I’ve learned that raising your voice is very important and that the old saying about unity, ‘In unity lies strength and sharing of the message’ is essential for getting everyone the help they need,” Yolanda shared.

Nearly 40 years ago, our founders mobilized around a shared belief in the power of community.

Too often when a community or neighborhood faces a problem, the community isn’t seen as the key to solving that problem. It happened at our founding, when non locals began carving up streets and making decisions about our community without our consent, and it still happens today.

Latinos are dying at a much higher rate to COVID-19.

34% of San Diego county are Latinx, yet they make up 61% of infections and 45% of the deaths.

So what can we do? It’s a tough, complicated question, but that's why it's so important we ask it—and we are doing something about it!

Khalisa has a background in public health and is passionate about more holistic, nuanced approaches to making communities more healthy. As she put it, “health is a big part of quality of life. When people are healthy, their quality of life is often higher.”

Considering our mission statement is ‘improving the quality of life in City Heights’, it’s no surprise we’re so excited to have Khalisa onboard.