Annual Report 2012

INTEGRATE ◊ CONNECT ◊ EDUCATE

www.hispanicinterest.org | Phone: 205.942.5505 | Toll Free: 866.502.HICA (4422)

Street Address: 260 F West Valley Avenue Birmingham AL 35209 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 190299 Birmingham AL 35219

Teresa Zuniga Odom, Chair

Community Volunteer

Roseann Rodriguez, Vice Chair

Children’s Aid Society

Tony Smoke, Treasurer

Alabama Power Company

Jennifer Kilburn, Secretary

Children’s Policy Cooperative

Carlos Torres-Sanchez,

Immediate Past Chair

Jeff. Co. Department of Health

Willie Chriesman

Chriesman & Associates

Scott Douglas

Greater Birmingham Ministries

Mary Andrews Liles

Vulcan Materials Company

Jamika Kirk

UAB

Vivian Mora

State Farm Insurance Co.

R.G. Lyons

Church Without Walls, UMC

Liliana Salas-Grip

Regions Bank

Joyce Spielberger

Magic Moments

Eva Thau, MSW

Baptist Princeton Hospital

Dear Supporter, 2012 was a landmark year for ¡HICA! in many ways. Through our work as a statewide integrator, connector, and educator, we worked with over 11,000 members of our community and provided services ranging from tax preparation to legal immigration assistance and victims advocacy. As Alabama’s only community-based non-profit serving Latinos, we are proud to have provided over 40,000 units of service this year to people from around the state. Since ¡HICA! was founded in 1999, we have strived to bring our communities closer together to create a ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ para todos (for all). Our work would not be possible without allies in every corner of our state. These allies have partnered with us to work toward a community that is welcoming to all people, regardless of their native land or language. With heartfelt gratitude, we thank our sponsors, partner organizations, and our many supporters for their commitment to building an Alabama that everyone can truly call home. ¡Adelante!

Isabel Rubio, Executive Director

Letter from the Director

2012 Board of Directors

¡HICA! Staff

Administration

Isabel Rubio, Executive Director

Silvia Hoyos, Assistant Director

Johanna Alvarez, Office & Financial Coordinator

Vanessa Stevens, Resource Development &

Communications Coordinator

Community Engagement & Education

Gwendolyn Ferreti, Community Organizer

Amanda Cherry, AmeriCorps VISTA

Matt Buttler, AmeriCorps VISTA

Miriam Villanueva, Comadre

Marcela Corona, Comadre

Strong Families Program

Claudia Hendley, Program Coordinator

Maria Gooch, Court Advocate

Stacey Burke, Family Advocate

Rosa Guzman, Family Advocate

Asset Building & Economic Development

Lorena Vasquez, Program Coordinator

Janet Licea, Program Associate

Immigration & Access to Justice

Charlotte Alvarez, J.D., Legal Services Director

Juliana Ramirez, Paralegal

Lucia Gaona, VAWA Specialist

MISSION

¡HICA! is dedicated to the social, civic and economic integration of Hispanic families in Alabama.

VISION

¡HICA! envisions an Alabama in which everyone has full and equal participation in our state’s civic, cultural, social, and economic life.

Hispanic and immigrant families are empowered to integrate, engage, and lead their communities to reach their families’ aspirations.

¡HICA!’s Approach

Guided 7,151 immigrants in navigating their new home through information and referral

Trained 20 parents to be advocates for their children’s education and worked with

dozens of educators to strengthen their engagement of Hispanic families to improve children’s academic achievements

Empowered 60 women to lead their families and communities through increased

education on issues such as domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, nutrition and other topics

Assisted more than 70 victims of domestic violence in escaping from their abusive situations through crisis hotline calls, referrals to shelter, Protection from Abuse Orders, and court accompaniment

Trained 300 law enforcement officers to better assist Hispanic victims of crime

“I liked the Padres Comprometidos Program very much because it shows the

responsibility that parents have towards their child’s education . . . The program teaches us how to help our child as well as to understand what and how they are learning in

school. Padres Comprometidos teaches parents that they are responsible to help guide their children through school.” —Veronica

SOCIAL INTEGRATION

2012 Highlights

Educated 114 individuals in financial literacy Helped 30 individuals practice financial literacy through matched savings accounts Filed tax returns for 211 Hispanic families Found employment for 59 individuals through our community job bank Coached 22 Hispanics in their development of a small business Recovered $5,281 in denied wages for 8 workers

Something about HB 56 and it being a trying year

The National Council of La Raza awarded ¡HICA! its Southeast Affiliate of the Year

Award and its Advocacy Award in 2012. ¡HICA! also placed in the Top 25 of Iniciativa Mexico, a social entrepreneurship contest

about Mexicans helping Mexicans.

Counseled 600 immigrants from more than 30 countries about their immigration options

Educated more than 1,000

immigrants about their rights and responsibilities in the U.S.

