Saturday, November 9, 2024

Casa Familiar: 50 Years of Empowering Border Communities

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Founded in 1973, Casa Familiar, a community-based nonprofit, will be celebrating 50 years of serving residents in the communities of San Ysidro and South San Diego County. Led by an all-women of color leadership team, Casa’s history stands on the shoulders of strong women and a foundational understanding of the unique challenges faced by residents of the border region. Casa’s campuses of services are located in San Ysidro, home to the busiest port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico Border (a staggering 106 million individuals and 48 million cars and trucks cross this border every year!). The development and challenges of this vibrant region are intricately woven into its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Casa is dedicated to humanizing our border communities by challenging narratives that speak about the border as simply a place with a fence or a wall and how to protect it. Casa’s community engagement uplifts voices of the border community as an advocate for traditionally underrepresented and marginalized community members. They work to highlight San Ysidro as a vibrant community that embraces its bi-national culture, heritage, and people.

Casa offers an integrated approach of over 40 services aimed at a holistic approach to challenges which includes bilingual and culturally relevant programming through direct social services, youth programs and support, workforce development, a belief in everyone’s right to safe and sustainable communities through environmental justice advocacy, senior services and support, and understanding that building community is more than building “affordable units”. Casa believes that access to programs from arts and culture spaces to social and financial services and building connections with neighbors is key to creating a thriving community.

Casa Familiar invites you to help them build the next 50 years of transformation and change.
www.casafamiliar.org

Danitza Villanueva
Danitza Villanueva
Danitza Villanueva was born in San Diego but spent her youth with her family in Tijuana and grew up on both sides of the border. She has transferred her unique insight of cross-border culture, trends and philanthropy to her business and community interests. Danitza is the first woman from her family to graduate from college. She has two degrees, one from Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Fashion Marketing, and a second from San Diego Christian College in Communications. After starting GB Magazine with Esteban Villanueva in 2007, she has gone on to win awards and recognition from the community for her support of helping raise millions of dollars for non-profit organizations. Currently she resides in East County in San Diego where she and her husband Esteban run DAESVI Publishing, home to GB Magazine, among several other publications.

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