Join us in celebrating 35 years of reducing violence, increasing civic engagement, and strengthening community resilience.

PCRC is profoundly troubled by the anti-Asian racism and violence and condemns the horrendous killings of six Asian American & Pacific Islander women this week and two other victims in Atlanta, Georgia. We grieve with all the families impacted and the AAPI communities. PCRC stands in solidarity with our AAPI communities across the country in seeking justice, accountability, and change.

With much gratitude, we recognize our departing board chair, Jo-Ann Byrne Sockolov, for her years of commitment and service on the PCRC board. Jo-Ann joined the board in 2014, serving as member-at-large, secretary, vice-chair and as board chair for the last two years.

Student and educator panelists on PCRC’s “Impacts of COVID-19 on Youth Dialogue” speak about the changes they had to make, how people adjusted or didn’t adjust, and the emotional journey they observed when school suddenly went virtual.

We are excited to welcome José R. López, Ed.D. as our new Manager of Facilitation Services. The position oversees the design and delivery of PCRC’s facilitation services. José began working with us in March and has enjoyed being able to work in the community and is looking forward to furthering social justice issues.

In June, the San Mateo Police Department initiated “Real Talk San Mateo,” to discuss equality in community policing. City government and community leader panelists provided timely information to the community during the first two discussions. PCRC was invited to moderate the public comment session to ensure equity in the process.

In partnership with Redwood City, PCRC is moderating the Community Dialogue Sessions. The goals of the dialogue series encompass bringing community members, elected officials, and city staff together to identify ways to meaningfully change city policies, service delivery and policing.

July was a busy month for staffing updates. Several associates found exciting new opportunities at partner nonprofits, where they will continue to impact local communities. We’ve also been thrilled to promote several employees from within and adjusting a few roles to better fit our teammates’ expertise.

We are pleased and thrilled to name Michael Smith as PCRC’s new board chair, and we extend our thanks and gratitude to our outgoing board chair, Jo-Ann Byrne Sockolov. Michael joined the PCRC board two years ago and most recently held the executive board position of secretary. His background in strategic planning and finance helped him drive the board discussion with a focus on fundraising.

Sometimes parents need the support and comradery found amongst other parents who are going through similar challenges as they raise their children. The Parent Project is a curriculum-based program that PCRC facilitates for organizations like the San Mateo County Sheriff’s CARON Program and San Mateo County. The goal of the Parent Project is to empower parents in their role and to foster a better relationship with their child in a loving and nurturing environment.

Cafe de Padres, a series of weekly information sessions conducted in Spanish for Redwood City families, was held on-site at the Siena Youth Center in February. But with shelter in place orders in effect, Cafe de Padres moved to Facebook Live and wrapped up its last session on Friday, June 19th. Katalina Tameilau, PCRC Family Engagement Associate and Evelia Chairez, PCRC Engaging Communities Associate, re-focused the topics to not only address issues all parents face but also the challenges of living through a pandemic.

PCRC took stock of the resources and assistance we could provide to the community during the rapid and drastically evolving environment created by the pandemic. Through our wide-ranging contacts with partners who support sectors of our community, we were able to organize and live stream panel discussions on important and timely topics. The virtual dialogues explored the harsh realities of the pandemic’s effects on our communities while also offering glimmers of hope.

The Pacific Islanders Complete Count Committee (PICCC) of San Mateo County recently hosted the Voices of Oceania Musical Series. The music series brought the Pacific Islander (PI) community together while encouraging them to participate in the 2020 census. Saturday nights in May through the first week of June were popping with soulful island music streaming live on Instagram and Facebook.