Conexión Américas Annual Report 2014-2015

conexi贸n am茅ricas Presents

Review

A YEAR IN

13 years

JULY 2014 - JUNE 2015 Kimberli Gonzalez, Allyson Murillo, Litzy Murillo, Lesly Morales

Edith Ramirez MAKING NASHVILLE HOME

Economic Integration, page 4

Berenice Oliva ADVOCATING FOR ACCESS

Civic Integration, page 7

Olivia Almeraya COMMITTING TO EDUCATION

Social Integration, page 3

BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Scott Tift, President Barrett Johnston LLC Terry Maroney, Vice President Vanderbilt Law School Mark Tobin, Treasurer Louisiana Pacific Corporation Rob Jack, Secretary c3/consulting Stephen Zralek, Immediate Past President Bone McAllester Norton PLLC Mario Avila, At-Large Emerge Financial Wellness

Dreaming big dreams

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Aaron J. Dorn, MBA Candidate, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University M. Janella Escobar Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. Carrington Fox Freelance Journalist Shirley Guerrero Community Volunteer Joey Hatch Skanska USA Building Inc. Lupe Jaramillo Nissan North America Nicole Maynard J.P. Morgan Chase Sherri Neal HCA Ramiro Pineda Bridgestone Americas Abigail Ruiz, Young Leaders Council Lindsey Stickline CAT Financial BOARD OF AMBASSADORS Pepe Núñez, Chair CAT Financial Adriana Bialostosky Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital David Esquivel Bass, Barry & Sims Marcela Gómez Marcela Gómez & Associates Nancy Goodrich Community Volunteer Meredith Libbey Ford Motor Company Dr. Randy Lowry Lipscomb University J.C. Mendez HCA Tom Negri Community Volunteer Lisa Quigley Office of Congressman Jim Cooper Gregg Ramos North, Pursell, Ramos & Jameson PLC

This report brings you the highlights of a busy and memorable 2014-2015 fiscal year. And what a year! Thirteen years ago when we founded Conexión Américas we would have never dreamed we would be hosting the President of the United States. It is great knowing that so many of you, regardless of political affiliation, shared our excitement at the honor of hosting a sitting president. The welcoming spirit of Nashville and Casa Azafrán’s model of integrated services for our immigrant community are the reasons the White House chose Casa Azafrán for the President’s Town Hall.

And he was not the only notable guest last year. We also welcomed U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, U.S. Small Business Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet and a group of journalists from around the world, including Germany, China, Norway and Japan, coordinated by the State Department’s Foreign Press Office.

But just as important as welcoming these high profile guests is our mission to create a welcoming space for the community of Latino individuals and families that come to Conexión Américas to learn English, start businesses, become homeowners, pay taxes and help their children succeed in school and go to college. And the mission of Casa Azafrán, where together with our partners we help new Nashvillians with health services and mental health counseling; adult education and after-school programming for children and youth; a pre-K center; legal and financial services; entrepreneurship; leadership development and community organizing; and visual, performing and culinary arts.

Even as we celebrate this milestone year, we continue to dream big dreams.

Dreams like creating a public park next to Casa Azafrán, through a public-private partnership that will connect visitors and neighbors with each other, with nature, with public art and with opportunities for physical activity.

Dreams of positive development in the community we call home, the International District along Nolensville Road, with a collaborative vision for open space, improved transit, more crosswalks and all that makes a vibrant neighborhood.

Dreams that all students, regardless of their country of origin, will have access to world-class educational opportunities from pre-K to college.

And dreams that families who choose Nashville—whether they come here from El Paso, El Salvador or Eritrea—will feel welcome and find the support they need to be successful in their new home.

Gracias for sharing these dreams with us. And for knowing that dreams aren’t enough. We need your help as we work together to make them reality.

Maria Salas Salas Law Group Dr. Michael Spalding Equal Chance for Education Brenda Wynn Davidson County Clerk

Renata Soto Executive Director

Social Integration LANGUAGE SKILLS

FAMILY SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

361 learners

200 parents

23 middle schoolers

42 mentors

REACHING

33 college students

361 adult learners — including Spanish, Kurdish and Arabic speakers — improved their Englishlanguage skills through weekly classroom instruction. {English Language Program}

42 adults improved their conversational English and Spanish through one-on-one mentoring. {Conversemos Language Exchange Program}

Olivia Almeraya

When Olivia Almeraya’s son Temo short for Cuautemoc - was accepted into the Casa Azafrán Early Learning Center, she jumped right in, signing up for our Parents as Partners workshops and enrolling in English classes. She says the welcoming environment at Casa Azafrán and the support of the Conexión Américas staff helped her feel confident to talk with her children’s teachers and volunteer at their schools.

