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Candice Bun
In Community Happenings, , Upcoming Events

November Newsletter 2022

Click for Community Thanksgiving Information
Just like that Generations United turns 15! As a young girl growing up in a challenging environment, I had a longing for mentors, encouragement, and support from caring adults. That desire led to a dream that children and families would have the opportunity to succeed. No matter what the circumstances, children deserve to be set up to flourish. We are grateful that this dream became a reality in November 2007 when Generations United stepped out in faith and became incorporated. After various endeavors, we launched an evening program at Hoover School in early 2010. This was the first step in our vision to empower children to succeed and to partner with caring leaders in Redwood City.
Students with mentors are 55% more likely to enroll in college and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions than students without mentors! Facts from Mentor.com (click to read more)
The vision of creating a safe and nurturing community while mobilizing caring adults in intergenerational relationships continues today. We are filled with gratitude for the hundreds of people who have joined us on this journey. No one knew what the future would hold, but we knew it would include providing an opportunity for many people to work together, sacrifice, and collaborate for the betterment of the lives of many. Join us in asking: How can we continue to collectively support students and their families in the days, weeks, and months to come? We will continue to touch the lives of many through our willingness to invest and stay the course in these difficult times. We are stronger together.
Below, we included an article from our friends at CZI. They also produced this beautiful video highlighting GU and the artwork of our students.

THANK YOU for all you do to help so many succeed through your prayers, love, encouragement, and support. We couldn’t do this without you! Join us for our Thanksgiving Community Dinner (see below). We’re excited that this dinner will be held in our community!

November Events

  • Sunday,11/13- Community Thanksgiving Dinner @ Little Flock Church in North Fair Oaks (info below)
  • Tuesday, 11/15 – Generations United turns 15!!!
  • Sunday, 12/4 – Christmas at the Fox (details below) Get your tickets now!

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

We would love to see you at our annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 13. We will be at Little Flock COGIC and all of our community members, volunteers, and donors are invited!
Join us or Donate today

Día de Los Muertos

Thank you to those who joined us as we honored the memory of loved ones who have passed on. In the Mexican tradition, an ofrenda (altar) is put up in the home with photos of our departed relatives and friends. You can also include various items that they loved along with other symbolic things. We welcomed community members to add to our altar at our AEC and had a celebration together with snacks, and sharing!

Local & Global Mission Fair at PCC

Danza Colibri was the highlight of a recent event to engage the community at Peninsula Covenant Church (our partner for over a decade). They hosted an event to encourage their members to go GLOBAL AND LOCAL to mobilize more congregants to engage. As long-time supporters of Generations United, we were so proud to represent all of the work that we do in the community and demonstrate the talents of our students and families! These children participate in music and dance classes weekly at our location in North Fair Oaks and are quite busy this season. They will join us at our December holiday event!

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative featured GU in a blog post highlighting our students’ artwork.
Visit our Donation Page
Click here to view our AEC Calendar and stay up to date!

Giving Tuesday
Remember that the Tuesday after Black Friday is #GivingTuesday and is the biggest giving day of the year for nonprofits! We have a goal of $15,000 in honor of our 15 years of service to the community and we need your help to spread the word! Share Generations United with your friends. Tweet, add to stories, TikTok, or Facebook…whatever you do, join us as we expand our reach. Don’t forget to add GU to your AmazonSmile donations to donate a percentage of your purchases to us. Info here.
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to kick off the Christmas Season and support Generations United. We are so blessed to partner with Brandon and look forward to seeing you at the show!
VIP tickets are available. Click the photo for more information.
Candice Bun
In Community Happenings, Upcoming Events

Cultural and Community Opportunities

Explore the culture around our city and find ways to get and stay connected to our neighbors in Redwood City.

A decorated guitar with a label of La Musica
picture of a taco stand
group of dancers in traditional Mexican dress

We’ve added a map below for some of the suggested locations. Have fun exploring!

