Community Champion Awards & Fundraiser - 2020 Program

Awards & Fundraiser

NOVEMBER 20, 2020



ABOUT US

Fresno Building Healthy Communities is a coalition of residents, young people,
community- and faith-based organizations working to foster and encourage
thriving communities, where all children and families can live healthy, safe, and
productive lives.

We are working to build a long-term foundation for a healthier community with our
legacy to be carried on for years to come through the leadership of community
members. Recognizing a democracy in which all community members are valued
and included, we believe authentic community transformation and long-term
positive change can be achieved.

Fresno Building Healthy Communities focuses on key areas inspired by the
community’s stated priorities. Partners work in teams to influence policy and
change systems through advocacy and action.

CVCF is a proud supporter of
Fresno Building Healthy Communities

Community Champion Awards

Congratulations to this year’s
Community Champions!

www.centralvalleycf.org Follow Us on Social Media

@CentralValleyCF

OUR STAFF

Sandra Celedon

President & Chief Executive Officer

Jazmin Santana Kimberly McCoy
Director of Operations Project Director

Tishanna Dillard Seleny Diaz
Communications Specialist Project Specialist

Olivia Alvarez Dalia Santana Zamudio
Project Specialist Project Assistant

Bernadine Tuisavalalo Cecilia Soto
Executive Administrative Assistant Administrative Assistant

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ashley Werner
Board Chair

Leonardo Gonzalez
Treasurer

Adrien Ferguson
Secretary, Youth Representative

Socorro Santillan

Genoveva Islas

10 YEARS OF PEOPLE POWER

2009
Hosted community and stakeholder participatory meetings to outline the structure, goals, and objectives
of Fresno Building Healthy Communities.

2010
Launched the Fresno Building Healthy Communities coalition.

2011
In April 2011, held the first press conference calling on the City of
Fresno for investment in central, southeast, and southwest Fresno
neighborhoods.

Launched the Restorative Justice campaign to encourage Fresno
Unified School District to shift its culture and discipline policies to
support students.

2012
Launched the Fresno Boys and Men of Color effort to help build
young men’s leadership and advocacy skills while providing
resources and safe spaces for support and healing.

2013
Supported youth-led advocacy grassroots effort to implement restorative justice within Fresno Unified
School District by holding several rallies, door knocking, and attending Fresno Unified board meetings.

Launched the coalition’s 2020 and Beyond sustainability and planning process.

Led community and legal advocacy to push back on County of Fresno efforts to cut safety net health
program access for undocumented Fresnans.

Began youth organizing efforts in support of more and better
parks.

2014
Spearheaded community organizing efforts that lead to the
adoption of a community-driven Fresno General Plan update that
shifts investment to established neighborhoods instead of sprawl.

Fresno Unified School District launched the Restorative Practices
pilot in response to community advocacy efforts.

2015
Led community organizing effort to encourage the City and Fresno Unified School District to adopt and
implement a joint-use agreement, wherein selected schools are used as open green space on weekends.

Convinced the City of Fresno to adopt an ordinance restricting the number of payday lender locations.

Helped secure $5.5 million to create a Non-Resident Specialty Care Fund to extend specialty care to
undocumented Fresnans.

Launched the youth-led #Parks4All campaign, calling for more and
better parks for all and greater investment in recreation and after school
programing.

2016
Designed and built a world-class skate plaza at Romain Park alongside more
than 250 skaters.

Successfully advocated for an update to Fresno Unified’s English Learner
Master Plan to ensure all students are English proficient.

Advocated for the expansion of Medi-Cal access for undocumented
children.

Persuaded the City of Fresno to update the 1989 Parks Master Plan to create more and better parks for all.

Persuaded the City to adopt a new code enforcement ordinance to hold slumlords accountable.

Elevated youth voice in the City of Fresno by establishing the Fresno Police Chief Youth Advisory Council
and City of Fresno Youth Commission.

Formally incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization.

2017
Residents pushed city officials to implement the Rental Housing
Improvement Act and amend the city’s Housing Element to
address Fresno’s housing crisis.

Helped create and ensure residents’ spearheaded the
Transformative Climate Communities program bringing more than
$70 million worth of investments to south Fresno.

