First Friday Five is a new project to organize one-day online fundraisers for local nonprofit organizations. Read on to learn about this month’s goal and how your $5 donation can help. La Paz de Dios, a social service organization bridging the diverse Latino community to community resources, is a trusted guide for this rapidly growing segment of Chattanooga's population. La Paz links the Latino community's pressing needs with the city's available resources while "promoting and educating the immigrant population toward self-sufficiency and resourcefulness." Our goal is to raise $300 which will help La Paz de Dios provide client care services for 35 individuals or families. Here's how you can help:
About La Paz de Dios
La Paz meets its mission, first by attending to any immediate humanitarian needs a person or family may have, such as food, clothing or shelter. But the bulk of the organization's work is in linking Hispanics to the resources that are available in Chattanooga and in linking those resources and agencies to Hispanics. La Paz attempts to educate Hispanics about American institutions, while at the same time attempting to educate non-Hispanic Americans about life as an immigrant, addressing the prejudices that may exist in one group about the other.
La Paz shared the stories of Adriana Pascual and Tienda Jalisco as examples of how they are empowering the growing Latino community in Chattanooga:
Adriana Pascual Despite the challenges of raising two young children and struggling with an eye disease that will eventually cause blindness, Guatemalan immigrant Adriana believes in the work of La Paz and volunteers up to fifteen hours per week because she "likes being involved in the Latino community and helping people." Adriana currently sees around 10 clients each week and has become an emerging leader in both the Latino and at-large community. According to Laurie Cook, Development Coordinator for La Paz, Adriana has "taken ownership at La Paz and made this work, this cause her own" and her story represents many in the Latino community.
Tienda Jalisco Two years ago, La Paz invited family-owned Tienda Jalisco to bring their "taco truck" to La Feria Hispana, their fundraiser at the Chattanooga Market. They received such an enthusiastic response from market patrons that they were invited back as a permanent vendor. They have since continued to grow the business and recently partnered with a Chattanooga businesswoman at Hawthorne & Main, a new shared restaurant and grocery space in Chattanooga's booming southside.
Learn more about the work of La Paz right here in Chattanooga by visiting http://lapazdedios.org or joining their Facebook group.
Stacy Johnson - Director of La on March 6, 2009
La Paz exists on the support and encouragement of the community. We thank all of you for contributing to our cause and hope you will continue to believe in our work. We believe with your help, La Paz can enable Latino individuals and families to become engaged community members working toward the goal of a culturally inclusive Chattanooga.
La Paz thanks you!
fred on March 7, 2009
Im in line at BiLo on 23rd Thursday night.... in front of me are two Hispanic women with a shopping cart full of gallons of milk, packages of beans, cheese, cartons of eggs, etc.
They put their items on the belt, separating some items with with the order divider thingy.
As the cashier rung up each 'separate' order, one of the women women would sign away a WIC voucher.
WTF?
How much more do we need to give? I would say that we give enough already. The woman in front of me obviously already knew how to work the system.
Mary on March 7, 2009
@fred: I don't get it. Are you mad because Hispanic women were holding up the check-out line or because they were eligible for WIC benefits and used them?
I'm not sure I understand why you call receiving benefits "working the system." I'm a white female, college educated, and guess what? I've been on food stamps. Sounds like you would have rather I starved than get $150 worth of food a month.
Tired of paying for someone el on March 7, 2009
Why...oh why do we have giving money away to people who hate our guts (immigrants who won't learn English) but don't support our own country? Why? Is it *racist (gasp!) to believe that putting money to work, for your own country, is the right thing to do? What about all the BLACK families in Chat/TN who suffer through poverty generation after generation? Who are locked up by a thug police force while Kenneth Freeman goes pushing around citizens? No, I am not white. And I also have respect for the 'brother and sisters' as I also grew up in poverty. Why all the hate for the BLACK community and the white? Stop giving money to these foreign invaders who want to destroy America.
Editors on March 8, 2009
After the success of the original First Friday Five last month, we received a number of suggestions on who to work with next. La Paz de Dios stood out as a highly respected organization and one we are proud to have supported.
Our criteria for choosing First Friday Five partners are simple. We look for charitable organizations who work to improve the lives of people right here in Chattanooga. This can take many forms, of course, and we welcome suggestions from our readers. One thing we're not in the business of doing is discriminating against anyone because of their ethnicity, etc.
