Center Street
Manos a la Obra | Hands to the Work
Community Values:
Respect | Unity | Family | Humility | Communication | Honesty
The Center Street neighborhood is located one block south of 19th Street between Placentia and Monrovia. The Center Street Neighborhood Action Committee, Manos de la Obra, has been meeting since January 2006.
Center Street is a family-oriented neighborhood with a large population of children under the age of 18. In initial conversations, the community identified the need to establish a safe place for their children to get help with their homework as their first project. After months of hard work their dream became a reality in December 2006 when they opened a community center in the heart of the neighborhood: “Centro de Esperanza vision hacia el futuro” meaning “Center of Hope a vision for our future”. In January 2007 the center opened for academic tutoring for students grades K – 12. Tutors or “Amigo” for Mika’s after school youth program Step Up consist of volunteers from local church partners as well as the local community. Adult classes teaching English, health education, financial literacy, and computer literacy have been happening since late 2007.
Neighborhood Leaders on Center St. are responsible to fund a portion of the budget for their center. This amount increases each year as they grow in their capacity to fundraise. In 2008, a bilingual cookbook called “El Corazon de Costa Mesa” or the “Heart of Costa Mesa” was produced by our neighbors along with another local organization to promote the work of their community and raise funds for the center. Cookbooks are still available in Mika’s office!
The neighborhood leadership of Manos a la Obra is currently working through a 3-year strategic plan that includes the initiative to further develop their capacity as well as strengthen program development, funding, and center management. As they learn about the work and reward involved in servant leadership they continue to inspire a sense of hope for their community.
*Juval Flores is Center St.’s Neighborhood Advisor
