|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
After being displaced from their North Fair Oaks headquarters in September 2024, nonprofit Generations United (GU) has triumphantly returned to the neighborhood, where they are a trusted resource for tutoring and enrichment classes for underserved members of the community.
Since receiving news about the sale of their previous building in December 2023, it’s been a harrowing 19 months for GU’s executive director, Angie Ibarra Miller, who describes “knocking on every conceivable door” to find a suitable new property. During the search, they temporarily set up shop in a small office in Redwood City, which was two miles from where the majority of their students live, many of whom rely on public transit. This resulted in GU having to cut their evening classes and lose a third of their participants.
But the quest to find a suitable home base finally came to an end in July when GU signed a lease for 881 Hurlingame Ave., a former kitchen showroom that is twice the size of the space they previously shared with a taqueria. The extra square footage allows for up to 20 more students and further class offerings at their Academic Enrichment Center (AEC), the after-school program that they are most widely known for. It is also an ideal setting for what they anticipate will be a lively grand opening on Aug. 21.
While Ibarra Miller was initially impressed by how clean and move-in ready the new building was, the most important feature was its location. GU’s headquarters are once again in the heart of the immigrant community they work alongside, and within walking distance to KIPP Excelencia Community Prep, where most of their students attend tutoring in English, reading, writing, and math.
The challenge to find a new building was partly due to the limited number of buildings in San Mateo County that are zoned for nonprofit activities. Throughout the search, GU’s director of operations, Keith Miller, was quickly educated on permit requirements and discovered that many nonprofits face cost-prohibitive application fees and a four- to six-month approval time.
“We are thrilled to have worked with the county to find a location that meets their zoning requirements in a very difficult environment for nonprofits, due in part, to the expensive real estate.” Miller said.
Recognizing the gap that organizations like GU help fill, Miller has made recommendations to city officials that he hopes will streamline this process. He also expressed his desire to assist those in the nonprofit sector who are facing similar challenges and navigating the system.
Given how cumbersome the journey had been, Ibarra Miller was relieved by how everything suddenly fell into place. “We signed a lease within a week of making the offer and moved in quickly,” she shared. GU announced the new location to their social media followers on July 19 and invited their volunteer base to help with the move.
“Families are thrilled and have been helping every step of the way. We’ve had dozens of community members come in daily,” Ibarra Miller said.
Among those offering to help was Stanford, whose expansion in the North Fair Oaks area led to GU’s temporary displacement. Ibarra Miller has since had ongoing communication with their community engagement representatives in an effort to negotiate a mutually beneficial outcome for existing residents, amid the university’s redevelopment. She was quick to share the news of GU’s new location and provide a wishlist of needs.
“They were our first visitors!” Ibarra Miller expressed. And on July 26, GU was invited to Stanford’s surplus storage to select what they needed. “They graciously delivered 50 chairs, which were used for a soft opening that afternoon,” she said.
Collaboration is at the heart of GU’s ethos, whose supplementary programming, like scholarship-funded summer camps, is made possible through the partnerships they have created over the past 19 years.
In addition to the enrichment classes the AEC has traditionally offered, Ibarra Miller is excited to implement classes in yoga, music, PE, computer literacy, and college preparation, along with other forms of life skills training as needs arise. Recently, this has centered around education on the changing landscape of the immigration process.
“We talk with families as they share their concerns and fears and offer courses around knowing your rights,” Ibarra Miller said.
To celebrate their jubilant return, GU’s grand opening and new name reveal will take place on the evening of August 21 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The “housewarming” style festivities will feature a mariachi band, food truck, and gifts. To find out more or RSVP, visit the nonprofit’s website.
