Give the Gift of Hope this Holiday Season

Meet Fiordaliza Padilla

"Hispanic Unity made my dreams come true! Thank you Hispanic Unity!" 

More than seven years ago, Fiordaliza left the Dominican Republic in hopes of fulfilling her dreams and providing a better life for her and her family. However, her journey was not an easy one. After moving to the United States, Fiordaliza and her husband had to work long hours and two jobs to survive and keep the family together. At the time, her three children were minors and were struggling to adapt to a new way of life, environment, new friends, and a new language.

In an effort to help their children in their transition, both Fiordaliza and her husband dedicated their free time to their children. It was a tough time and she prayed and patiently waited for what she called a miracle – then she found Hispanic Unity, Fiordaliza said.

After eight weeks of intensive coaching at bi-weekly citizenship classes at Hispanic Unity, Fiordaliza learned English, prepared for her citizenship interview and saved up enough money to cover the immigration fees. Today she is proud to announce that she is an American citizen and can partake in activities related to American Democracy. Fiordaliza said: “Hispanic Unity made my dream come true!  Thank Hispanic Unity!

Meet Lisette Olivo

"We received the beds last week...my goodness I'm sleeping so much better! I got the car... it has taken so much pressure off, when I leave the house to take my son to school and go to work.
I don't worry about the heat or the car breaking down. Thank you Hispanic Unity - my life is changing day by day." 

Lisette Olivo joined Hispanic Unity's Center for Working Families program with the hopes of improving her financial situation. At the time, she was homeless, had unreliable transportation, did not have insurance for her autistic son, and had very limited access to food. Lisette also dreamed of furthering her education to create more opportunities for her and her family. 

Lisette completed the CWF workshops and attended all her one-on-one coaching sessions with her Career and Financial coach and the Income Support specialist. This helped to provide her with the information and tools she needed to move forward confidently and with guidance from her CWF coaches, Lisette was on her way to lead a more productive life. Not only was she able to rent an apartment, but through the Ways to Work Car Loan program and she was able to purchase a vehicle. Most importantly, she was able to obtain health insurance for her son through Florida Kid Care. "I didn't really know that my son would be eligible or how to go about it [until HUF] advised me." 

After receiving such great news, Lisette was faced with another obstacle soon after. Lisette's new apartment was infested roaches and she received little cooperation from her landlord, which prevented her from moving in. Immediately, the CWF team referred her to Legal Aid. The Legal Aid team, a longtime partner of HUF's, was able to assist her with her landlord dispute and soon enough, her apartment was move in ready. To help Lisette out even more, the CWF team nominated her to the Miami Herald’s Wishbook and the results were short of a miracle. Lisette received the down payment for the rental deposit for the new apartment, furnishings, appliances and gifts for her children’s holiday. "By the way received the beds last week... my goodness I’m sleeping so much better ... God is so good... Wow…" - Lisette Olivo, CWF Client 

Meet One of Our Program Donors: Hyram Montero

"George Bernard Shaw said that we are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future. HUF's commitment to our youth is based on two solid principles:

1) Youth are our future.
2) Life does not wait for us to get our act together.

HUF's commitment is our responsibility. We must guide. We must mentor. We must provide a beacon of light to the next generation. The time to do so is now. The future is at hand."

Hyram Montero
Montero Law Center

Join Hyram today to support HUF and our programs. Click here

Meet Anyela Ibaque

"...[because of HUF's]  huge effort to motivate and support thousands of people and families who - like me - arrived in this country with nothing more than a pile of dreams and projects that are
inaccessible for many of us...Thank God, I can now say that many of my dreams became reality." 

As one of the first participants who joined the Center for Working Families (CWF) program, Aneyla came to Hispanic Unity unemployed and unfamiliar with the resources and opportunities available to her here in the United States. As a mother of two she had many unanswered questions. However, Hispanic Unity provided her with the help she needed - Anyela was referred to Legal Aid through HUF/CWF  for her legal needs; met with a CWF Income Support Specialist to apply for food stamp benefits and primary care services; and attended CWF's financial literacy workshops where she received one-on-one coaching sessions.

Additionally, since Anyela was new to the U.S. system, she had not built a credit history. However, thanks to the financial literacy education she received from HUF, she was able to obtain a secure credit card that allowed her to establish the credit she needed. Anyela was also able to obtain employment and a raise in salary as a janitor at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. As a result, she is now self-sufficient and no longer in need of or receiving public benefits. 

Anyela's hard work really paid off. She now owns a car that is completely paid off and she is currently studying English. Also, after almost three years of following a budget and managing her credit cards in a responsible way, skills she learned through Hispanic Unity, Anyela's credit score jumped from 0 to 684, finally allowing qualification to buy a house. Thanks to CWF’s referral to the City of Hollywood and Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida, Anyela successfully closed on her house and now Anyela and her children – now 5 and 18 years of age - can enjoy their beautiful house with their own room and a backyard where they can relax, play and have fun.  Owning a home was a huge goal and dream of Anyela's and now, because of Hispanic Unity, her dreams have become a reality. "...[because of HUF's] huge effort to motivate and support thousands of people and families who - like me - arrived in this country with nothing more than a pile of dreams and projects that are inaccessible for many of us...Thank God, I can now say that many of my dreams became reality." 

Meet One of Our CWF Program Donors: Robert Taylor

Meet William and Maribel

"William is doing very well [in school]!  [And] I want to thank you for the opportunity given yesterday to share my success story. I am so honored and it made William feel extra special."

When William joined Hispanic Unity’s preschool program, he faced many challenges. Such common challenges included not being able to share with others and having to be told right from wrong or what to do or not do repeatedly. Gradually he learned daily routines, how to share with others and how to express his opinions and his emotions. In fact, William became a role model child for the rest of his classmates; he actively participated in classroom activities and even motivated his classmates to partake in activities as well. Eventually, William learned how to read, add and rhyme and we are proud to announce that he recently became a graduate of Hispanic Unity's Unity 4Kids program.

William’s mother, Maribel, also took advantage of Hispanic Unity's offerings. She became a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) client, participated in the Family Strengthening program and joined HUF's Center for Working Families (CWF) program where she received the coaching she needed to lead a more productive life. Prior to joining the CWF program, William’s mother had to work three jobs to cover all household basic needs and provide a better life for William. At one point, she had to leave William with his grandma to be able to be successful in her jobs. 

After six months of joining the CWF Program, William’s mom obtained a better job, which helped her to become financially stable and allowed her to spend more time with her family. She is very happy and grateful for all the support that HUF has provided to her family. Recently she shared with us William’s Kindergarten School Progress Report which indicates that he is doing great in school. Mom wrote in the email: “William is doing very well! WE MISS YOU GUYS AT UNITY 4 KIDS! STAY BLESSED!!! Kindest Regards, Maribel Zayas”