¡Muchas Gracias!
Mornings used to be peaceful at El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services. The part-time staff didn’t report to work until 2:00 to prepare for tutoring programs, and when the kids began to arrive at 2:30, it was “all hands on deck” until they left at 6:00. Parenting classes and adult meetings went on into the evening, but the mornings were serene…until last fall. Since September the AVANCE mother and baby program has overtaken the building from 9:00 to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays with 
a delightful flurry of activity. Babies and toddlers are engaged in a variety of pre-literacy activities in the child development center, preschoolers learn colors, shapes, and songs in their bright classroom, and the building is suffused in the aroma of the hot lunch being cooked for the children. Their mothers share laughter and experiences while learning how to prepare their children for school success. And on Monday mornings instructors from Connect Your Community teach basic computer skills and internet use to a dozen adults in our computer lab that was furnished by the nonprofit WinstonNet.
Collaborative efforts such as these are the way of the future for nonprofits, and LCS is always open to new partnerships that leverage our limited resources and staff. AVANCE’s one-time grant of $50,000 is part of our 2011 income story, and our growing list of donors tells another part. Since 2006 our partnership with Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) has been integral to our existence. In 2011, with the help of a HIP capacity-building grant, LCS enacted a new development plan which resulted in a 72% increase in gifts from individuals over 2010! Yet another piece of the story is the increase in program income, which includes $8,500 raised or contributed by the families who participate in LCS activities. Muchas gracias to all the individuals and organizations whose generosity allows our work to continue!
