La Paz Chattanooga, the longest-serving non-profit organization working directly with the Chattanooga area’s rapidly-growing Latino population, is celebrating its tenth active community partnership utilizing the newly opened (2021) La Paz facilities. The newest in-house partnership, with Girls Inc. and its “Discovery Girl” program, is an endeavor to “equip girls (third through fifth grade) to strengthen their character through conflict resolution, building healthy relationships, goal setting, and developing resiliency,” according to Girls Inc.
“Since our founding in 2004, La Paz’s internal programming — typically focused on case management, as well as community education and engagement — has delivered sustained and impactful results across the Chattanooga community," said La Paz Chattanooga Executive Director Stacy Johnson. "We’ve also learned that through strategic community partnerships, we can substantially expand our efforts and further promote our mission. There are so many great organizations in Chattanooga doing remarkable work. When we partner around a shared effort to strengthen our communities, we’re able to empower each other to produce even bigger, more beneficial wins among the clients we mutually serve. It’s also meaningful for us to provide these resources in an environment that was intentionally curated for our clients to feel welcome, comfortable, and empowered."
In addition to the Girls Inc. partnership, La Paz Chattanooga is working with nine more groups on life-changing programs. The following is a list of those programs utilizing La Paz’s resources and facilities:
Chattanooga Area Food Bank - In partnership with The Chattanooga Area Food Bank, La Paz established an on-site food pantry which is accessible to clients. La Paz also partners with the CAFB to provide onsite bilingual SNAP application assistance. Since the program started in July of 2022, the organization has completed more than 200 applications.
The Enterprise Center & Tech Goes Home - La Paz and The Enterprise Center have benefited from long-standing collaboration. La Paz provides the Tech Goes Home program space and resources in Spanish to engage the La Paz clientele. Together, the partners have completed three Tech Goes Home sessions in the last six months with a total of 33 students.
Family and Children's Service - Family and Children's Service is a Tennessee nonprofit that works to provide TennCare application assistance, among other services. In 2022, La Paz began a partnership with the organization to offer bilingual assistance onsite at La Paz, and has successfully completed more than 130 TennCare applications.
Chattanooga Police Department - La Paz enjoys a strong working relationship with the Chattanooga Police Department and has seen great success in welcoming a bilingual officer on-site during set weekly office hours. Piloted in January, the CPD partnership connects La Paz clients to educational programming and promotes strong relationships between the community and officers.
Educational Opportunity Center - Partnering with the EOC, La Paz has hosted monthly FAFSA information and support sessions for Spanish-speaking students and parents. During this time, La Paz also provides scholarship and grant navigation support to Latino students across the Hamilton County school district.
East Lake Expression Engine - Once a month, La Paz staff and volunteers engage with 14 Latino students (interns with East Lake Expression Engine) in community-building and social-emotional learning activities. The goal is to provide a safe space to encourage leadership development and healthy relationships amongst Latino youth.
Chattanooga School of Language - Since the launch of the partnership with Chattanooga School of Language, La Paz has hosted three Beginner English classes onsite, with a total of 33 students starting their language learning journey. La Paz will start the next round of classes in April 2023 with two more 10-week sessions
UT Extension - To help promote healthy living and a holistic approach to a thriving community, La Paz Chattanooga partners with UT Extension to facilitate nutrition education in Spanish. Classes include cooking demonstrations, presentations on preventative practice, and learning useful tips to make small but effective changes for better health.
Scenic City Clay Arts - Scenic City Clay Arts has partnered with La Paz Chattanooga to bring low-cost, accessible pottery classes on a rotating basis for community members. Participants can attend one or all workshops within a project timeframe and take home their pottery creations.
Planning is underway for upcoming educational opportunities with UTC’s Center for Professional Education, as well as health outreach and screenings with Cempa Community Care.
To learn more about La Paz Chattanooga and any of their community partnerships, visit www.lapazchattanooga.org