By Greg Archer | Contributing Colimnist
“One of our main goals is strengthening community and letting people know that there’s help for people with special needs,” said Isabel Torres, co-founder of the Ives Torres Foundation in Corona. “Sometimes people face barriers of language and barriers of technology, and it’s very difficult for them to get all the things done for their kids.
“We’re hoping to reduce those challenges,” she said.
It’s a bold mission for Torres and the nonprofit.
Nearly 20 years ago, Torres and her husband, Javier, set out on a mission to create and offer inclusive support for Hispanic families and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in special education and services. The couple’s son, Ives, is a child with Down syndrome and they wanted to help other parents and families connect with services and support.
The duo originally launched their endeavor under a different name, Padre con Poder, which operated as a support group. Several years ago, after getting through pandemic hurdles, the entity became a nonprofit, fittingly named after their son.
Ives Torres Foundation Team United at a rally and public forum for disability rights on May 18, 2024, in Bakersfield. (Courtesy of Ives Torres Foundation)
“When we created this organization not long after our son was born, we were working with so many parents,” Torres said. “We came from Mexico, so we faced the barriers that the parents have now. We knew that sometimes it was difficult for our community to get services, especially when you don’t know how the system works. As a support group we were very limited with the resources, then we just had this idea to become a nonprofit.”
In part, she said, to expand its reach, but also to offer more services. Recently, Ives Torres Foundation received a Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity Fund, or CIELO Fund, grant through Inland Empire Community Foundation.
The CIELO Fund’s mission is to uplift and invest in organizations, initiatives and ideas that are led by – and serve – Latinos in the Inland Empire, its website says.
Torres said the grant will be used to offer educational tech support services to families.
“One of the barriers that people in the community have is technology,” she said. “Many people in this community don’t use computers because they don’t have the resources to use computers, but they have phones. They have a smartphone. We’ll focus on teaching them how to use their smartphones, especially for the Zoom platform.”
To that end, the organization will provide workshops for the parents on Zoom. Torres also points out that another barrier the Hispanic community in the region faces is access to transportation, so virtual connection often becomes valuable.
In its effort to seek to decrease the disparity in services in the Hispanic community, it also is bringing individuals together. Activities and events hope to reduce inequity and spark inclusion, participation, and support networks.
Torres said one of the group’s main goals is to empower and improve the quality of life of individuals with disabilities and their families by linking them to proper resources, information, and education that, “promote their full participation in society.”
She went on to note that the organization hopes to continue collaborating with community organizations, educators, healthcare professionals, and families to identify needs. Developing strategies remains key.
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Torres points out the ongoing importance of creating programs that can be tailored to meet specific needs of disabled individuals. Advocacy, counseling, training, and community engagement will allow the nonprofit to steer families into the realm of thriving, rather than just getting by.
“We are able to do many things, but the support of the community is huge for us, especially because we are promoting inclusion,” Torres said. “One of our goals is make sure the community knows that special needs exist, and it’s a small community, and we can take care of that.
“It’s important for us to help reduce the challenges they have,” Torres said.
Learn more at ivestorresfoundation.org.