By: Alexandra Elizondo
Dear Friends, Friday, November 1, 2024, marked one year since the launch of our seven Sunrise Centers in HISD, which have become lifelines for our students, families, and surrounding communities. The Sunrise Centers were developed to create a welcoming, reliable place for families to get what they need—from basic needs like food and supplies to more comprehensive services like health care and social assistance. Each center is a one-stop shop designed to address the real-life challenges our families face. Staffed by caring support professionals, the centers are equipped to help with case management, foster care assistance, legal aid, doctor’s visits, and so much more—deep support resources we weren’t able to offer with wraparound services alone in prior years.
To date, the Sunrise Centers have served more than 30,900 families, and the impact continues to grow. Each week, over 200 families visit the centers for food. Hundreds of students have been able to access aftfterschool care, sum- mer programs, and health care at no cost, as well as school uniforms and supplies, easing the financial bur- den on parents. Parents are taking ESL classes and engaging in workforce development, opening up pathways and opportunities for them as well.
Last Friday we celebrated the anniversary with a panel discussion at West Orem Family YMCA – our fifirst Sunrise Center to open –and we got to hear from Jessica, a mother to one of our pre-K students. She shared that not only was her Sunrise Center able to get her uniforms and school supplies, but she also found help.