2. EL PAVO– Join us in our Community Thanksgiving Dinner (11/13 @ 4 pm) Sign up HERE

3. LA IGLESIA– Attend a Spanish-speaking church (Kairos Church or Verbo)
Kairos Church, Familia Cristiana Verbo, Templo La Luz

7. LA MÚSICA– Listen to Spanish worship music or attend a concert in Spanish

10. EL PAN DULCE– Try a warm concha or a Mexican snack (Panaderia Michoacán)

11. LOS TACOS– Try a new restaurant/food (pupusas, tamales, caldo, birria, etc) or from a region you’ve never tried (Cuban, Puerto Rican, Peruvian)

15. EL MERCADO– Visit a Hispanic Market (Mi Rancho, El Mercadito Latino, Chavez, etc.)

16. LA CALAVERA– Join us at the AEC for a Día de los Muertos celebration on 11/1 @ 4 pm.

Attend Redwood City’s Día De Los Muertos Festival on November 6th (click on the icon above for details)

24. LA DANZA– Go to a cultural presentation (Danza Colibrí), an art exhibit, or join us for our Danza & Music classes on Fridays (4:45pm-5:45pm) or Mariachi lessons on Sundays (9:00am-1:00pm)

Candice Bun
In Community Happenings, Upcoming Events

Fall Events 2021

Stay up to date with events and opportunities around our community. See below for more information on Fall events in Redwood City, activities, resources, and more.

Día de los Muertos is a valuable part of Hispanic culture and Redwood City always celebrates with a vibrant display of altars downtown. Casa Circulo Cultural will once again be hosting in the Courthouse Square. Consider attending with the student you tutor and bring your family, too! (Check the CCC Facebook page for details)

Use the arrow to view the flyer in English / Use la flecha para ver el imagen en español.

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

Sign Up Here/Registrate AquiSign Up Here/Registrate Aqui
Learn about the traditional music and dance tradition of the southern region of Veracruz, Mexico. In this music and dance workshop you can learn to play the Jarana, a stringed instrument typical of the state of Veracruz. You will also learn platform dance with its zapateados that complement the Jarocha music. Join this fun workshop where everyone is welcome. Danza & Music Fridays (4:45pm-5:45pm) or Mariachi lessons on Sundays (9:00am-1:00pm)
Candice Bun
In Community Happenings

Emergency Fund Spring Break Update

Neighbors Together

As we finished up “Spring Break” week and celebrated Easter last month, we were definitely not on a break! Generations United has been providing support to families for the last 8 weeks since the Shelter In Place order was issued. As an essential organization serving those who need food and financial assistance, we have taken to the streets! Volunteers have donated food, finances, and their time to supply our families with much needed resources.
We were even able to provide 200 children with an Easter basket to bring some joy and hope during this time.

Thank you for all you are doing to help us!

We are still in contact with our families and helping direct them to community resources and providing them with much needed essentials.
We are excited to share with you soon how our organization is strategically poised to impact the lives of our neighbors in Redwood City. YOU ARE KEY!
See below how you can help today.

Join us by partnering in any of these ways:
smile.amazon.com
(Search for “Generations United Inc.” in Redwood City, CA)
Amazon Wish List
(items can be shipped directly to us)
paypal.me/GenerationsUnited
650-352-3792 or info@generations–united.com
Donate

YOUR GIFT HELPS MEET URGENT NEEDS
FOR FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Every donation helps us provide immediate, tangible support to families who have experienced job loss. We are also coming alongside those who are challenged to support children’s educational needs with limited resources and language skills.

Your gifts at the following levels help us to provide for families of various sizes in a number of ways, including:
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In Community Happenings

Lend A Hand – Emergency Fund

Friends of Generations United,

During this time, we will be collecting donations for an EMERGENCY FUND for the families we serve. Many of our students’ parents are out of work or have had hours drastically cut due to closures, lack of childcare, and lack of access to resources. This means an immediate threat to their housing as they will be unable to pay rent or utilities during this time. Additional difficulty getting basic items is also of great concern. We are communicating with them today to identify their needs and want to be able to spring into action as soon as possible.

In addition to monetary donations, we are accepting donations of

  • food (non-perishables like cereal, canned goods, oil, flour, etc, staples like bread, milk, eggs, and fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables)
  • personal hygiene items (feminine products, toothpaste, toiletries)
  • baby needs (diapers sizes 2-5, formula, wipes)
  • toilet paper, paper towels

Click here to make a donation and add a note “EMERGENCY” to mark your donation for these needs. 100% of donated funds will be used to support our families during this time. If you wish to make a cash or check donation, please mail to:
Generations United
PO Box 5131
Redwood City, CA 94063

For item donations, there are 2 options:

  • Scheduled drop off at: 2555 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City 94063.
  • Deliver a list of needed supplies directly to a family in need.

For either option, contact Mary Martinez (650)771-0013 mary@generations-united.com to coordinate a time.

Thank you for your continued support, kind words, and prayers. Please follow us on Facebook to stay updated with more ways to support our mission.

