The Canal Welcome Center (CWC) primarily serves foreign-born residents of the Canal Area of San Rafael. This area is named for the small canal that separates it from the rest of the City of San Rafael. The Canal’s demographic characteristics make the neighborhood truly unique. According to the 2000 Census, 64% of Canal residents are foreign-born. In a county whose population is 85% Caucasian, the Canal neighborhood is one of the few pockets of diversity. 67% of neighborhood residents are Latino; 20% are Caucasian; 8% are Asian; and 3% are African-American. In the last ten years alone, a large and continuous influx of immigrants has led to a 70% increase in the Canal Area’s population. Because the majority of these residents are foreign-born and low-income, CWC programs have primarily focused on developing their ability to participate more fully in local civic and economic life while also helping them to hold onto their unique cultural roots.

The CWC is distinct from other nonprofits serving the Canal community in that it is a grassroots, community-driven organization managed by Canal residents.  The CWC is run by volunteers, a full time Executive Director, and a part time coordinator assistant – all of whom live in the community and most of whom are immigrants.  The CWC’s programming focuses on developing resident leadership and skills to enable immigrants and other newcomers to participate more fully in the broader civic life of the community.   It is open five days a week, serves more than 5,500 people a year, and is governed by a board of nine residents.

CWC’s programs, a hybrid of community engagement and fostering cultural connectedness, include: advocacy, mobile consulates, civic & voting education, economic literacy, ESL classes, drop-in center, community cultural events, “Cesar Chavez School of Music & Art” and art shows showcasing the talent and cultural richness of the community’s residents.  Programs include:

Ø      Advocacy – in the past two years we have helped recover between $50,000 and $60,000 in wages for the day laborers from employers/individuals who were not paying.

Ø      Mobile Consulates where immigrants meet with consulates from their country of origin to secure vital legal documents, information and assistance they need to gain legal status in this country.  Last year CWC served 1,600 residents through this program.

Ø      Civic and Voting Education – to get out the vote and connect residents with civic leaders for question and answer sessions.  In the last three years CWC in partnership with grassroots organizations has connected over 1,500 residents to civic and voting information.

Ø      Economic Literacy to help residents understand how to start small businesses, how to manage their money and fundamentals of how our banking systems work here in this country.  Highlights of this work include financial workshops, referrals to financial services available in the community and business connections.

Ø      ESL classes – to provide them with a working knowledge of the language so they can be more successful securing and keeping jobs and successfully navigating through the community.  Over the last 4 years CWC has provided ESL training for over 500 residents.

Ø      Drop-In Center to help immigrants get connected to resources they need to succeed (e.g., information on how to get job opportunities, housing, health, educational and legal services.)  The Drop-In Center is open 5 days per week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Ø      Community Cultural events:  CWC supports and helps to organize cultural events with the Mayan community, Day of the dead Celebration at Pickleweed Park Community Center,  the Vietnamese Tet Festival and Memorial Day, Navidad in the Canal, the “Cesar Chavez” annual celebration, and the International Festival.

Ø      “Cesar Chavez School of Music & Art” – culturally relevant training in music and art for Canal residents.  Thanks to small grants from the Marin Arts Council, the San Francisco Foundation and Marin Community Foundation, the CWC was able to launch this program in March 2006.  So far, the program has enrolled 100 residents in this program and thanks to the support of Supervisor Steve Kinsey, 10 students will receive a full scholarships during the fall semester of 2006.

Ø      Community Art Shows – showcasing art by local residents in various media (e.g., watercolor, oil, photography, sculpture).  These events have brought together the community for fellowship and building cultural awareness.

The Board members are from the community and represent it well in all its diversity in terms of economic background, ethnicity and immigrant status.  As a board that is of the community, for the community and by the community, it is in close touch with the community’s needs, wishes, and problems. 

CWC benefits from a cadre of 33 volunteers who also represent the economic, ethnic, and immigrant status diversity of the community.  These volunteers have taken on a variety of tasks in the agency, some of which include organizing community events, working at the front desk providing general information and referrals to services, helping residents to connect with job opportunities and completing jobs applications, improving the CWC (janitorial, and maintenance work), supporting ESL students, advisory board.  It is through their efforts that CWC is able to serve over 150 residents per week in the variety of programming outlined above.

Douglas Mundo, CWC’s Executive Director and resident of the Canal Area, has been an integral part of these projects.  From gaining the trust of, polling and hearing residents’ needs to helping with implementing their projects, Douglas’ ability to work effectively for and with the Canal’s residents is proven.  Douglas is originally from El Salvador.  He graduated in 1992 from INJOSICA – the college prep school in El Salvador – with a degree in physics and mathematics and computer technology. In addition, he has a diploma from ITEPAL – the Latin America Institute for Leadership in Bogota, Colombia- as community organizer and Latin American Youth advisor.  Douglas completed his AA from the Marin Community College in modern languages, which focuses on the entomology of Latin-based languages. Currently, Douglas is studying Public Administration at the College of Professional Studies at USF.  Because of his leadership and academic achievements, Douglas was selected as a recipient for the 2006 Telemundo Hispanic Business Salute Scholarship, presented by Telemundo-NBC and The Hispanic Chambers of Commerce of the Northern region, in California.  Than Phan, Coordinator Assistant, has a strong history of community work, including service on the Pickleweed Advisory Board, working with the City of San Rafael’s community centers to assist newcomers, organizing a Vietnamese school for children, leading ESL & citizenship classes for seniors, and work with the Canal Community Alliance.  Our ESL Instructors. Hanikkah Diaz received her Master of Science in Counseling Psychology at Dominican University in San Rafael, California. She worked for the family Service Agency of Marin providing counseling services for the community. She has also worked with Ohlhoff Outpatient Recovery Programs providing health and counseling services for individuals rehabiliating from chemical dependency and eating disorders.  Hanikkah enjoys working and learning from the members of our community in the Canal. She is currently the Welcome Center’s ESL Instructor.  Regina Coston, received her Masters of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. After working for in the private sector, Regina decided to return to teaching. Giving back to the community has been a priority for Regina, therefore, she looked for opportunities to work with the Hispanic community in the Canal Area. She began volunteering for the San Rafael Literacy Program by helping Spanish-speakers learn how to read and write in their native language. There, she provided group and individual instruction.