From the Desk of Oscar Chavez, Executive Director

Dear Friends of Community Action,

Our future-
I have been thinking about the future a great deal as of late. My decision to accept the position of Executive Director of this organization has clearly define the next decade for myself, my wife and each of our four boys. I am honored and humbled to be in a position to affect positive change and to provide the leadership, vision, innovation and creativity that will shape the future of Community Action in our community.

As I reflect on a movement that began over 40 years ago with the signing of the Economic Opportunity Act, I am reminded of the courage and conviction of our predecessors who believed that one day all people would be treated as equals, who believed that all people deserve access to a quality education, and the opportunity to work and live in decency and dignity. During our 40 year history we have made much progress; we have changed the lives of thousands of Sonoma County residents and have advocated for resources that help people reach economic self-sufficiency. Our work however is far from being done. (I need to talk about current social conditions)

In these first few months and I have been busy! Busy learning about all that this agency is doing in the community, education myself on what poverty looks like here in Sonoma County, trying to meet as many of the 225 staff members as I possibly can and then there are all of the agency friends I am trying to get to know.

I am truly excited to be part of the great history of Community Action as a movement and especially Community Action Partnership of Sonoma. As a community we face and will continue to face many new challenges in the coming years. However, I feel a great deal of comfort knowing that we are not in this alone. There are so many invested individuals who want to see real change happen for their neighbors – it is truly inspiring. I see only more partnerships, new friends and better opportunities to help families and individuals break free from the shackles of poverty. The next 40 years look to be full of innovation, excitement, hard work and I hope you continue to be part of this story with us.

In closing, I want to again say that I am so excited to be here – I am so fortunate to be able to wake up every morning and get to work in a field and a cause that I am passionate about. I am also extremely honored to lead a team of dedicated and committed professionals and to have the support of my board of directors who work tirelessly to improve the living conditions and quality of life for so many members of our community. And I am grateful to you, our friends and donors for your continued support and involvement in working with us to further our mission of helping people and changing lives.

I will endeavor to do the very best I can to lead this great organization and to work in concert with my staff, our board of director and our community partners to continue our mission of helping families achieve economic and social stability and to continue advocating for social and economic justice.