And Temo, who was classified as an English Language Learner (ELL) student at the beginning of the year, now joins

70% of his pre-K ELL classmates entering kindergarten as English proficient.

200 Latino and other parents learned about the U.S. school system, child development, and how to be partners and advocates for their child’s long-term success in school. {Parents as Partners}

446 children

from pre-K to high school

LED BY

9 grassroots leaders 9 immigrant parents volunteered to mentor other parents on how the U.S. school system works.

(See Civic Integration, pg 6)

23 students received tutoring, homework assistance and fun hands-on activities to explore the rich history of the Latino culture in our Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA) program at Wright Middle.

33 seniors at Glencliff High School graduated and are on their way to be the first in their families to go to college. This inaugural class of the NCLR Escalera {ladders} program completed 18 months of intensive preparation and are enrolled as first-generation college students.

38 future college students 38 juniors started their college journey in our Escalera program.

This new class is pursuing their dreams by participating in collegeand job-preparation workshops and summer internships. The 2016 Escalera class includes students from Mexico, Egypt, Central America, Kenya and Somalia.

“I finally did it and this is just the first step.”

– Arturo Prieto-Valdes In a short film, The Bonds that Drive Us, Karen Martinez and Arturo Prieto recount their experiences as first generation college students from immigrant families.

They share the importance of family and how the Escalera program helped them find their voices and pursue their dreams of going to college. Watch the film here: www.conexionamericas.org/2015/film.

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Economic Integration WHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP?

TAX PAYING

383 taxpayers

383 Latino taxpayers completed and filed their tax returns. {Taxpayer preparation service / VITA}

REPRESENTING

$500,000

in tax refunds to eligible lowincome taxpayers

This year we celebrated Martha Zamudio’s ten years of dedication to the Latino community in Nashville- and the thousands of families she has helped file their taxes through our VITA program.

Gracias Martha!

Edith Ramirez HOMEOWNER

HOMEOWNERSHIP

130 aspiring homeowners 130 aspiring homeowners increased their understanding about the home-buying process, fair lending and family finance in Puertas Abiertas Info Sessions

Immigrant entrepreneurs revitalize neighborhoods. And immigrant entrepreneurs do better financially than immigrants in the work force.

A report from the Americas Society and Council of the Americas (AS/ COA) and The Fiscal Policy Institute examines the importance of entrepreneurship for immigrants and for the vitality of main street businesses.

10 homeowners

10 Latino families achieved the dream of homeownership

Immigrants

According to the report, “[Conexión Américas’] Negocio Próspero, home ownership services and taxpaying classes all brought potential entrepreneurs into Conexión América’s orbit. And the three programs all fed into a similar virtuous cycle: people who own a home found it easier to start a business; people who paid taxes found it was easier to get a loan; and all of the programming put people on a sounder social and financial footing.”

“The staff at Conexión Américas helped me so much. The process of buying a home is so complicated and time consuming — and I am thankful they were beside me the whole time.” - Edith Ramirez

Edith Ramirez took the step to secure her family’s future and claim her roots in Nashville by becoming a homeowner through our Puertas Abiertas program. Our staff walked her through the process of purchasing her first home with financial education, counseling, access to financing and most of all a friendly, knowledgeable partner throughout the process.

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

60 entrepreneurs

60 Latino small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs completed our nine-week business course and increased their skills and tools to start, manage and grow a small enterprise.

28 aspiring culinary entrepreneurs

28 Latinos completed a 9-week Culinary Entrepreneur class covering all the requirements of licensing, food safety, and business management and marketing skills.

Crescencio Navarro-Pita, Chef

29 food entrepreneurs 29 food entrepreneurs launched or grew their businesses in our commercial kitchen.

55 new jobs

46 full-time and 9 parttime jobs were created by business owners who completed our Negocio Próspero and Mesa Komal culinary incubator programs.

Judy Bradshaw

OWNER OF SHEA OLÉ What inspired you to start a business?

Growing up I remember my mom giving us milk baths and telling us how our grandmother in Guatemala had great skin from her daily milk baths during afternoon siesta. With my own children I wanted to continue using natural, traditional products and so I began to make my own shea butter lotions, scrubs and soaps- and, of course, milk baths.

