Guest Blog: 3 Investments that will Give your Small Business a Boost
By Don Pearson, Wells Fargo Regional Banking Executive Sometimes you have to spend money to make money and although that may feel like a risky proposition for a small business owner, there are areas where you can get a lot of bang for your buck. Here are three investments you should consider to give your small business a boost: Technology Upgrading or investing in technology can be an area that will enhance your business and create efficiencies. This category can be broad so consider what makes the most sense for your business. Whether it’s adding logistics software to help manage …
Rooted School Vancouver Opens Enrollment for SW Washington’s First Charter Public High School; Announces Executive Director and $1.35M in Funding for Fall 2023 Opening
New school bridges inequality gaps for Vancouver’s underserved students with local workforce demands January 18, 2023–Vancouver, Wash.– Rooted School Vancouver today announced that it has opened enrollment for its Fall 2023 class of 9th graders at SW Washington’s first ever public charter high school. Widely recognized as one of the most innovative high school models in the U.S., Rooted School’s vision is to rapidly close America’s wealth and inequality gap by connecting underserved and talented high school graduates with a college acceptance in one hand, and a job opportunity in the other. The school’s curriculum gives students a proactive role …
Affiliate Support Program: Increasing resiliency at the UnidosUS Fall Convening
In 2021, Raza Development Fund kicked off an Affiliate Support Program (ASP) aimed at helping UnidosUS affiliate non-profit organizations navigate pandemic challenges and increase their capacity for growth. This program was led by Eric Salazar, RDF’s late Familia member who served as our Director of UnidosUS Affiliated Investments. After he passed away unexpectedly in June of 2022, RDF’s partners at the San Juan Diego Institute (SJDI), who had worked closely with Eric providing technical assistance, stepped up to ensure ASP’s impactful work continued. In this capacity, Dr. Ryan Hanning, SJDI Fellow and ASP technical assistance provider, attended last month’s UnidosUS …
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month Every Day!
“It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand.” – Sonia Sotomayor The long table is always filled with food from tortillas and chicken from the Ranch Market around the corner to share, to homemade sweet empanadas, chilis from a personal garden and other buffet style lunches in our cocina just like we would at home. We embrace and connect around the table in mixtures of Spanish, English and Spanglish. This is Raza Development Fund! We call ourselves a Familia, not …
RDF’s 4 Emerging Latino Servant Leaders
Count On Us! For over 20 years, Raza Development Fund has proudly provided financial capital to a Latino-serving organizations and Latino-owned small businesses because we know Latinos are a great investment. As we partner with UnidosUS on the Count On Us AZ campaign to share the contributions of Latinos in Arizona, we are highlighting four of RDF’s emerging Latino servant leaders. While we all share a passion for creating better opportunities and equitable access for our Latino and low-income communities across the country, these four are prime examples of the talent and dedication that make up our Familia. Amanda …
RDF is Proud to Partner in the Count On Us AZ Campaign
Count On Us! This month and through October, we not only celebrate our heritage and Latino leaders for Hispanic Heritage Month, but we also have a special message: Arizona counts on Latinos! As a support corporation of UnidosUS, Raza Development Fund is proud to partner in the Count On Us AZ campaign. Together, along with Arizona’s UnidosUS affiliate nonprofit organizations, we’ll raise awareness of Latinos’ contributions to Arizona’s economy and culture while inspiring action to remove barriers that Latinos and others face—in employment, education, housing, and health care. For RDF, this campaign is a perfect alignment with our work …
RDF Sponsors Student Aviation Program at NFL YET College Prep Academy
What did you want to be when you grew up? How were you first introduced to that idea? When we were children, most of us dreamed of careers we saw in movies and books. Those dreams tend to shift as we approach young adulthood. We gather information from our families, schools, mentors and local communities to determine paths that may seem more attainable for us. Unfortunately, for low-income and underserved communities what may seem “attainable” can be very limiting. That’s why it’s critical to create opportunities to expose our youth to a variety of options for their futures. In a …
Meet Natalya Merida
Hello Familia! My name is Natalya Merida-Brito, and I am a Senior at Moon Valley High School in Arizona. I am currently working with the Communications department. I have been a part of RDF for the past three years, and overall, my experience has been excellent. I always feel included and loved by RDF’s family, and I am happy to be part of la Familia I am an Arizona native with strong Hispanic roots that lead to Mexico City and Guerrero, Mexico. I am interested in pursuing a career in the medical field to help my Latino community because I …
RDF Familia Wishes Tom Espinoza Farewell
By Melissa McDonald, RDF’s Chief Operating Officer My dearest Jefe (Tom Espinoza), I was given the great honor to write Raza Development Fund Familia’s farewell message as you “Step Up” as co-founder and President and CEO of RDF for the past 23+ years. You must know that I have struggled with this message. How in the world do I convey what you mean to us and the great respect and gratitude we all have for being blessed to serve with you? Jefe, you are an icon, a true servant-leader, and an Architect of Hope. You have shown the world what is …
UnidosUS 2022 Conference: From the Eyes of an Intern
By Natalya Merida, RDF’s Communications Department Intern This year marks my third summer being in RDF’s Familia, and this year I had the privilege of attending UnidosUS 2022 Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. While this was my third conference; it was my first time attending in-person. Each year I have had the opportunity to write about my perspective of these conference sessions on the RDF blog. I am excited to take a deep dive into all the outstanding topics that UnidosUS had in store for this year’s conference revolving around the theme “Siempre Adelante – Our Quest for Equity.” …