Angie Ibarra and the GU Team

“When we build relationships where we live, we discover the complexities of standing with the vulnerable and the commitment needed for long-term change.”

– Michelle Warren The Power of Proximity

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In Community Happenings, Volunteer Stories

Year End Update 2019

Greetings,

An incredible 2019 for Generations United (GU) included twists and turns as well as divine surprises, sacrifices and a willingness to reach well beyond our comfort zone. Critical choices paid off in ways we never imagined as we partnered with more community members and organizations, got closer to new children and families as well as grew our staff and funding to new levels. Thank you to many who trusted in us as we met our changes and influx of families to reach into our community like never before.

January found us meeting with a new church partner: the Pastor of Redeemer Church in Redwood City joined me as I shared the challenging stories of the families in North Fair Oaks. Through tears we agreed that there was something we could do together. By March, we were dreaming of a summer camp for children displaced by the closures of four schools in Redwood City. So many of these precious families were heartbroken and there was only one thing we knew… we need to serve and honor them in a special way as they grieve the loss of their school community. Summer STEAM camp was already part of what we’ve offered over the years, but this was a newer (enhanced) model. Being on the beautiful Redeemer campus in June brought such dignity and joy to the families. We experienced community in a unique and special way with 120+ new volunteers from Redeemer, YMSL, and Street Code who served cross culturally with mothers in the kitchen preparing hot meals while offering whole family activities in a larger space. As we reminisce about this summer we are still brought to tears as we remember the lives that were impacted.

On the heels of a tremendous summer outreach, we headed right into the launch of a new school year. With the school closures we focused our efforts on developing new relationships while maintaining a presence where GU’s heartbeat lies, in North Fair Oaks. Formerly Fair Oaks school campus now has close to 1,000 students with 2 charter schools housed together. We began the school year with the intent of serving children on the campus, but found that in order for us to offer quality programming, while developing long term impact and relationships, we needed more space. Our surprise was when we took a risk and contacted a long time friend at a local church. Stewart Chapel AME Zion is the spot where our latest outreach center has been located since October 1st. It was no easy feat and we were thrust into planning and moving into a church we hoped would be blessed by some TLC with the smiles of 40 children. Just like Redeemer Church, a pastor opened his arms and church to a GU dream to serve children and families. This new location is just blocks from KIPP Excelencia and has brought such a confirmation of a dream to provide a safe place for those who live in fear, trauma, and pain. Please know that we’d love to have you come take a tour of any of our locations and see firsthand the beautiful families we serve.

The uneven wealth of the tech economy along with the spike in housing costs is causing systemic displacement. GU seeks to empower this community through our centers which provide academic and whole-family support. As we head into a new year and a new decade, I’m incredibly grateful for what is on the horizon. We are fortunate to have you consider joining the GU family as we remain committed to reach our city in love.

Our joy is to be on the forefront of serving the most vulnerable in our midst. May you find great joy in wrapping up 2019 and moving into a new decade. We hope you enjoy the holidays and will consider a generous investment in families. Our commitment remains to steward your finances well and see the lives of many transformed in Redwood City. We believe in the power of love. Please respond today with your generous and sacrificial financial support. Every year we have been fortunate to have generous donors who will allow for your gifts to be doubled! Our miracle challenge is for $100,000 that will be matched by 1/31/19. This is the biggest financial endeavor we have had, but know that we will accomplish this only with your help. As our work to serve women, children, and vulnerable and poor immigrants in our city is so important, we hope to be at the top of your year-end giving list.

This has sustained us and allowed us to witness first hand the beauty of a dream fulfilled by teaming with amazing people like yourselves. For this we are forever humbled and grateful. Thank you for standing with us and believing in us. Filled with gratitude and more determined than ever to launch full force into 2020 with a new vigor and focus.

– Angie Ibarra

“When we build relationships where we live, we discover the complexities of standing with the vulnerable and the commitment needed for long-term change.”

– Michelle Warren The Power of Proximity

Up to $100,000 match! Double your giving to reach more children & families!

