Assemblyman To Honor Avanzando-Newark

In Spanish, Avanzando means to progress, move forward or simply, advance. 

In Newark, it means support.

Avanzando-Newark is a non-profit organization that strives to support Latino youth, their families and the community.

And on Dec. 15, Avanzando will be honored as the Outstanding Organization of the Year by Assemblyman Bob Wiecowski in his State of the Assembly Address.

Established in 2009, the non-profit was created by a group of friends who felt that the Latino community needed assistance when it came to supporting students to succeed, said Vivien Larsen, president of Avanzando-Newark.

“[We] started to think about what can we do that will impact the Latino community here in Newark,” Larsen said.

The name Avanzando, she said, “really captured the mission to advance Latino students.”

The organization’s exective board and committee members – which total around 13 – focus on three aspects in order to work toward the goal of advancing Latinos: students, parents and networking with other organizations and businesses.

Avanzando’s largest effort at this time is focusing on the parents and students at . The school has also been .

Avanzando’s role in adopting Graham Elementary is to meet with Latino parents to promote communication between the school and the parents who speak Spanish.

The non-profit has also partnered with other businesses and organizations to help provide Latino families with the resources students need in today’s educational world.

Most recently, Avanzando has partnered with Comcast to offer Internet for about $10 per month. See the attached flier for more details on the Comcast promotion.

Larsen said the reason for the focus on Graham Elementary is so that Avanzando can ensure its efforts are successful.

“We wish we could cover all of the schools and be effective, but we have to be realistic about our goals and be effective first. If it works out, we will work with other schools,” Larsen said.

While Graham Elementary is the only school that is adopted by Avanzando, Larsen said the organization also partners with and .

Each year, Avanzando brings dozens of students from the high schools to to introduce them to the opportunities presented through college.

Avanzando also holds to recognize students and educators from , Ohlone Community College and Mission Valley ROP.

Wiecowski’s State of Assembly Address will be held at 5:30 p.m. at James Logan High School. Tickets are free, but to RSVP call 510-440-9030.