Courtesy photo.
NYELAND ACRES — Nyeland Promise was selected as Nonprofit of the Year by the West Ventura County Business Alliance. The Nyeland Promise Founders, Mike Barber and Mary Anne Rooney along with the volunteer corps, Comadres and Compadres were present at Heritage Square to accept their very hard and earned award for their dedication to serving the Nyeland Acres community.
Nyeland Promise was formed by, and is led by, the residents of Nyeland Acres in order to provide advocacy and resources to the community and improve the quality of life. Nyeland Acres is approximately 93% Hispanic and is considered a Disadvantaged Unincorporated Community.
Since inception, Nyeland Promise has distributed more than 600,000 pounds of food to the residents, installed free internet to more than 150 households for elementary school children, led the Census outreach in 2020 and increased the response rate by more than 15 points, and has been extremely active and successful in the Covid outreach and vaccinations. Nyeland Promise hosts 2 food pantries per month and a senior box distribution to provide valuable meal supplementation. The Comadres y Compadres are the core of the food pantries. They show up to prepare food boxes and make every event run smoothly.
Nyeland Promise is a strong advocate for children and plans many events for them. This summer, Nyeland Promise hosted a Backpack Giveaway, Educational Field Trips, Burger and a Ball, and a Bike Rodeo. Nyeland Promise has even formed a soccer team for children. “We are firm believers that children are our future and we want to pepare them to succeed,” said Brenda Heredia, Community Outreach Coordinator. “We partner with several local organizations to bring much needed services to Nyeland Acres.”
Mary Anne Rooney, co-founder of Nyeland Promise, stated “As we continue to grow, it’s humbling to be recognized for our services and support programs that are truly making a difference in Nyeland Acres. Nyeland Promise is honored to be recognized as Nonprofit of the Year.”
About Nyeland Promise — Nyeland Promise was designed to transform Nyeland Acres into a community filled with hope and pride. Nyeland Acres is a Disadvantaged Unincorporated Community as defined by Senate Bill 244. Nyeland Promise is founded by, and led by residents of Nyeland Acres. For more information, visit www.NyelandPromise.com