41st Anniversary Celebration

Educate, Unite and Empower:

41 Years of Surviving, Thriving, and Inspiring

The Gathering Spot

1720 I St, Washington, DC. 20006

10/27/22

Your donation will help us reach the following milestones in 2023:

Serve 2,500 individuals through immigration, citizenship and housing services
Through our counseling, education, and technical assistance, we have been able to protect and preserve housing for over 1300 people
Prepare and graduate more than 275 US citizens who will become engaged members of their local communities

We are delighted to be able to celebrate 41 years of accomplishments and look forward to the future with you!

Program

Master of Ceremonies:

Alejandro Negron
Executive Director, and host at La Agenda Radio

Our theme— Educate, Unite and Empower: 41 years of Surviving, Thriving, and Inspiring— highlights CARECEN’s comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of the Latino community in an environment that has challenged us and our community at every level while also recognizing the importance of collaboration and partnerships to meet mutually shared goals and aspirations. Through our programs, even in a pandemic, CARECEN has continued to help individuals prepare for the U.S. Citizenship exam, secure and retain safe and affordable housing, achieve financial literacy in the face of unprecedented adversity, and address immigration issues— all issues critical to one’s ability to live safely and work to support our families.

Honoring:

Episcopal Diocese received by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde

Saúl Solórzano Justice Award
The award recognizes the accomplishments of an outstanding organization that has demonstrated distinguished work, and tireless efforts to promote the rights and dignity for immigrants. Their efforts as a community leader embody the ideals that Saul Solórzano demonstrated throughout his life and work.

CARECEN is recognizing Episcopal Diocese’s leadership for all their continued support to integrate immigrants into our community, particularly ensuring that immigrants being bused by Texas and Arizona to DC are welcomed with dignity. Receiving the Award for the Diocese is Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde. Bishop Budde serves as spiritual leader for 86 Episcopal congregations and ten Episcopal schools in the District of Columbia and four Maryland Counties. A passionate believer in the gospel of Jesus and the Episcopal Church’s particular witness, Bishop Budde is committed to the spiritual and numerical growth of existing congregations and developing new expressions of Christian community. She believes that Jesus calls all who follow him to strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every human being. As a young adult, Bishop Budde worked in Tucson, Arizona assisting refugees fleeing the Central American wars, and later in Tegucigalpa, Honduras at a home for abandoned children. She now serves a diocese of immigrants from all over the world, including Latin America, West Africa, and the Carribbean.

Milly Rodriguez

The Community Empowerment Award
The award is given to an individual that has made significant contributions and assisted CARECEN in achieving its mission of promoting the comprehensive development of the Latino community in the region.

CARECEN is recognizing Milly Rodríguez, the immediate past president of the board of CARECEN. She has been on the board in various positions for nearly 25 years. She began her work with CARECEN as a citizenship instructor, inspired by Saul Solórzano, the executive director at the time. With her sister Patricia, she re-vamped the program, developed a curriculum to engage adult learners, and added a location in northern Virginia for citizenship classes. Milly was born in El Salvador and grew up in the Washington, DC, area. She spent her first few years living in Mt. Pleasant and downtown DC, and later in Northern Virginia, with a few years spent in Montreal, Canada, in between. Her roots in the community CARECEN serves are deep, and through her work with CARECEN she has worked to contribute to the success of immigrants in the DC Metro area. Professionally, Milly has worked in the field of occupational health and safety within the labor movement, currently at the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). She has also served for many years as a member and chair of the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board. She has a Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University.