Oregon’S latino leadership network was Founded
- Spring 2020
Oregon’s Latino Leadership Network was first formed as a community response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A coalition of over 110 community-based organizations was led to outreach and serve the Latino and Indigenous Mesoamerican communities across Oregon. Disproportionately impacted by the disease, these communities were provided with the needed resources, education, and services to mitigate the impacts of the disease.
PODER’s STATEWIDE TOWN HAlls
- SUMMER 2o2o
Through multiple town hall sessions held by Anthony Veliz, founder of PODER, the network learned of health care and socioeconomic disparities caused by the pandemic in primarily Latino areas of the state. The quickly spreading Coronavirus pandemic hit, followed by the Oregon wildfires. "I knew instinctively that Latinos -- including the undocumented and Indigenous Mesoamericans -- would be the most vulnerable because of historical disparities and lack of resources to protect or help them with everyday living," said Veliz.
PODER’s CBO Support
- fALL 2o2o
PODER awarded over $2 million in health equity funds to more than 50 community-based organizations and businesses located in 23 counties throughout Oregon to help with the fight against COVID-19. The funds ensure culturally responsive community engagement, education, and wraparound support, to address the inequitable impacts of COVID-19 in Latino and Mesoamerican Indigenous communities in Oregon.
PODER’s ‘POR MI FAMILIA’ CAMPAIGN
- fALL 2o2o
PODER executed a COVID-19 statewide communication response plan to inform, educate, and engage Latino and Mesoamerican communities about safety to prevent and reduce the Coronavirus spread to protect themselves adequately. Communication vehicles included Spanish and Indigenous language radio, print, social media, digital, billboards, and community-based organizations.
PODER’s Behavioral Health Support
- fALL 2o2o
In the fall of 2020, when wildfires forever impacted Oregonians, PODER sprang into action and assembled a bilingual/bicultural mobile mental health crisis team. This team founded OYEN’s Emotional Wellness Center with the vision of being Oregon’s first Latino, bilingual, and bicultural mental health center that provides direct services statewide to communities in crisis and to have an established innovative mental health clinic. Since launching, OYEN’s programming has served over 450 people impacted by the Southern Oregon wildfires through outreach, mental health therapy, and telehealth/digital equity services.
PODER’s Mask Distribution
- fALL 2o2o
PODER purchased PPE for distribution throughout Oregon and partnered with Oregon Human Development Corporation and Oregon Child Development Coalition to help distribute.
PODER Rebrand
- 2023
In 2021, PODER went through an organizational development planning process, and as a result, there was a collective re-visioning. This process yielded recommendations for the network to evolve into a formal nonprofit with a refreshed organizational name and vision, mission, values, strategies, and goals/objectives. Our organization is now PODER. Our mission is to bring together Latinos across Oregon to build collective power and capacity to facilitate people-driven solutions that promote social, economic, and civic prosperity for all.