After more than a decade of advocacy, the city supported the adoption of the Southwest Fresno Specific
Plan and the relocation of the Darling Rendering Plant.

Conducted the first, resident-driven Community Health Needs Assessment in
South Fresno to help shape how hospitals invest in local communities.

Helped draft and launch the Safe School District resolution to designate
Fresno Unified as a safe school district for all children and families.

2018
After more than three years of advocacy, an updated Parks Master Plan
was adopted.

Gathered more than 12,000 signatures and helped secure more than
61,000 votes in support of Measure P, a citizen-led initiative to equitably
invest in Fresno parks system.

Led efforts in the Central Valley to help pass Prop. 68 to create $4 billion in investments for state and local
parks and other environmental justice investments.

Alongside South Central Neighbors United, successfully protected our
community from another polluting industrial facility.

Led local efforts to hold not-for-profit hospitals accountable to their
obligation to improve community health through preventative
investments, leading to the denial of hospital requests to reduce charity
care obligations by the California Attorney General.

2019
Worked with community members to formulate a plan to reimagine Calwa Park as part of a $6.6M grant
submission for the California Department of Parks and Recreation Statewide Parks Program (Prop. 68)

Purchased a facility in South Central Fresno to serve as the Fresno BHC corporate home and community
hub.

Designed and built a world-class BMX Park at Mary Ella Brown
Community Center in southwest Fresno alongside 200 young people.

2020
In partnership with Friends of Calwa and Calwa Recreation and Park
District, was awarded a $6.6 million grant by the California Department
of Parks and Recreation Statewide Park Program to help upgrade
Calwa Park.

Established the Immigrant Refugee Coalition’s COVID-19 Equity Project
to help underserved community members through the COVID-19 pandemic – receiving over $6M in
CARES Act funding – to hire more than 75 Community Health workers to provide prevention health
education, support expanded testing events, and provide direct financial support.

Helped lead the Fresno Commission on Police Reform – resulting in 73 recommendations to reduce
enforcement and increase prevention efforts to create community safety.

2020 COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

Fresno Building Healthy Communities’ Community Champion Awards recognizes
the contributions of key leaders in the community who demonstrate tireless
dedication and leadership to help create #OneHealthyFresno.

CHALI LEE

Chali Lee knows how to break barriers, and has
found his voice through the community-based
organizations he works with, and continues
to inspire other youth to get involved in the
community.

His work with Fresno Boys and Men of Color
is noteworthy on its own, but coupled with his
involvement with the #Parks4All campaign and
his work to get community members to vote in
support of Measure P, shows just how dynamic of a leader he is. Alongside his
brothers, Chali spearheaded several Meet at the Park events in south Fresno to
engage with families, talk to parents one-on-one about the importance of parks,
while providing recreational opportunities for young people in attendance.

Chali is also a champion for LGBTQ+ and gender justice. This year, Chali
organized a storytelling collective called “Breathe” through the Queer Hmong
Intersectional Pride group hoping to increase community awareness among the
Hmong community for LGBTQ + youth.

What does creating #OneHealthyFresno mean to Chali? It’s a place where all
people are able to thrive and be their most authentic self.

KEVIN HAMILTON

In 2009, while working at Clinica Sierra Vista,
Kevin Hamilton received a survey from The
California Endowment asking his opinion on
adopting a “place-based” approach to address
different injustices throughout the state, and level
of involvement he would like in such a project.
After participating and helping lead numerous
meetings with community members, stakeholders,
and other community-based organizations, an
ambitious endeavor was born and Fresno Building
Healthy Communities was established with Hamilton at the helm.

Since its inception, Hamilton played an integral role in establishing a vision for the
coalition, served on the coalition’s first steering committee, and upon establishing
itself as its own community-based organization, served as the organization’s first
Board chair.

His leadership around several of the coalition’s efforts, including the
#Health4AllFresnans campaign established in 2013, helped solidify Fresno
Building Healthy Communities as a force in the community when it prevented
the Fresno County Board of Supervisors from ending the Medically Indigent
Services Program during the holiday season. Now the chief executive officer of
Central California Asthma Collaborative, Hamilton continues to work alongside
the coalition and its efforts to improve air quality in disadvantaged neighborhoods
and is an active member of multiple action teams.

