THANK YOU!
2017 FUNDRAISER:
SUPPORT PUERTO RICO'S TALLER SALUD
June 1st marked the start of another Hurricane season and the 254th day since Hurricane María made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017.
Until recently, there were still Puerto Ricans on the island without power.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
So much! But here’s one simple thing you can do right now:
You can
GIVE $25 or $50 to Taller Salud and support Puerto Rican families as they ride out another hurricane season.
I’ve already given the first $100.
Will you join this virtual community of poets, writers, artists, activists, educators, scholars, lawyers, doctors, nurses, healers, leaders, entrepreneurs,
and philanthropists in supporting Taller Salud and Puerto Rico by
GIVING $25 or $50 today?
GIVE generously RIGHT NOW.
Then SHARE this campaign and ASK others to support these efforts.
WANT TO LEARN MORE? READ BELOW:
- Who is Taller Salud?
- Why Taller Salud?
- Why Now? Why this campaign?
- Who is Li Yun Alvarado?
- Thank You & A Gift
- Why GoFundMe? / The Fine Print
WHO IS TALLER SALUD?
Misión:
Somos una organización sin fines de lucro de base feminista y comunitaria con sede en Loíza, municipalidad costera de bajos recursos. Trabajamos por el bienestar integral de las niñas, jóvenes y mujeres adultas en Puerto Rico, con un enjfoque salubrista y de cultura de paz.
Mission (my translation):
We are a feminist and community-based non-profit organization located in Loíza, a low-income coastal municipality. We work for the wellbeing of girls, children, and women in Puerto Rico, with a focus on holistic health (emotional, physical, mental and spiritual) within a culture of peace.
Taller Salud is a 501c3 with the EIN #660494692
Learn more about Taller Salud (en Español)
here.
WHY TALLER SALUD?
Founded in and working in Loíza and surrounding communities since 1979, this feminist organization was uniquely positioned to respond swiftly in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and María.
In the first twelve weeks they served community needs in 10 major areas including: water, food, nutrition for babies and toddlers, nutrition for the elderly, medical care, personal care products, cleaning products, pest control, and survival related assistance.
Click
here to learn more about their efforts in the immediate aftermath of the hurricanes (in Español & English).
This spring Taller Salud launched a petition titled “Ultimatum to the Government for a Safe Puerto Rico” which read in part:
“We believe that it is fair to demand from the government that on or before June 1st. they disclose the plans to guarantee the protection of our people during the next hurricane season."
Read the whole document
here .
Taller Salud is also working tirelessly help residents prepare for the 2018 hurricane season. See their basic community preparedness checklist
here.
Recently, they have begun providing free legal assistance to Puerto Ricans whose FEMA applications were denied and who would like to appeal those decisions. See a flyer for those workshops
here .
At the same time, they continue fulfilling their mission as they have for almost forty years.
They provide workshops, support groups, mental health services, sexual health and reproductive health services, conflict mediation, and economic development.
At a time where Puerto Rico’s economic future is uncertain and austerity measures have gutted the social safety net, organizations like Taller Salud will serve as essential community life lines.
WHY NOW? WHY THIS CAMPAIGN?
This campaign will run from June 1st (the first day of hurricane season) to September 20th (the one year anniversary of Maria making landfall).
In the immediate aftermath of María, my main focus was reaching and then supporting my family and friends on the island, and I wasn’t able to organize a targeted campaign to support specific recovery efforts.
We of course made donations. I also compiled a list of worthy organizations and encouraged my Facebook followers to research and support one or many of them.
When it was obvious that it would take months to restore power islandwide, I began tracking the number of days without power on my personal FB page in an attempt to keep Puerto Rico on people’s radar long after September.
Still, Puerto Rico continues to need our support, so I decided to launch this campaign now to show the power of our collective efforts.
Will you join us?
WHO IS LI YUN ALVARADO?
If you’re reading this, you probably already know me!
But just in case a friend sent this your way, I’ve included a brief bio below. You can also learn more about me and my work by going to:
www.liyunalvarado.com
My name is Li Yun Alvarado and I am a Puerto Rican poet and scholar dedicated to cultivating creativity, cultura & comunidad everywhere I go.
I am the author of two poetry collections,
Words or Water and
Nuyorico, CA , both featuring poems about Puerto Rico and its diaspora.
My scholarly work has focused on writing by Latinx and Caribbean authors including Julia de Burgos, Sandra María Esteves, Gloria Anzaldúa, Josefina Báez, Pedro Pietri, and Kamau Brathwaite among others.
While my brother and I grew up in New York (BX & Queens represent!), we spent each summer with our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Salinas, Puerto Rico where my parents were born and raised.
Puerto Rico is: my parents who left to raise their children then returned to care for their parents.
Puerto Rico is: my grandparents, including my Guela María who survived hurricane María.
Puerto Rico is: my extended family, including my cousin’s daughter whose artwork appears on the cover of my book
Words or Water and whose power barely returned in April.
Puerto is: my ancestors, including my late great-grandmother Irene, the poet, who recited from memory a poem she had learned as a child well into her 90s.
Puerto Rico is--no matter where in the world I may be-- home.
THANK YOU & A GIFT FOR YOU
Yes?
Have you also SHARED this campaign with others?
Yes?
Thank you for your donation and for encouraging others to give!
As a thank you gift, I compiled a FREE resource guide that includes a list of readings (poetry and fiction) and links to other helpful resources related to Puerto Rico, hurricanes, and relief and recovery.
Hurricane Maria: Readings & Resources
This guide is for anyone interested in Puerto Rico and its diaspora’s literature and history.
It is especially valuable for educators interested in:
- designing a unit about post María Puerto Rico and/or hurricanes in literature.
- designing a lesson to teach on or around September 20th that centers Puerto Rican literature and/or history.
WHY GOFUNDME? / FINE PRINT
Why GoFundMe?: I've chosen GoFundMe for two main reasons (even though they charge a small fee):
1. They work with the PayPal Giving Fund which Taller Salud uses to process donations on their own website, so they will easily receive these funds.
2. PayPal Giving fund will send all donors a tax receipt which I know will be helpful for all of you.
Fine Print: How charity campaigns work on GoFundMe:
1. GoFundMe deducts platform and payment processing fees of 7.9% plus $0.30 per donation.
2. Donation funds will be sent directly to Taller Salud’s PayPal account through PayPal Giving Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
3. Donors will receive a tax receipt from PayPal Giving Fund.
guidestar.org/profile/66-0494692
charitynavigator.org/ein/660494692