S2:E14Nora Litz from Puentes de Salud and Rev. Dan Cortes from Esperanza
We, here at FringeArts, have had the opportunity to meet and hear about the amazing work that so many different people and organizations in Philadelphia are doing to make life better for their fellow Philly residents. Today, Nora Litz, the Director of Arts and Culture at Salud de Puentes in South Philly, and Danny Cort\xe9s, the Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff of Esperanza, take time out of their busy schedules to tell us about the work that they do. Learn more about their work, and we encourage you to learn more about what you can do to support these wonderful organizations and individuals at the links below. \n-\nShow Notes:\n\nPuentes de Salud (Bridges of Health) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that promotes the health and wellness of Philadelphia\u2019s rapidly growing Latino immigrant population through high-quality health care, innovative educational programs, and community building. Please learn more at: http://www.puentesdesalud.org.\n\nNora Litz is a Mexican-American artist who works to empower and revitalize the Mexican community through the artistic exploration of immigration and social justice in the United States and Mexico. At Puentes Nora is the director of all art related initiatives and art partnerships. In 2011, Nora created El Viaje de los Ni\xf1os (The Journey of the Children), a project that tells the stories of Mexican immigrant children who have crossed the border to come to Philadelphia. In 2013-2014 Nora traveled to Mexico to create a version of El Viaje de los Ni\xf1os with children from Puebla, San Lucas Atzala, San Andr\xe9s Calpan, and San Mateo Ozolco whose parents left them in order to find work in the U.S. Puentes highlighted Nora\u2019s during the International Metropolis Conference held at the UNAM (Universidad Nacional Aut\xf3noma de M\xe9xico) in Mexico City in September 2015.\n-\nEsperanza a faith-based nonprofit organization driven by the biblical mandate to \u201cserve the least of these.\u201d They strengthen Hispanic communities through education, economic development, and advocacy. Please learn more at: http://www.esperanza.us.\n\nAs Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, Reverend Danny Cort\xe9s is responsible for the creation and implementation of new projects throughout the organization. Nationally, he has supervised projects focused on housing, youth mentoring, and capacity building and training initiatives. Rev. Cort\xe9s has been integral to securing, distributing and managing national grants totaling over $3 million in technical assistance and $25 million in capacity building, assisting faith and community-based organizations in 53 cities throughout the United States. Recently, Rev. Cort\xe9s focus has shifted towards supporting and expanding Esperanza\u2019s educational portfolio, which includes Esperanza Academy Charter Schools, AMLA music school, Workforce Development programs, and Esperanza Cyber Charter School.\n-\nFollow FringeArts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat and visit us on the web at https://fringearts.com. Leave a comment and let us know what you thought of this podcast.