“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.”
Dolores Huerta
The Mariposas community jumped into action every year to fundraise for organizations that hold a similar vision to that of our community. In 2016 and 2017, in response to the presidential election and the push for the elimination of DACA, the Mariposas community became more concerned than ever about the saga of Latinx students in accessing and funding their higher education. As a result, our community voted to organize, fundraise, and affect change directly within our local CHCCS student community. We understood that although we may not have control over national or state policy, we do have a say in acting locally to disrupt injustice and help move students closer to their vision of success.
In the spirit of integrating our culture and traditions into the effort, 4 years ago we gathered on a cold winter night to make almost 2,000 tamales to sell in order to build the scholarship fund. Mariposas parents drove the effort and the tamales-loving community responded. In 2020, Mariposas published its first bilingual picture book titled El Regalo de Lenna. One hundred percent of the proceeds of Lenna’s Gift will go to the Mariposas Scholarship Fund.
In an effort to make the scholarship initiative even more impactful, our community requires scholarship candidates to present to our 45 Mariposas students and their families about their personal lives, their trajectory in our school system, their dreams, their challenges and their accomplishments. As a community we believe that the candidates’ lives and experiences are a wealth of valuable information that our Mariposas students can’t afford to miss.
The Mariposas Scholarship Fund is a true community led effort that empowers everyone involved- parents, candidates and students. ¡Si se puede!
MARIPOSAS 