How did you decide to take a business course?

I was very good at making the products, but didn’t understand many of the other aspects of running a business.

I most appreciated learning how to manage my finances, file business taxes and market my product more effectively.

Since the class I have updated my labels and am working with a designer to create a website to expand my online sales.

To order, contact Judy at sheaole@yahoo.com

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Civic Integration GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP

ARTS & CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT

9 grassroots leaders 30 art-focused experiences 9 Latino immigrant parents developed and nurtured their own leadership and advocacy skills.

CONTRIBUTING

427 volunteer hours

Mentoring other parents on the U.S school system, facilitating the parent engagement 9-week interactive workshop series, serving as inspiring role models to other immigrant parents.

300 students

Every month in our corridor, courtyard, and Flatrock Hall we witness the power of creativity: The sound of laughter, applause and conversation confirms our mission to be enjoyed as a stimulating space for people of all cultures encountering each other.

300 immigrant and refugee youth, ranging in age from 5 to 18, explored and reflected on issues of cultural identity and expressed themselves though hiphop, zumba, bucket drumming, creative movement, mural painting, talavera, and book-making.

Conexión Américas’ Parents as Partners Facilitator Team was named the 2015 recipient of the Civic Volunteer Group Award for its efforts to forge strong partnerships between Latino parents and schools to ultimately improve children’s academic achievement. Since 2008, the Parents as Partners Facilitator Team has hosted workshops in 14 Metro Nashville Public Schools, engaging more than 1,100 parents in skill-building activities. Hands On Nashville, Mary Catherine Strobel Awards

Community Reach

48,945+

215

Latino individuals throughout Middle Tennessee saw us at soccer games, festivals, health fairs, schools and other community events.

Events hosted at Casa Azafrán

9,313

people visited Casa Azafrán for puppet shows, music performances, art openings, business meetings & more

179

Food lovers came to our Mesa Komal commercial kitchen for Mezcla, Mix & Master, our popular international cooking classes.

Thousands

of community members reached, through in-kind support from Hola Tennessee Newspaper, El Jefe 96.7FM, and Radio Luz 900AM.

GRACIAS TO OUR ART & CULTURAL PARTNERS Belcourt Theatre, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Global Education Center, Metro Arts Commission, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, Nashville Public Library, Nashville Symphony, Prado Studio, Actor’s Bridge Ensemble, Intersection Contemporary Music Ensemble, Tennessee Arts Commission, Adventure Science Center, The Arts Company, Listen to Your Mother, Watkins College of Art, Design & Film

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ADVOCACY

Local

State

Federal

Mayoral Forum

Tuition Equality

NCLR

#ImmigrantVote

As Nashville was considering choices for our next mayor, we were working to ensure immigrant and refugee communities’ voices were heard. With our partners the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and dozens of others, we hosted two events creating dialogue between the seven candidates and the diverse communities of immigrants and refugees. During the Listen, Ask & Learn mayoral candidate event in March, immigrant and refugee advocates presented priorities and opportunities within our communities, including K-12 education, Metro services, law enforcement, and quality of life.

In June, we hosted one of the most well-attended mayoral fora. With almost 700 participants, 268 live stream viewers, more than 30 co-sponsoring organizations, and all seven mayoral candidates on stage, the immigrant and refugee community was the clear winner of the evening. The message was loud and clear:

“We are engaged, we care about the future of Nashville, and we will keep our next mayor accountable to continue building an inclusive and welcoming city for all.”

During the 2015 session of the Tennessee General Assembly Democrats and Republicans came together in the State Senate to do the right thing— for young people and for the state’s economy— and passed the tuition equality bill. But then the final House vote fell just one vote short of passing. One vote. If not for one vote, we would be celebrating many bright, hard-working immigrant students now seeing new possibilities for their future and a more affordable path to college.

This progress would not have been possible without the leadership and organizing power of our Casa Azafrán partner the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, along with The Tennessee Farm Bureau, the Tennessee Board of Regents, the University of Tennessee system and chambers of commerce across the state. Tuition equality will be on the table again in January 2016. Please stay connected and lend your voice. It does make a difference. Remember, one more vote could have changed the course of history.

Advocacy days

In March 2015 we took two of our young leaders from the Escalera program, Bryan Itzep and Kenny Rosales, to the 2015 NCLR National Latino Advocacy Days in Washington D.C. It was a transformative experience joining with 300 Latino leaders from across the country to denounce antiimmigrant agendas and promote progress in immigration reform. And flying on a plane for the first time was a big milestone, too!

