Sergio Arau. Courtesy photo.
CAMARILLO — Sergio Arau, film director of “A Day Without a Mexican,” will be the keynote speaker at Social Justice Fund for Ventura County’s 6th annual Currents of Change fundraiser on from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 31 at Camarillo Ranch, 201 Camarillo Ranch Road, Camarillo. The cost is $75. Click here to RSVP.
With an estimated population of 850,000 in Ventura County, there is bound to be a wonderful diversity in its inhabitants. The Social Justice Fund of Ventura County is a non-profit organization founded in 2005 by a group of people focused on creating systemic changes in social justice, challenging the idea that diversity is not a hindrance and aiming to show that it truly is an asset, the organization reported in a media release.
During the last 10 years, the SJF has been giving grants to more than 20 grassroots organizations who promote different aspects of social justice issues in our County. The SJF achieves its goals by: educating the community, creating awareness about social injustice, acknowledging strengths, uniting efforts and obtaining donations from individuals and organizations concerned about what is happening in their own backyard. These donations are used to help and support more grassroots organizations dedicated to put a stop to inequality and discrimination. The SJF’s mission supports fairness, equality and human rights.
Under the slogan “CREATING CHANGE, NOT CHARITY”, SJF has bestowed to this date more than $400,000 dollars in grants to groups dedicated to transform, educate, and build an environment of equality of opportunities for everyone.
The SJF’s Executive Director, Angeles Small comments that the upcoming event “Currents of Change” has been an absolute success since its inception. This year, the event has two main purposes: First, it is the main fundraiser for the organization. Funds raised allow the SJF to give grants to the organizations we support. Second, the names of the Social Justice Fund 2015 Grant Recipient organizations will be announced. The selection process to determine which organizations get the grant money, take many months of hard work from staff, members of the donation committee and community advocates.
This great event also represents the starting point of a new year cycle of the Giving Circle process for those organizations in Ventura County that comply with the established requirements. The need is much larger than the help that SFJ can provide, and for this reason we urge the community to step forward and help with your donations to this altruistic program.
Executive Director Small adds: “The Social Justice Fund of Ventura County exists primarily thanks to our donors, people from our community, conscious of the imperative need to eliminate racial, economic, gender, and social inequality. We strive to broaden this group of donors and friends. The members of the committee, as well as the chair persons, and staff, have been working tenaciously to achieve this goal”.
This upcoming event will have Sergio Arau as keynote speaker, Mexican multidisciplinary artist, cartoonist, musician, painter and, foremost, film producer and director. His most important work so far has been “A Day Without A Mexican”. Arau has always been an advocate in the struggle against social injustice.
One of the founding members of SJF, Chairperson Doug Green, notes that Ventura County harbors many organizations whose main purpose is to transform our county into a place where the voices of the groups that suffer from a lack of social justice may be heard. SJF has helped to consolidate programs within those organizations that work on empowerment, youth leadership, bullying eradication, building safer communities, supporting non English speaking school parents and many others. “We help organizations get a voice to find a more productive and full way of life, with extra doses of acceptance and tolerance. SJF strives to be the force that fuses the individual voices, sometimes ignored and unheard, so we may come together in harmony. One single voice, no matter how strong, will never have the impact that a group of people united in harmony will have.”
6th annual Currents of Change fundraiser: This annual fundraiser includes both silent and live auctions featuring unique and valuable donated items, including travel opportunities, adventure experiences and professional services. Attendees will enjoy wine and hors d’hoeuvres with old friends and new, in this beautiful and historic setting. All proceeds go to invest in creative solutions to address poverty and inequality in Ventura County. The cost is $75. Click here to RSVP.
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El Fondo de Justicia Social del Condado de Ventura anuncia su Evento Anual para recaudación de fondos 2015, con la presencia de Sergio Arau, director y productor del filme ‘Un Día Sin Mexicanos’ en el fondo de ‘Currents of Change’ el 31 de mayo
El evento Currents of Change se llevará a cabo el día 31 de mayo en Camarillo Ranch, de las 2 a las 5:30 pm.
CAMARILLO — Creado en 2005 por un grupo de personas preocupadas por la justicia social, el Fondo de Justicia Social (SJF) del Condado de Ventura es una organización sin fines de lucro encauzada a promover un cambio social de fondo; para lograr esta meta, SJF se ha concentrado en varios aspectos: educar a la comunidad, crear conciencia acerca de la tangible injusticia social, reconocer los esfuerzos que se llevan a cabo para contrarrestar estas injusticias, unir fuerzas y recaudar donativos para otorgar ayuda y apoyo económico a grupos y organismos dedicados a combatir la desigualdad y la discriminación entre los pobladores del Condado. El SJF hace un esfuerzo por lograr que el Condado de Ventura sea un lugar más equitativo y justo.
Bajo el la filosofía de “CREAR CAMBIOS, NO CARIDAD”, SJF ha otorgado hasta la fecha más de $400,000 dólares para ayudar a grupos dedicados a transformar, educar y crear un ambiente de igualdad de oportunidades para todos. Su directora ejecutiva Ángeles Small, comenta que el evento “Currents of Change” ya ha sido un éxito en el pasado, y que se ha llevado a cabo por seis años consecutivos. El objetivo primordial del evento es recaudar fondos para poder continuar con la gran labor altruista que se ha realizado hasta ahora.
La directora Small añade: “El Fondo de Justicia Social subsiste fundamentalmente gracias a los donativos que miembros de la comunidad, conscientes de la necesidad imperante de eliminar la desigualdad tanto de clases sociales como de etnias y de género, otorgan a nuestra organización”. Los miembros del comité trabajan arduamente para lograr este fin.
En el evento, al que ha sido invitado como personalidad destacada el artista y director Sergio Arau, se darán a conocer los nombres de las organizaciones que este año recibirán fondos por parte del Fondo de Justicia Social. El proceso para seleccionar a las organizaciones elegidas conlleva varios meses de trabajo e involucra a personas de la comunidad en general. El magno evento del 31 de mayo marca también el inicio de un nuevo ciclo de otorgamiento de apoyos económicos a organizaciones del Condado, por lo cual se exhorta a la población en general a participar con sus donativos a este altruista programa.
Sergio Arau es un conocido artista plástico, músico, escritor, caricaturista político y, primordialmente, cineasta mexicano, quien produjo el comentado filme “Un Día sin Mexicanos”, que con gran sensibilidad señala la injusticia social.
Doug Green, presidente del fondo señala que son muchas las organizaciones que dedican sus esfuerzos a hacer del Condado de Ventura un lugar en donde se escuche la voz de los grupos que sufren por la falta de justicia social. SJF ha ayudado a formar organizaciones que presentan un frente ante la desigualdad social en ámbitos como desarrollo de liderazgo juvenil, erradicación de bullying, comunidades seguras, mejoramiento de la calidad alimenticia en las escuelas de bajos recursos, educación a padres que no hablan inglés, etcétera. “Ayudamos a que las comunidades encuentren su voz y busquen una forma de vida más productiva y plena, con más aceptación y adaptación. El SJF quiere ser la fuerza que una las voces individuales tan ignoradas, para que tengan la resonancia que merecen. Una sola voz, por fuerte que sea, nunca tendrá la repercusión de muchas voces unidas”.