Every Neighborhood Partnership has been working out of the Leadership Training Center in downtown Fresno for some time now, and we are moving our official mailing address and base of operations to this location this month.
| Please note our new mailing address and come visit us! The Leadership Training Center 1719 L Street Fresno, CA 93721 |
We have some costs associated with moving and getting office equipment set up (we print a lot of stuff!!!) at The Leadership Training Center.
Consider donating to ENP to help with these costs today!
“This is where I live. This is where my legacy is. This is where my children’s legacy is. It’s gonna be here when we’re not. So what footprints are we gonna leave?”
~Sharon Williams, Southwest Fresno Resident
Cracked roads and poor health conditions are prevalent in southwest Fresno, one of the highest poverty-stricken and environmentally-at-risk areas in California. In fact, the life expectancy for west Fresno residents was projected to be 69 years old, over 20 years less than those living in northeast Fresno.
In 2018, a group of Southwest Fresno residents were engaged in a project conducted by UC Berkeley and California Walks to make safety improvements along California Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. During this assessment, residents Sylvia Trujilo, Vittoria Molina, Christina Sidhu, and Sharon Williams shared their input on what projects would be most beneficial for their children and neighbors. These women’s participation in the assessment led to meaningful, positive change in a part of Fresno where people often felt hopeless, unsafe, or forgotten. But then, the California Walks project ended.
Sylvia, Vittoria, Christina, and Sharon were not ready to lose the momentum they had built. For the first time, they recognized their voices as powerful tools to create a safer, healthier neighborhood for their families. “As a group, we became the caretakers of what we had started with California Walks,” says Sylvia. “We wanted to continue to see change. At that point we were like, how do we keep that going?”
Daniel Dominguez, Every Neighborhood Partnership’s Neighborhood Development Coordinator, learned about these residents’ desire to continue advocating for positive change in their community. Daniel began facilitating a weekly meeting with these individuals. Out of these gatherings, a neighborhood association in southwest Fresno was born: Our Voice Project.
Since she was a little girl, Debra Brensinger has loved reading. Under the protection of her covers, she would squint her eyes as she read late into the night.
Several decades later, Debra was looking for ways to be more involved in her local community. When Debra heard about Every Neighborhood Partnership’s Literacy Mentoring program, she knew she wanted to serve as a mentor. Sharing her passion for reading by teaching elementary students literacy skills seemed like the perfect way to invest in her neighborhood.
But Debra didn’t stop there.
ENP is a part of the Mayor’s Faith-Based Council. Recently the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Planning Department, and several local community-based organizations shared on the Fresno housing crisis. We need churches, community members, and organizations to think creatively and proactively to create more housing. We encourage you to read the presentation and various stories of communities’ responses to this national problem. We believe God cares about all folks and wants everyone to have a safe place to rest. We invite you to consider how you can be a part of the solution.
Volunteer to build a Pocket Shelter for a local Homeless Rescue Mission.
Click here to register to work.
*** Due to heat and an extremely busy factory, The Pocketeer Team will be postponed until the fall. We very much appreciate your willingness to spend a Saturday working to provide housing for the homeless in your community. We look forward to seeing you in the fall! ***
“An Inclusive, Prosperous, Beautiful City where people Take Pride in their Neighborhoods and Community. A Government that Listens, Keeps its Promises, and is Owned by the People – We Work For You”
– One Fresno Vision
As we come to the end of another school year, and after making the tough decision to transition solely back to in-classroom mentoring, we’ve been reflecting on all that was accomplished these past couple years through the Virtual Literacy Mentoring Program.
Join ENP in celebrating Juneteenth with LivingUNDIVIDED! Join us Monday, June 20, 9:00-10:30am.
Juneteenth is a symbolic representation of the change that can be made when we come together. We celebrate and recognize the important place it has in our national history and on our federal calendar because we know God’s heart for Jubilee.
The time for action is now! LivingUNDIVIDED Summer and Fall cohorts aren’t too far off and this is the time for you to be the hero your community needs. Use your influence to rally some people together for the LivingUNDIVIDED or WorkingUNDIVIDED experiences. When you’re interested in talking to someone about hosting a cohort, let us know. My team is at the ready to walk alongside you as you lead others toward racial healing, solidarity and justice.
Are your kids looking for something to do this summer? Check out this page full of summer learning resources, summer camps, and other fun activities that they will love!
Fresno County Library events and competitions:
Fresno Unified:
Online Learning Site Resources:
City of Fresno:
Camp Fresno:
PAID Summer Camps in Fresno:
Martin Park VBS:
Online Search Tool for upcoming kid events:
Planet Fitness:
Do you know of any other kid activities happening in Fresno this summer? Email us at info@everyneighborhood.org and we’ll add them to this list!
Central California Food Bank is here to help you get access to the food you need. To find a food distribution near you, utilize our daily calendar, enroll in CalFresh, or sign-up for a pick-up.
Need help enrolling in CalFresh: Our CalFresh team can help!
Hello ENP Family & Friends,
You are going to notice something on display in this newsletter. This is a story-driven newsletter. Stories about the ways our volunteers and staff are intersecting with people in the schools and neighborhoods that make up our wonderful city.
I am encouraged because it is the simple act of being present and willing to enter into space with one another to pursue transformation. You will also notice we have changed the name of one of our departments. With our expansion to working with 100 paid Fresno State Students through College Corp (Blog Here!) we felt like merging Literacy and Recreation all under School Support made the most sense!
Please read these stories and recognize that because of your gifts in finances, volunteer hours, and community support of ENP this work is possible.
Dominick, Isabella, Mariah, Sylvia, Jason, Ana, MJ, and Emily are all impacted because you believe and invest in us. Thank you and please don’t stop!
Give here to continue this work.
Director Ejecutivo, Every Neighborhood Partnership
Through a new State initiative, Every Neighborhood Partnership will host 60 Fresno State students (in addition to 40 Read Fresno students) who will serve as literacy mentors in classrooms, run after-school reading intervention programs, and support Saturday Sports at eight local K-12 schools.
The #CaliforniansforAll College Corps initiative is the first of its kind, designed to create opportunities for low-income, first-generation college students to graduate college debt-free while empowering them to serve in their communities. College Corps Fellows will receive up to $10,000 for a total of 450 hours of community service hours during the academic year.
Fresno State was chosen as one of the 48 partner colleges for the College Corps program and has selected Every Neighborhood Partnership as one of the organizations their students will work with.
Students who complete the College Corps program will receive:
The first cohort of College Corps Fellows will begin in Agosto 2022. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Learn more and apply to be a College Corps Fellow by visiting the Central Valley College Corps website here or contacting Mellissa Jessen-Hiser at mjessen@csufresno.edu.