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In Community Happenings, , Upcoming Events

November Calendar Items and Information

Greetings!
November is around the corner and we have been extremely blessed and active at GU! We are heading into 2020 with an incredible story of God’s continued grace upon our work. Be on the lookout for our end of year letter in the coming weeks. We have big goals for 2020 and a match campaign for further expansion is in place through January 31st! You can give here: http://generations-united.com/donate/
Did you like the movie Coco? Join us this Sunday, 11/3 for Redwood City’s annual Dia De Los Muertos event downtown. What a great way to learn of the deep and rich culture of the Mexican celebration that honors those who’ve gone before us! Music, food, dance, altars – see you there! https://www.casacirculocultural.org/dia-de-muertos
We want to be sure you know about additional calendar items for November:
We will be partnering with Menlo Church for Serve Your City. They will do some work with us on our new location at Centro Destino – Stewart Chapel AME Zion, 536 Hurlingame Avenue, Redwood City. We can always use additional help from our precious team members!
  • Contractor Needed!
    We are in need of a kitchen remodel at Centro Destino Stewart Chapel AME Zion
    Please refer any leads to:
    Angie Ibarra angie@generations-united.com
  • Saturday, 11/9 – Serve Your City
    25 to 30 volunteers – Invite staff, volunteers and families – 2 shifts.
    Register here: http://menloserves.online/register/#/projects/137
    Our NFO families will provide breakfast, snacks and lunch (pan dulce, pupusas, tacos)
  • Monday, 11/11 – Veterans Day Holiday
  • Tuesday, 11/12 – KIPP/Staff development day
  • Thursday 11/14 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM.
    GU annual Thanksgiving dinner!
    A time when the community comes together in
    a cross cultural community focused gathering.
    Join us!
    Centro Destino – Stewart Chapel AME Zion,
    536 Hurlingame Avenue, Redwood City.
    Click here to volunteer.
  • 11/25-11/28 – No school Thanksgiving holiday
We are celebrating the grand opening of our latest center in North Fair Oaks – Centro Destino. The photos to the right are from our recent event with CZI.
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In Community Happenings, , Upcoming Events

Miracles Are Happening in Redwood City

October is upon us and we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage month with the best news: the fulfillment of God’s BIG dreams for our community in North Fair Oaks in Redwood City. June, July, and August were a whirlwind of hard work and success with 2 summer programs and backpack drive for 1,000 students in Redwood City! Personally, I successfully became a certified mentor, coach, speaker and trainer for John Maxwell and recorded a podcast telling the GU story. Listen here: Generations United Story
Summer 2019 will go down in the GU history books as one of the most productive and miraculous ever! School started with a bang on August 19th in 2 locations with 55 students. Within a month, we were furthering our discussions with a wonderful church partner to provide a location for our families to expand and enhance our reach into the community!
Effective Tuesday, October 1, we will serve 40 children Monday-Thursday after school at our new location! This is a dream come true after many years of believing for a community outreach center! There is a lot of work to do, but we believe that with everyone coming together, we can see the fulfillment of a community outreach center being fully functional in 2020! Sports, dance, ESL, immigration education, adult classes, music, and mental health services, cross-cultural learning groups are all part of this dream. Although we have a lot of work ahead of us, what hasn’t required that before? It’s going to be wonderful to begin our journey with our academic enrichment center launch on October 1. We are casting the net wide for you to come by this weekend and help us spruce up the space and bring your smiles and gloves! There are a lot of other activities planned in the days to come, including a very special afternoon on Tuesday, Oct. 8 from 4p-6p when volunteers from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative will join us as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage month!
You are welcome to see our new facility and the wonderful space we are creating for our children and families of the community!
Saturday, 10am-4pm – Clean up & vision casting
Sunday, September 29 at 2:30pm
Take home fresh fruit and vegetables
donated by Facebook and meet our families!
 Stewart Chapel
536 Hurlingame Ave
Redwood City
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In Community Happenings,

New Church Partner!

Thank you for your continued support, prayers and love. The journey for GU has been nothing short of miraculous on so many levels. We have identified a partner church with Stewart Chapel AME, which is blocks from the former Fair Oaks campus.The story is incredible and the vision big, but we are so incredibly excited to see the fulfillment of a longstanding dream. In early 2000 I was working with another church reaching children and families through outreach events in NFO, this was the start of my love for this area in unincorporated Redwood City.

On 11/15/2007 GU was birthed with a vision to disciple nations, I joined PCC at the end of that year. In 2011 we began our work in RWC public schools and every year we have sensed God’s leading to move into closer proximity with children and families in the NFO community. The dream of transformational partnerships in collaboration with diverse churches is happening! The opportunity is great! Stewart Chapel is granting GU full access to this church which has about 20 congregants all African-American senior citizens who have a desire to reach out and engage with the families of the community. Children will bring this place to life in a glorious way and offer a local regional educational center that will empower children and families like never before! We are truly excited to see where God takes this partnership. It’s been amazing to share ideas with Grayelin Young the Pastor of the church. He is very excited about what we will do together!

