Before Familias En Accion was created, our community has always had a strong advocacy to fight for better education for our students, empower our community families, educate on air quality, later fighting for better air quality and more. In 2014 in a School Site Council at Sequoia Middle School parents and staff united. We all spoke about the necessities we all needed. It was obvious that our Community was forgotten and therefore we took matters into our own hands. We began with Community Cleanups around the neighborhood. So our students can have a cleaner and more safe path from home to school. Petitions were made to the City of Fresno for more traffic signals to be input in the neighborhood. For crosswalks and street lights to be added to our community.

Piqe extended their support by allowing resources and tools Familias En Accion needed to begin branching off. Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) also helped create Familias En Accion by guiding us into the right path to better serve our communities.

We thank Sequoia’s Principal, Matt Ward, for allowing our voices to be heard. With his help we were able to advance in creating a better community as well as Familias En Accion.

Familias En Accion was created through the community meetings with families and the parents. There was never a question that was not answered or ignored. Alongside Mr. Ward, Familias En Accion also counted with the support of El Insino Church allowing their congregation to be our number one support. Familias En Accion then took their support to other districts allowing other parent leaders to also give their students the same opportunity to have clean and safe routes to and from school. Familias En Accion expanded as we learned the necessities of the nearby communities and heard their voice. With new goals, community fundraisers, Sequoia students
were able to receive clothing for their Cultural Club, Folkloric.

After time there were disasters in Mexico and Familias En Accion took action once again working with the Mexican Consulate. A gathering was held where our community donated up to five tons of food that was transported and distributed in Oaxaca Mexico, collaborating with
Univision, Unidos Por México. Nayarit Mexico would experience their own natural disaster of which 80 families were helped with sleeping mattresses and blenders, along with other small details to help them build a home again. Our moto here in Familias En Accion is “Si todos donamos un poco de nuestro tiempo, viviríamos en una un Fresno mejor. Fresno es nuestro hogar. Nosotros decidimos vivir en aquí, no fresno en nosotros. Cuidemos de él.” “If we all donated a little of our time, we would live in a better Fresno. This is our home. We decided to live in Fresno, not Fresno in us. Let's take care of it.”

As always we thank God to have given us this opportunity to show how we can truly help our people and never leave anyone in need behind. God ultimately guided us to the path we are on and will continue to walk along him side by side.