Facilitated workshops for more than

200 members of our host community about cultural familiarity

and the immigration system Engaged hundreds of community

members in leadership development and advocacy to repeal HB 56 and make our community safer and more

vibrant for everyone Enabled 110 immigrant youth to get

closer to the American dream by filing Deferred Action applications

ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

CIVIC INTEGRATION

2012 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Thank you to everyone who supported us

through our 10th Annual Tamale Sale!

Thanks to you we sold over 13,500 tamales!

Maria’s Story*

Maria was a victim of domestic violence who had reached out to Alabama’s 24/7

Spanish language victims of crime hotline several times. She had been struggling with her marriage, but a few months later in 2012, her husband committed suicide. This created a very difficult situation, as he was the main provider for their family. Due to his

sudden death, she was in need of multiple services for herself and her four children. Thanks to our family advocacy, Maria was able to schedule a visit for herself and her children at Gateway Social Services for counseling. A Family Advocate also helped

identify resources to pay three months of mortgage payments and utility bills as well as obtain food assistance.

Maria has been an active participant in ¡HICA!’s programs, including the Comadres women’s group. She is working hard in a steady job to support her family, and she is also attending her therapy sessions. Maria says she feels much better knowing that she can

take care of her family by herself.

Iván’s Story

Pictured here with staff members from ¡HICA!’s Immigration & Access to Justice Program, Iván Lara-Alcántara is the recipient of ¡HICA!’s first approved

Deferred Action application. In the summer of 2012 President Obama issued an Executive Order for Deferred Action for Early Child Arrivals. This

program grants a two-year reprieve from deportation and a work permit to undocumented youth who have

grown up in the U.S. ¡HICA! has filed over 100 applications for Deferred Action since August 15th. Iván, age 24, is graduate of Pelham High School and

has lived in Alabama for 15 years. Now that Iván has received his work permit, he plans to find better employment and enroll in a university art program, and hopes one day to

enlist in the military and become a U.S. citizen. Marifer’s Story*

Marifer visited our office for the first time for help finding employment, and our Asset Building and Economic Development program staff helped her through this job-seeking process. Staff members gave her information about an available job position, facilitated

her communication with the employer, set up her interview, and helped her overcome the language barrier during the interview. As a result, she was offered the position. At the

same time that she was looking for new employment, Marifer’s current employer was refusing to pay her the wages he owed her for cleaning his house. ¡HICA! explained her options for recovering the wages and assisted her in writing a letter to her employer. By

June, she was able to collect her unpaid wages, which totaled over $1200. Marifer then participated in our financial literacy workshop and opened a bank account, which she continues to use. She now visits our office frequently for other services including

assistance with housing information, immigration services, and computer classes.

*Names have been changed to protect the identities of our constituents

Stories of Integration at Work

Statement of Activities

Year Ended 12/31/12 & comparative totals at 12/31/11 Revenue and Other Support 2012 2011

Contracts, Grants 1,016,622.00 753,125.43 Contributions 55,159.42 65,284.50 Fundraising 42,250.81 51,517.00 United Way 115,500.00 120,328.91 Constituent Donations 8,667.78 15,083.04

TOTAL REVENUE 1,238,200.01 1,005,338.88

Program Services 541,546 395,826 Administration 44,482 33,073 Fundraising 18,404 12,079 TOTAL EXPENSES 604,432 440,978 Change in Net Assets (48,848) 135,966 Net Assets—Beginning 224,261 93,736 Adjustment to Balance Net Assets—Ending 151,853 219,636

2012 Contributors

$50,000 and up Alabama Law Foundation

Iniciativa Mexico Marguerite Casey Foundation

Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation United Way of Central Alabama

U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women

$5,000 to $9,999 Beasley Allen Law Firm

BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama Brasfield and Gorrie

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama McWane, Inc.

National Council of La Raza Robert R. Meyer Foundation

Vulcan Materials Company

$20,000 to $49,999

Alabama Civil Justice Foundation

BBVA Compass Foundation

Safe House of Shelby County

Shelby County Commission

$1,000 to $4,999 Birmingham Bar Foundation

$15,000 to $24,999 BBVA/Compass Foundation

The IPC Foundation National Association of Latino

Community Asset Builders Regions Financial Corporation The Women’s Fund of Greater

Birmingham Southern Partners Fund

$25,000 to $49,999 Alabama Department of

Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA)

Alabama Power Foundation Community Foundation of

Greater Birmingham Goodrich Foundation

Proteus Fund Shelby County

Wells Fargo

$10,000 to $14,999 AT&T

Hugh Kaul Foundation State Farm Insurance Company

P.O. Box 190299 Birmingham, AL 35219

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID BIRMINGHAM, AL PERMIT NO. 3418

MIL GRACIAS

to

UNITED WAY of CENTRAL ALABAMA