With the belief that every young person deserves the tools and resources for success, the Mar Vista Family Center (MVFC) has been providing low-income families with quality early childhood education, youth enrichment and educational tools to allow them to create positive change in their lives and their community.
“I came here because I was looking for services. I had a daughter, a 3–year-old at the time, and before that two of my oldest sister attended this program,” Chief Executive Officer Lucia Diaz said “One of my oldest sisters was one of the first parents of the group of six that was here when they started the program back in 1977 at Playa Del Rey Elementary school.”
Diaz, who has been involved with MVFC since 1981 and was at the graduation of the first preschool graduation ceremony hosted by MVFC, and saw her nephew graduate. After enrolling her daughter in the program, Diaz became more and more involved and began to volunteer in the classroom. Through her involvement with the center, she became more aware of the needs in the community.
“I think because of my involvement volunteering, not just in the preschool but also volunteering to teach folklorico classes, helping the director with community events and clean ups, I beame involved with learning more about what was happening in the community,” Diaz said. “So when I got the opportunity to become a teacher, they challenged me to go back to school.”
For MVFC the success of people in the community depended on the empowerment of community leaders and parents which required that they play a large role in the life of the preschool.
So the founders developed a model of increased community involvement and personal responsibility through which parents, teens and other members of the community became classroom volunteers, preschool teachers, mentors, fundraisers and community advocates. Having to advocate for herself from the moment she arrived at MVFC, Diaz realized the importance of providing that same support to the people in the community that were in need of resources.
“I had the opportunity to learn the importance of education of my children’s lives and in other families,” Diaz said. “I had the opportunity because people created a safe space for me, where I was coming to learn at the same time that my child was learning; we were both growing together and learning together.”
In 2009, MVFC increased its reach in the community with the opening of its 11,000-square-foot, Everychild Foundation Youth Center. The new Youth Center provides a safe space for children and teens to learn and grow. In addition, it houses separate homework and tutoring rooms where youth leaders and local university students provide academic assistance. Included in the Youth Center is a library, computer lab, a preteen meeting room, individual counseling rooms, a multi-media room, workout room, sports patio, an exercise/dance room and the By Youth For Youth Center for leadership training and College Prep.
“This is our center, our community and we need to know how to work together,” Diazsaid. “We need to know how we can we support each other.”
As a nonprofit, MVFC relies on grants to keep its doors open but they are no stranger to organizing fundraisers to benefit the center. Scheduled for Oct. 6 from 2-5 p.m. Taste of Culver City is a unique foodtasting opportunity where the city’s diverse downtown cuisine will be showcased in support of MVFC. With more than 1,300 children, teens and adults who are impacted by violence, poverty and lack of education being reached by the center, funding is a crucial element to the center’s operations.
“There have been many people here that have worked so hard and that have their heart in the right place,” Diaz said. “It has allowed me to maintain the mission of the organization of creating a safe place for individuals to congregate through early childhood programs, through youth enrichment and through community.”
MVFC operates on a sustainable and cooperative model, through which families remain involved with the center across generations, from very young ages all the way through adulthood. Programs make use of MVFC’s effective Shared Responsibility Curriculum, which is promoted by modeling the staff, through ongoing and insightful dialog among staff, youth and parents, and experiential exercises designed to develop each participant’s sense of personal power and responsibility.
“My approach was to see how I could work with people and families to find a way that we can continue working with our programs,” Diaz said. “Part of that was learning to approach the gang members and organize them in a way that creates and gives everyone a safe space.” Persons interested can contact MVFC at (310) 390-9607 or visit the building located at: 5075 South Slauson Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230.