DACA

Collaborative

125 YOUNG PEOPLE APPLIED FOR OR RENEWED DACA Through the DACA collaborative community outreach and workshops, staff from Conexión Américas and the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition educate families about the benefits and requirements for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a US government program that provides qualifying young immigrants with a work permit and temporary relief from deportation. By organizing community volunteers, we deliver highquality, low-cost application assistance to immigrant families in a group workshop setting, supported by pro bono, limited legal representation from Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors.

“ DACA gives me hope for a better future. Thanks to my DACA I can continue studying and also help my family.” -Berenice Oliva

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Families at a glance OUR PROGRAMS REACHED OVER 6,000 LATINO IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES ETHNICITY

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

PRIMARY LANGUAGE

GENDER (Amharic, Bantu, Bosnian, Farsi, Mandarin, Somali, Vietnamese, Kurdish & Urdu) (Venezuela, Egypt, Peru, Cuba and more.)

Finances at a glance Conexión Américas

TOTAL OPERATING REVENUE:

TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES:

$1.501M $1.257M In the News

Debt reduction on Casa Azafrán mortgage

325K This year we crossed the finish line and paid the last principal reduction payment before the balance of the Casa Azafrán loan amortizes for the next 20 years. A special thanks to the HCA Foundation, the Memorial Foundation and the Frist Foundation for helping us meet this important goal.

For detailed financial information please see our profile at Giving Matters.com {http://ow.ly/SNUqB}

NASHVILLE AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (MPO)

Excellence in Innovation was presented to Conexión Américas and Metro Public Works for the first bilingual crosswalk in Nashville.

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Gracias

FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN 2014-2015!

Corporations/Organizations

Foundations

AT&T Avenue Bank Barrett Johnson Martin & Garrison, LLC Bass, Berry & Sims PLC Belmont University Bone McAllester Norton PLLC Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Cracker Barrel Distribuidora Limeña Inc Dollar General Emma Father Ryan High School Fifth Third Bank Ford Motor Company HCA/TriStar Health JP Morgan Chase Lipscomb University LiUNA! Southeast Laborers District Council Louisiana Pacific Corporation Metro Nashville Airport Authority McNeely Piggot & Fox Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau National Council of La Raza (NCLR) NISSAN Pinnacle Financial Partners Refugee Rights Coalition Regions Bank SunTrust Bank SKANSKA Second Presbyterian Church Southwest Airlines State Farm Insurance Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Univision Nashville Vanderbilt University

Ayers Foundation Bank of America Charitable Foundation Baptist Healing Trust The Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee The Dollar General Literacy Foundation The Frist Foundation The HCA Foundation The Joe C. Davis Foundation The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation | NALCAB Quetzal Charitable Fund The Memorial Foundation The Scarlett Family Foundation United Way of Metropolitan Nashville Village Real Estate Advised Fund

“Latinos are quietly following the same path as immigrants down through the ages… After a while, however, they feel the need to become bilingual: there is a waiting list for Conexión’s English classes for adults” – Dreaming in English, The Economist, March 14th, 2015

Government Agencies

AND, OF COURSE, WE COULDN’T DO ANY OF THIS WITHOUT OUR AMAZING STAFF TEAM AND VOLUNTEERS. SO MANY WE COULDN’T FIT THEM HERE. PLEASE SEE OUR WEBSITE CONEXIONAMERICAS. ORG/STAFF

Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission Tennessee Arts Commission Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Community Economic Development

Renata Soto named NCLR Board Chair - Nashville community leader Renata Soto to help lead national advocacy group.

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Notable Guests PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Barack Obama

We couldn’t have imagined a greater honor than when President Obama chose us — Nashville, Conexión Américas and Casa Azafrán—for his Town Hall on immigration action on December 9th, 2014. From The Economist, Univision and The Washington Post to The Tennessean, President Obama’s visit brought a new level of visibility to Nashville’s welcoming spirit and the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

“As Renata mentioned, some people might think Nashville was an odd place to talk immigration. But, as all of you know, Nashville’s got one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the country. “New Nashvillians” — they’re from Somalia, Nepal, Laos, Mexico, Bangladesh —”They” are “us.” They work as teachers in our schools, doctors in our hospitals, police officers in our neighborhoods. They start small businesses at a faster rate than many native-born Americans. They create jobs making this city more prosperous, and a more innovative place. And of course, they make the food better. And this city proves that we can address these concerns together and make sure that immigration works for everybody, that it strengthens our economy, that it strengthens our communities” - President Barack Obama, December 9th, 2014, Casa Azafrán, Nashville, TN

U.S. SECRETARY OF LABOR

Thomas Perez

On November 19, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez visited Conexión Américas to meet with students in our Escalera college access program and meet culinary entrepreneurs in our Mesa Komal Commercial Kitchen. He reminded the high school students from Glencliff High School that:

“..diversity is our greatest strength- embrace opportunity and reach for the stars.”