With more than 20 years of advocacy experience, a registered respiratory
therapist by trade, and a graduate in Geology, Hamilton is a jack-of-all-trades, an
advocate at heart and, a community champion we all can aspire to be.

FAITH IN THE VALLEY

Founded by notable faith leaders and more than 120
congregations of diverse faiths, Faith in the Valley
recognizes the extraordinary need to advance
equitable economic and environmental conditions
for all residents in the Central Valley. Faith in the
Valley works to address the issues that people
experience each day: poverty, public safety, air quality, unemployment and police
violence against people of color.

Formerly Faith in Community, Faith in the Valley and Fresno Building Healthy
Communities have worked together since 2014 to ensure that the City of Fresno
General Plan invests in already established communities like central, southeast
and southwest Fresno. Most notably, Faith in the Valley’s efforts to address
Fresno’s housing crisis has led to many historic victories for the community,
including the establishment of the Rental Housing Improvement Act.

Most recently, Faith in the Valley was successful in bringing Advance Peace to
Fresno, a violence reduction effort credited for reducing gun violence in half in the
Bay Area city of Richmond. As of October, the City of Fresno officially approved
funding to implement the program with funds from private donors and the state.
Advance Peace will provide mentoring using street outreach workers to deliver
services and support while focusing on healing trauma in communities most
affected by gun violence.

Fresno Building Healthy Communities and Faith in the Valley share many
similarities. The biggest being the comprehension of people power and what one
unified community means for the advancement of everyone.

“#OneHealthyFresno is about people power and moral power. It’s about doing
the right thing for people who are most vulnerable,” said Andy Levine, Faith in the
Valley deputy director. “Working together, we have united collectively to fill City
Hall, continue to demand city officials to do the right thing, and are making sure
we are building people power so we can represent and unite an entire community,
across all demographics.”

LISA FLORES

Lisa Flores doesn’t label herself an advocate. She
never has, actually.

Not in the second grade after refusing to recite
the Pledge of Allegiance because it goes against
her religious and political beliefs. Not even while
fighting for LGTBQ rights in the 1980’s at Fresno
State, or as an ally of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To
Unleash Power).

Lisa doesn’t need a label - her outspoken nature and tenacity makes Flores a
powerhouse in the community.

Whether it’s being part of the Transformative Climate Communities program
calling for investment for underserved southwest Fresno communities; or as
member of the AB 617 steering committee to reduce air pollution in disadvantaged
communities; or her ongoing fight to hold local elected officials accountable to the
community, Flores’ advocacy has always centered around fighting for those who
are brave enough to speak up, but are often cast aside.

Now, Flores is doing what she can to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 by
sewing face masks in her spare time to provide to disadvantaged communities.
Flores joked she’s angrily sewing through COVID-19 alongside the Auntie Sewing
Squad, ensuring that everyone who doesn’t have a face mask get one, even
members of the Fresno City Council. In between her advocacy efforts, Flores has
made close to 150 masks so far.

Flores is a special kind of community leader who understands change doesn’t
happen overnight, but incrementally. The fight for #OneHealthyFresno isn’t a
sprint, it’s a marathon.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Fresno Building Healthy Communities wishes to thank its partners, volunteers, and
sponsors for its continuous support in creating #OneHealthyFresno, including:

The California Endowment
The Rose Foundation

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees
Central Valley Community Foundation

Leadership Counsel For Justice and Accountability
Sierra Health Foundation

Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission
City of Fresno

Kaiser Foundation
Resources Legacy Fund

A-Mark T-Shirts
Ana Palomares
Augie G. Blancas
Anonymous Donors

Veva Islas

TRUSTEE AREA 4
FRESNO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Congratulations to all the Community Champions
being recognized for their dedicated efforts to
improve community health. Thank you to Fresno
Building Healthy Communities for your tireless
efforts to create One Healthy Fresno through
advocacy and action. Working together we can
create the change that is needed in Fresno.

WE ARE





Street Address:
367 N. First Street
Fresno, CA 93702
Mailing Address:

PO Box 7694
Fresno, CA 93747

fresnobhc.org