The Rodriguez family needed financial support…

The Rodriguez Family, which includes four children, live in a small one bedroom apartment.

Elena and her husband Pablo and a FIRST 5 Family Partner decided to focus on four major goals: 1. enrolling the children in health insurance, 2. ensuring that the younger children attend quality daycare/preschool, 3. finding a more suitable place for the family to live, and 4. decreasing parental stress. The Family Partner also found appropriate childcare for the youngest children, so that Elena and Pablo could secure full-time employment.

The Family Partner found a new 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment with a playground, pool and within walking distance to the children’s preschool. Pablo said, “I am interested in keeping my wife and family safe. The most important thing is a nice and peaceful place. FIRST 5 is helping us give the children a healthy mentality and a better way to grow up.”

What we can do as a community:

FIRST 5 and its partners raise community awareness on the importance of the healthy development of all children through communication campaigns, parent workshops, community events, the Kit for New Parents, presentations at the state and local level in addition to many other venues and resources. As a community we must make our neighborhoods safe, connected and culturally-respectful for our children.

Suzanne, a mother and victim of domestic violence needed help…

Suzanne, a married mother with a 3-year old boy, was referred to a FIRST 5 Family Partner through a community agency. She was in need for child care and financial assistance, since her husband did not provide for her or her son and was sometimes abusive.

The Family Partner referred Suzanne to a parent workshop, with a focus on Family Wellness to acquire skills for managing her life and building health in her family, and a women’s support group, to recognize abusive behaviors, build her confidence, and help her develop a safety plan. She also registered with a local community center for weekly food disbursements.

One day Suzanne disclosed that there had been a serious domestic violence incident at home, and she was afraid for her and her son’s safety. The Family Partner immediately provided Suzanne with contact information for a domestic violence shelter and helped her file an Emergency Protective Order. Suzanne said that even though she was staying at a shelter, she “felt free.” She never thought she would have the courage to leave her situation, but the support groups and classes she attended as a result of FIRST 5 gave her the strength to remove herself and her son from a dangerous situation.

What we can do as a community:

FIRST 5 partnerships focus on raising community awareness of the importance of the first 5 years; enhancing early learning environments; and ensuring that our outreach is successful in helping underserved populations. While our partnerships are making an impact, we need other non-profits, local and state government, and community involvement in order to create a system that is responsive to the needs of children and families.

Yasmine said the radio show helped her make a major life decision...

During a recent Childhood Matters radio show "The Effects of Domestic Violence on the Family" an enthusiastic listener, Yasmine, called and told producers that the show helped her make a major life decision. Yasmine listens to Childhood Matters every Sunday. She is a mother of 5 kids between the ages of 2 and 12. She is 31 and going to school full time to become a nurse. Yasmine said:

"I just filed for divorce from my husband, because I heard on one of the shows that however you are in your relationship effects your children. My teenager was asking me, 'Why do you allow your husband to treat you the way he does?' He was verbally and psychologically abusing me... divorce was a hard decision but I had to do it. I'm just trying my best. I don't have a car anymore and have a hard time getting to school ... but I want my daughters to grow up knowing the right thing to do."

Yasmine's story is an example of the impact Childhood Matters radio shows have on listeners. Due to the nature of radio, we are unable to see or hear the stories of each individual impacted by these shows. They may never call in, but hearing Yasmine's story is a powerful reminder that our message reaches people who need it most.

There is No Poverty in the Heart of a Mother...

As part of the FIRST 5 funded Community Engagement program, Somos Mayfair has developed Teatro Familias Unidas, a group of Mayfair mothers who have learned to use popular theater as a way to engage families and communities in dialogue.

Familias Unidas has addressed issues such as: immigration, diabetes and obesity, and school readiness. Now, they are breaking the silence on issues that affect their lives as women and as mothers and are claiming their beauty and strength. “Aunque sea pobre, no hay pobreza en el corazón de una madre.” (Although she may be poor; in the heart of a mother, poverty does not exist.)

In the creation of their new play, ¡Somos Mujeres, Somos Madres!, (We are Women, We are Mothers!) the women look deeply into their ancestral legacies and decide on what they want to heal in themselves, and on what they want to pass down to future generations. Through this work, they have recognized the effect of generational patterns on the critical needs of their children and the power that they have to affect change. “I have been given the task of healing the wounds of history, of opening the doors to the cages that have trapped my mother and my grandmothers, so that we can liberate ourselves and our children.”

Since 2005, Familias Unidas, together with FIRST 5 and Somos Mayfair, has set out to organize a Mother’s Day celebration for the entire community. In Mayfair, festivities include folkloric dance, Mariachi music, children’s arts and crafts and healthy food.

This year, on May 10th, over three hundred people came together in the flower-filled garden of the Mexican Heritage Plaza. Spirits were high as families sat beneath the shade of palm trees to listen to the stories of their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. With conviction in their hearts and voices, the women of Mayfair courageously took a stand for themselves and for their children.

Teatro Familias Unidas is comprised of Maria Teresa Bárcenas, Norma Chavez, Graciela Díaz, Nelida Hernandez, Sandra Mendoza, Estela Ortega, Lucero Reyes, Velia Sanchez, Cecilia

Written by Aryeh Shell, Community Engagement Program Director at Somos Mayfair