – VBS with Salvation Army is set and we need you! Click the button to help out.

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.

FEIN 51-0666650

Dia de las Madres 2024

Generations United's annual Mother's Day Celebration!
Nuestro celebración anual para dia de las madres!

Volunteer to bring joy to our mothers! There are opportunities from 2 pm until 7 pm and we need all hands on deck

  • sign in
  • games
  • food
  • gifts

Click the photo or button to sign up!

Sign up here

RSVP Today for your family/Responde hoy para su familia