As for Fred and "Tired," no one forced either of you to give, or even to read this post. You're welcome to share your charitable dollars with another organization. ¿Usted comprende?
dava on March 8, 2009
This is just sad. Invaders? Working the system? How bad would your life have to be for you to move to a place where you couldn't understand anybody and nobody could understand you? A place totally foreign to you in every way? In many instances immigrants WALK hundreds of miles and arrive to live in abject poverty.
I may be wrong, but I suspect part of the mission of La Paz is to help immigrants find places where they can learn English. What possible benefit could there be for them to NOT learn English? Crossing the border does not lead to instantaneous proficiency in the English language, which, by the way, is the second most difficult language to learn. It takes a little while to figure it out.
Every member of our community-immigrant, homeless, prisoner, poverty-stricken, unemployed, suburbanite, whatever-deserves help in meeting the most basic needs, and a chance to work as a contributing member of our society.
In these troubled times, why is there such divisiveness and hatred? Isn't this exactly the time we should all be helping one another?
Stacy Johnson - Director of La on March 8, 2009
A huge part of La Paz's work is to educate the community as a whole on the facts of the immigrant population. We acknowledge the fears, the unknowns and understand there may be some that just don't get what we do. We challenge each of you to learn more about the facts and visit our organization. The people we assist are truly wonderful souls; they love their families, their children and came to the U.S. for a better life.
Myth - Immigrants come here to take Welfare
Fact - Immigrant labor force participation is consistently higher than native born, and immigrant workers make up a larger share of the U.S. labor force than they do the U.S. population. Moreover, the ratio between immigrant use of public benefits and the amount of taxes they pay is consistently favorable to the U.S. In one estimate, immigrants earn about $240 billion a year, pay about $90 billion a year in taxes, and use about $5 billion in public benefits.
Myth - Immigrants don't want to learn English or become Americans
Fact - Within ten years of arrival, more than 75% of immigrants speak English well; moreover, demand for English classes at the adult level far exceeds supply.
Myth - Immigrants are a drain on the U.S. economy
Fact - Immigrants fill jobs in key sectors, start their own businesses and contribute to a thriving economy. 70% of immigrants come in prime working age. That means we haven't spent a penny on their education, yet they are transplanted into our workforce and will contribute $500 billion toward our social security system over the next 20 years.
Thanks to all of our supporters! It's great to know we have friends in the community!
josiahq on March 8, 2009
I know when I hate a country I leave family & friends, empty my savings, risk life and limb walking, biking, hitchiking, hiding out in the back of vans/trucks for thousands of miles to make it to that country which I hate, only to then signup to join its military risking my life in its defense in hope of gaining citizenship.
Ya, that's hatred.
Christine on March 9, 2009
Thank you, Stacy, for pointing out the fact that immigrants pay taxes like the rest of us, but seldom file tax returns.
I have witnessed first hand how hard working these people are. My husband's business has hired many native workers, too numerous to mention, who have all sorts of excuses for missing, being late, or just plain not showing up. When he dediced to hire a legal immigrant to assist him, that immigrant was faithful, on-time, hard working and honest...I wish I could say the same for the native Chattanoogans who couldn't last more than a few weeks at a job that requires some elbow grease and a willingness to put in an honest day's work.
Paul Smith on March 9, 2009
These are human beings in need! What does it matter what color their skin is or what language they speak?
It is amazing how shallow-minded an argument can be disguised as flag-waving!
Fred & Tired of paying, it's no surprise you did not list your full names.
Youll-Be-Sorry-Chattanooga on March 9, 2009
White people are the new welfare queens of America, eh? Just let in enough immigrants & they can save our economy from destruction. Us lazy gringos just don't want to contribute to the American economy anymore. *satire*
The same city that welcome a Littlefield re-election also wants to welcome immigrants with open arms. Are we really, really wanting to make Chattanooga the next Dalton, GA?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalton,_Georgia
56 percent White & 21% Hispanic or 'other', with actual jobs belonging to a majority of the Hispanic population.
David Morton on March 9, 2009
Thanks. We get it. You don't like anyone of the Hispanic persuasion. Read our Comment Policy #1. I can't believe we have to shut this thread down. It was a simple charitable opportunity. No more. No less.