You are cordially invited to pray with us this Sunday, September 15th @8am we’ve been invited to pray at the church. I’d love for you to join us! 536 Hurlingame Ave, Redwood City, CA 94063

Here are some pictures of the church. So much space and land for ministry activities! Believe with us!

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In Community Happenings,

July Newsletter

Greetings!

Thank you for investing in the work of Generations United. It’s wonderful to be able to update you on our work this past summer.

 

We held 2 distinct summer camps in Redwood City. One was held at an existing location: Schaberg/Roosevelt with 18 students, while a brand new endeavor took place with our newest church partner, Redeemer Lutheran. Redeemer has a successful private school and a longstanding local church. Pastor Paul Schult has been in

Redwood City for a few years and had been looking for ways to bring the two groups together, all while identifying a local partner for outreach. Our meeting in January sparked a conversation and led to the fulfillment of a longstanding dream for us. God’s timing is perfect. The closure of Fair Oaks and Hawes Schools left many people in our community heartbroken and displaced. The realization that perhaps we could host a summer camp at a local church seemed to be the perfect idea for these precious families who had felt abandoned, marginalized and disillusioned. Many students who have experienced the pain of school closures in RWC found themselves showered with the love and care of a family of believers coming together with one purpose: to love!

We are eternally grateful for the outpouring of over 121 adults and 28 LIT’s (leaders in training) who came together to serve 70 children; it was nothing short of a miracle. Generations United has been serving children in local schools since 2012, but this was our first endeavor at a local church. We are grateful to report that this was by far our most exciting summer ever! We believe everyone involved was touched in a positive way for the better and God was glorified!

The opposition to our plans was intense. We had planned to use the church’s bus which broke down a month before we launched. Three days before we launched we lost our lead teacher. God totally used this opportunity to allow us to trust Him! It was remarkable as a few weeks before I distinctly knew I was to send for my daughter (Crystal), a veteran missionary leader and children’s minister to come out to help lead an aspect of the camp. She literally saved the day! I know we couldn’t have done this camp without her. She sacrificed being home with her husband, and my grand-daughter Tishy was the youngest student and mascot for the camp. The team that Redeemer put together was stellar. I could tell endless stories of how each of the individuals made this local mission trip an incredible adventure. It was miraculous what happened on so many levels.

We put together a prayer team (thank you Mary Lou Morton & PCC), an incredible kitchen crew that cooked home made breakfast and lunch daily. Some of the Redeemer ladies found themselves seeing the work they did together as “cooking lessons.” It was indeed a positive cross cultural experience. There are too many highlights to count. Watching people of different ethnic groups, stories and backgrounds was priceless! All we can say is that we and our community were changed for the better and God was glorified. GU has served many of these families over the course of 6 summers and by far they all said this was their best! We are hoping to have an opportunity to connect again in the future to celebrate together and share great stories. In fact, wouldn’t it be great if we got together to celebrate more often? Please enjoy the pictures attached and witness the smiles, joy and cross cultural outreach.

Thank you for your incredible hearts, love and sacrifice. We welcome you to continue journeying with us to serve children and families. This school year we will launch our after school programming to 100+ children for our 7th year . We will remain on the former Fair Oaks campus working with KIPP Excellencia with 850 students. Our expectation is to serve a few hundred, as well continue on the 2 existing campuses we work with. This will require lots of prayer, local missionaries, volunteers and mentors on local school campuses. Will you join us? We covet your prayers, your finances, your time, and your talent. Would you consider becoming a monthly financial donor? With our expansion we will need more staff. This is a big request as the unemployment rate is low and most organizations serving families are vying for the same people.

Lastly, as we wrap up our camp, we would ask you to pray for the 160+ new volunteers and 70 children, as well as for the new school year. We are non-stop and in the throws of our backpack drive in July/August. We know that we have aggressive goals, but we are desperate to do ALL we can to see children succeed in the years to come!.

I leave you with a thought from The Power of Proximity “We can see evidence of injustice all around us, whether in continuing incidents of racial inequality or in the systemic forces that disenfranchise people and perpetuate poverty. It’s important to learn about the city’s inequities and to be a voice for the voiceless any way we can.”

Angie Ibarra
Executive Director, Generations United

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