Ruby Alvarez, Class of 2016
Posted: Aug 8, 2022 | Author:
AVP - Community Development, GECU
Prior to my graduation from the DE Program I had imagined providing a resource for the El Paso community that would prevent families from wondering how they would be able to put food on their tables. From making the choice between shelter or hunger especially for youth who require a certain amount of nutrition to grow and learn properly.
The project I envisioned was a sustainable Food Pantry for an economically distressed, food insecure area in one of El Paso's many Opportunity Zones. In 2018, were able to make that dream a realization and have since provided over 112,000 meals to the families in that area in 2021 alone. An unexpected benefit from opening the Mi Comunidad food pantry as not only how the neighborhood took to it but that it also became an after-school haven for the children in this neighborhood. and distribute school supplies, Christmas gifts, and Thanksgiving meals annually.
The Mi Comunidad Center plays a vital role in promoting overall health, well-being and economic empowerment, and education via after-school tutoring, ESL classes, financial education and more. Meeting basic needs empowers our community to learn about and to pursue a stronger financial future. The evolution of the intentions and purpose behind this Food Pantry has allowed us to tackle some of our most pertinent developmental issues such
education, hunger, and health.
Next, the Student Board of Directors (SBOD) was an initiative that came about in response to the need for financial education in the El Paso community. The SBOD is for area high school seniors with good grades, well rounded hobbies, and the desire for leadership skills while receiving honest and vital information about personal finances and savings methods. Participants on the SBOD receive firsthand knowledge about GECU’s operations, learning about being financially skillful while becoming better prepared for college, the workforce and community involvement. They participate in several GECU events helping promote financial literacy in their schools. Students learn about GECU Operations, personal finance, entrepreneurship, and professional development.
We have created a space for high achieving students to learn all about the credit union movement, their important role within the community and valuable financial education tools. Since the SBOD started we have been able to impact several students, having actually placed some in internships, and helped them achieve valuable tax skills. As the program continues to evolve we have recently designed and implemented a new curriculum for the board that will also include valuable soft skill experiential learning so that they can utilized these in whatever their future endeavors may be.
Which Development Issue(s) did you address with your project(s)?
The Developmental Issues both these initiative's address are:
- Education
- Savings Mobilization
- Hispanic representation
- Health
- Hunger
About SBOD
The Student Board of Directors (SBOD) was an initiative that came about in response to the need for financial education in the El Paso community. The SBOD is for area high school seniors with good grades, well rounded hobbies, and the desire for leadership skills while receiving honest and vital information about personal finances and savings methods. Participants on the SBOD receive firsthand knowledge about GECU’s operations, learning about being financially skillful while becoming better prepared for college, the workforce and community involvement. They participate in several GECU events helping promote financial literacy in their schools. Students learn about GECU Operations, personal finance, entrepreneurship, and professional development.
We have created a space for high achieving students to learn all about the credit union movement, their important role within the community and valuable financial education tools. Since the SBOD started we have been able to impact several students, having actually placed some in internships, and helped them achieve valuable tax skills. As the program continues to evolve we have recently designed and implemented a new curriculum for the board that will also include valuable soft skill experiential learning so that they can utilized these in whatever their future endeavors may be.
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