U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR

Maria Contreras-Sweet

In April, Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, met with immigrant entrepreneurs at Conexión Américas to hear their stories and promote a new program of the SBA to help immigrant entrepreneurs access capital, counseling and contracting opportunities. She shared her own story of immigration to the United States as a young child, starting her own businesses and emphasized that:

“Entrepreneurship is the most powerful force to lift people out of poverty.”

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE FOREIGN PRESS CENTER Fourteen journalists from China, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland visited Conexión Américas and Casa Azafrán in March to profile the work of partner organizations and interview immigrant entrepreneurs from our Mesa Komal Culinary Incubator. We enjoyed seeing the stories they filed, although we are a little rusty on our Norwegian.

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Partnerships CASA AZAFRÁN - Peggy Steine Memorial Award for Human Rights Collaboration, 2015 Human Relations Award Honorees from Community Nashville “It is a place where Nashville's diverse community comes together on a daily basis: Muslims, African-Americans, native Nashvillians, Latinos, Africans, and more. It is where people who need legal, medical, and economic assistance come and also where entrepreneurs build businesses, where children take dance classes, and where activists join hands to make plans.”

A very special gracias to our extended team of partners with whom we are proud to share Casa Azafrán and a vision for a welcoming Nashville:

RESIDENT PARTNERS

American Center for Outreach American Muslim Advisory Council Family and Children’s Service Financial Empowerment Center Global Education Center Justice for Our Neighbors of Tennessee Metro Nashville Public Schools Neighborhood Health Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition

NON-RESIDENT PARTNERS

Belcourt Theatre Frist Center for the Visual Arts Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands Metro Public Health Department WIC Mobile Clinic Nashville Ballet Nashville Opera Nashville Public Library Nashville Symphony Our Kids YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee

PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHTS

MNPS Director Dr. Jesse Register

Java Hemmat, Hummus Chick

Metro Schools Pre-K

Belcourt Theatre

In October, we began a new partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools to open the Casa Azafrán Early Learning Center serving 80 students, including a majority of students from immigrant families that speak a language other than English at home.

While the school ensures students are prepared to speak English in school, it also celebrates the students’ cultural heritage and staff members are available to help parents in Spanish or Kurdish. Conexión Américas has a dedicated manager to enhance the integration of these families into the Nashville community, including through our parent engagement program and connecting them other programs.

Last fall culinary entrepreneurs from Conexión Américas’ Mesa Komal commercial kitchen made a pitch to the directors of the Belcourt Theatre, Nashville’s independent, non-profit cinema. The Belcourt immediately loved the products- from hummus to empanadas to plantain chips- and the opportunity to partner with local entrepreneurs. The new products at the concession stand quickly took off and the Mesa Komal additions helped garner an award from the Nashville Scene for Best Concessions Counter.

Davidson County Election Commission For the 2014 election, we welcomed over 1,000 voters between the primary and general elections. For the primary election (Casa Azafrán’s first time as a voting site) we had 42 voters per day, and increased to 96 voters per day during the general election. For many of these voters it was their first time coming to our building and learning about what the partner organizations offer for new and native Nashvillians alike.

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2195 Nolensville Pike Nashville TN 37211 Conexionamericas.org 615-320-5152

Where’s the Playground?

That is the most common question we get from families with young children who come for all kinds of opportunities to Casa Azafrán, but especially from the teachers, parents and children in MNPS’ Casa Azafrán Early Learning Center (like Temo here posing for the park mural with his sisters). Thanks to a public-private partnership between Conexión Américas and Metro government, that playground — and a beautiful public park next to our community center — is coming soon. Meet Temo’s family on page 3.

GRACIAS FOR SUPPORTING THE FUTURE PARK! • Mayor Karl Dean • The Metro Council • Metro Parks • The Nashville Civic Design Center • Nashville Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) • Land Trust for Tennessee • LP Foundation