Support Mission Immigrant Youth and Families In Crisis

Many residents of San Francisco know Cesar Chavez Elementary School for the beautiful murals depicting its' namesake, activist Cesar Chavez, along with other multicultural themes representing the entire community, such as the ASL alphabet mural on the Shotwell Street side of the building to represent Deaf and Hard of Hearing students and families. Chavez is an integral party of our Latinx Cultural District community.

It has become the center of food distribution, COVID-19 testing and community outreach during this crisis.  Many families from the Chavez  community have also gone out of their way to volunteer in these efforts, serving 478 families from all over the Bay Area, many of whom reside in the Mission District neighborhood.

Due to the Shelter-In-Place order across our city and state, the families of Cesar Chavez Elementary have been through severe economic strain. Not only that, but 90% of the people who have tested positive for COVID-19 were those who needed to leave their home to work. 95% of these individuals identified as being of Latinx heritage.

The Jamestown Community Center is hosting this fundraiser for the Chavez families in need of financial support at this time. The money we fundraise will go directly to those who have been impacted and have the highest need, primarily undocumented, unemployed, or homeless families.

In particular this fund will support our families who do not have access to unemployment benefits and will not receive a stimulus check to help them through this pandemic. Multiple families will be supported through $500 Visa Gift Cards that can be used towards paying for essential items such as groceries and toiletries. 

The Mission District is the heart of San Francisco. It’s where we gather for big wins, nights out, great food, and cultural events like Dia de los Muertos and Carnaval. The Mission is beautiful and vibrant because of the richness of art and culture that come from the unique Latinx heritage and cultures of its' residents. 

The families of Cesar Chavez play a big part in making this neighborhood run and contribute to its' vitality. The Mission District gives us so much.  We need to show our support, love and appreciation for the families that make The Mission like no other place in San Francisco.

Visit the GoFundMe Page and Give Today

Jamestown Persists Amidst School Closures and City Lockdowns

Familia, we hope you are staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. Jamestown, along with our community partners, have done our best to remain adaptable to the circumstances and continue working to ensure our communities are safe and informed on COVID-19.

Due to the closure of all SFUSD schools, our site-specific programming remains on hold during this lockdown. Still, despite the circumstances, Jamestown remains resilient and is taking an innovative approach to continue serving our youth and families.

Currently, Jamestown program staff are working daily at our Buena Vista Horace Mann Beacon stayover shelter to handle the added capacity and support youth and families during this time of crisis. The stayover program has been greatly expanded during this shelter-in-place order and Jamestown staff have stepped up to do their part. Chavez Elementary, one of our other Beacon sites, is providing a community food bank so our families and other vulnerable community members have access to the nutrition they need to stay healthy.

Despite the social distancing order, we have still been able to offer some of our community programs through online platforms. Our Strengthening Families class continues to host regularly scheduled meetings through video chat, so families can continue to build healthy relationships and communication practices. The Loco Bloco performance ensemble, despite not being able to meet physically, continue to rehearse via Zoom meetings, keeping them active and engaged with their community and art form.

Along with hosting program meetings online, we continue to share relevant resources on our social media from the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) as well as other community organizations working with similar populations. We want to ensure the families we serve are properly informed and connected to all the services available to them.

As Jamestown continues navigating through these uncertain times, we are doing our best to provide the services we can to our youth and families. In these tough times, it is imperative we continue to serve vulnerable populations to ensure the security of our community.

Thank you for supporting our work and being valuable members of our community.  We continue to send lots of love and light to all of our gente. Stay safe and strong everyone.

Jamestown Celebrates Latino Hispanic Heritage Month with the Cast of ON YOUR FEET!

Jamestown brought in Latino Hispanic Heritage Month in epic fashion with SHN Golden Gate Theater and the cast of the ON YOUR FEET! the Broadway musical inspired by the life and music of Gloria Estefan. The cast made a special appearance at our Chavez Elementary School Beacon Site, taking questions from the students and leading them in a conga dance lesson with help from Loco Bloco student performers.

Students, teachers and cast members were all smiles as they danced along to the rhythms of Gloria Estefan. The sun was shining down on the Mission District that morning, as past, present and future generations of Latino leaders came together in a moment of joyous celebration.

As part of the festivities, SHN donated $5,000 each to Cesar Chavez Elementary School and Jamestown in support of Latino youth in the performing arts. In addition, 175 students and their families received complimentary tickets to a performance of ON YOUR FEET! where Loco Bloco welcomed early theatergoers with a performance in the Golden Gate Theater mezzanine. Our own Arts Education Director Pedro Gomez gave opening remarks discussing the importance of Latino representation in the arts and the trailblazing work of Gloria Estefan.

Cesar Chavez Elementary School students and families also received a special video message from Gloria Estefan herself (check it out, below!). Jamestown is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to partner with these amazing artists and organizations to continue fighting for Latino communities in the Mission District and across the globe.