Tell me about the Migrant Students Foundation and what it's about? The Migrant Students Foundation, Inc. is a 501c-3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving the hundreds of thousands of existing migrant farm worker families within the U.S. today by helping them connect with scholarships, internships and service learning opportunities. MSF was originally founded in 2002 as the College Assistance Migrant Program Alumni Association (CAMPAA). CAMP is a group of individual federal grants sponsored by institutions of higher education dedicated to recruiting and supporting students of migrant/seasonal farmworking background to succeed in college. Glen Galindo, the founder of MSF/CAMPAA was one of those thousands of students that CAMP grants have helped since 1972. In 2012, CAMPAA became MSF in order to better serve and more adequately identify with all migrant students nationwide. Though CAMP grants will always remain the most special partner for the Migrant Students Foundation. Our organization primarily operated by volunteer staff. We invite you to join us! http://migrantstudents.org/whoweare.html (please watch these two SHORT videos on this page, which explain CAMP and my students made) - KEY Tell me what your role is in the organization? Executive Director and Founder, full-time volunteer for four years, and part-time volunteer manager since 2002. We're 100% volunteer operated. My role is to develop programs in support of migrant/seasonal farm working youth nationwide. I have the opportunity to coach parents and youth alike on how to plan and prepare for success in higher education, as well as serve as coordinator with youth in service learning projects such as the National Cesar E. Chavez Blood Drive Challenge on over 300 universities/colleges nationwide, as well as our abroad medical missions in Latin America. For me, it's about paying it forward. As a former migrant youth myself, had it not been for adults who saw potential in me, and went out of their way to mentor me, I would not have had the beautiful life of opportunities that I have experienced to date. I can't imagine a more enjoyable role for me to fill the rest of my life than to have the opportunity to be part of a promising young person's future; helping them realize their potential and their hard working family's dreams. Why is the organization so important for Washington and the surrounding areas? There are thousands of migrant/seasonal farm workers in the region. We may not notice them day to day because they don't come to work with us to our offices. They are busy harvesting our crops, working hard every day trying to realize the America dream, asking their children to do the same by studying-hard. These deserving students are part of our community. MSF supports the most motivated, hardest working, talented students with promise. They just need our support. Our community would be wise to help these young leaders, who are working hard not only to realize their dreams, but that of their parents as well. To know these youth, would be to be proud of them and to want to help them.
How are students vital to the campaign? Our service learning campaigns are about offering young leaders platforms to develop organizing and communication skills; as well as build relationships helping their local communities with valuable life-saving services such as encouraging others to donate blood, or join the bone marrow registry, or practicing their interest in becoming a nurse or a doctor. The campaign is run by students leaders on their college campuses, the surrounding communities, and in rural communicates abroad in Latin America. WATCH video by students https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19XxlWqFMHY Central Washington's Student Leader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndR3Id1PWwM How did you get involved in the organization? I am a former migrant/seasonal farmworker from California. I was helped by a CAMP grant in Sacramento, worked the central San Joaquin Valley. In 2002, after I had experienced so much, enjoyed success, reflecting at my life I saw a pivotal point, when I was 18, a migrant education professional, Marcos Sanchez pointed me in the right direction... .In 2002, I was director of one of the CAMP grants in Lewiston ID. I decided it was time to pay it forward...to give back... ... My Bio is here, and an interview http://migrantstudents.org/ourteam.html Tell me about your Hispanic/Latino Heritage and how it helps you in your job. I actually see myself as global citizen. I think there are far more critical differentiating factors among people than merely culture. Things like socio-economic status, parent's educational level, gender, sibling ranking, personal experiences, geography & climate, profession, and so many more... Sometimes we tend to forget that within all nationalities or ethnicities....there is wide range of personality and backgrounds. Not all Hispanic/Latino people are alike, by far. So, I think the common thread for the students and families we serve is that they are first generation Americans, hardworking laborers, people who toil the earth, who grow & harvest our foods. Be they any color or religion or nationality, they are people who because their parents didn't go to college, or perhaps not even high school or middle school, they are dependent on us for guidance. They want to continue to work hard as Americans, doing right, contributing to their local communities, here in our Washington-Idaho region, and for us who do know better, to give them at least the information on how to help them realize their dream through higher education. So, my background as a Mexican-American doesn't really come into play here; good people are good people, and they can be found in every country of our planet. We need to find more commonalities and not use ethnicity to group people apart. If you're for hard working farmworkers who have children who do their homework and study hard in hope of someday becoming an engineer, a teacher, a nurse...then you want to support Migrant Students Foundation. What will go on during the auction fundraiser and why should people attend? This is a celebration of our common interest to help hard working students to reach and succeed at Spokane-region colleges/universities. We will enjoy a delicious 5-course meal infused with the flavors of quality tequila. The scholarship recipients will be present. They not only need your financial support, but they would welcome mentorship, internship & leadership opportunities. Come meet them! Where will the funds go? 100% to Scholarships for student leaders of the National Cesar E. Chavez Blood Drive Challenge on these campus. You may decide to donate to support any individual student/campus: Cheney Eastern Washington University Lewiston Lewis-Clark State College Moscow University of Idaho Moses Lake Big Bend Community College Pasco Columbia Basin College Pullman Washington State University Spokane Carrington College Spokane Spokane Community College Spokane Spokane Falls Community College How can people get involved with the Cesar Chavez Blood Drive? 2014 is our 6th year - expecting 300 colleges/universities (March-April) and 30,000 participating student blood donors LCSC - 2013 KLEW http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/LCSC-responsible-for-national-growing-movem ent-199545401.html?tab=video&c=y WSU & UI – 2014 KLEW Interview http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/campus-blood-252910631.html WSU & UI – 2013 KLEW Interview http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/Blood-drive-to-raise-awareness--200609491.h tml?tab=video&c=y Tell me anything else I may have missed. Perhaps mention our board, whomever you think might be most recognized in Spokane? A quote from them, perhaps?? Yvonne Smith ysmith@northernquest.com Valerie Santillanes sales2@peppertreeinns.com Kelley Charvet Kcharvet@chas.org Dr. Michael Birnbaum michael@islonline.org Dr. Tracy Flynn tflynn@lcsc.edu Lupe Contreras Lcontreras@columbiabasin.edu Jennifer Hawkins jennifer.hawkins@inbcsaves.org Rowena Peters rowena.peters@inbcsaves.org Luis Garcia garcial@msu.edu Magda Silva msilva@nmdp.org Dr. Jeffrey Ramirez ramirez@gonzaga.edu Dr. Sandra Benavides svaello@wsu.edu
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