Impact Report, FY 2021
October 1, 2020 - September 30, 2021
As the pandemic continued in 2021, we discovered new and innovative ways to serve our communities – and found hope in each other.
We became researchers and continued as first responders, sharing food weekly in DC and Maryland in an attempt to keep pace with ongoing pandemic-related needs. Our work made a significant difference in vaccine rates in the community.
Our scope of work grew in ways we couldn’t have imagined. New partnerships were created and existing ones, expanded – with agencies, funders, schools, media outlets, NGOs and the academic community. Our accomplishments this year took all of us, working together.
In partnership with UnidosUS, The George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health and DC Health, we were able to lift up the voices of our youth and families so the public and policymakers could better understand the pandemic and its effects on communities of color. We raised our own voices as well, advocating for fair nonprofit compensation and support for out-of-school programs.
A word from Lupi Quinteros-Grady,
But nothing compares to witnessing the creative talents and achievements of our youth, which we showcased during our MLK Day Youth Leadership Conference, podcasts and Youth Arts Expo. Our vision is not just to be service providers, but to center our work on the voices of young people. Because they’re the experts, leaders and visionaries for their own lives; they need continued guidance and a supportive environment.
We continue to be vigilant in regards to the variants as we move the work forward and remain connected to our youth and families. Issues like behavioral health challenges and homelessness have wreaked havoc on our communities and will persist, long afterward. LAYC will continue to show up in the best way possible to deliver the services needed.
Hope shows up in ways that are sometimes unpredictable, though. I attended LAYC myself when I was 14, and 23 years later, became CEO. My story – and the incredible commitment of donors like you – are proof that for our youth, anything is possible. We will continue to show up and deliver for them, in any way we can.
With my heartfelt thanks,
Lupi Quinteros-Grady,
President & CEO
lupi@layc-dc.org
LAYC youth tackled COVID misinformation in this clever bilingual PSA, “The Comadres.” Check it out!
Our Impact
In fiscal year 2021, we served
October 1, 2020-September 30, 2021
Place of Residence
This year we deepened our collective knowledge about the pandemic and its impacts.
“We asked ourselves, what do we do next? And we found answers in our communities.”
In spring 2021 we surveyed over 750 of our families to identify persistent pandemic-related challenges, and found that food insecurity and mental health issues topped the list.
65% of households surveyed reported not having enough income to cover basic necessities such as food, rent, utilities and baby supplies.
37% of households surveyed cited mental health challenges as a way that the pandemic affected them or their household.
45% of students surveyed are relying on a computer given to them by their school to complete schoolwork and many reported difficulties adjusting to virtual school.
Lupi shared our survey findings in this Washington Post op ed.
For UnidosUS, we conducted focus groups with our families to discuss their experiences with stress, isolation and belonging during the pandemic. Lupi helped present findings from the study, which was published in November 2021.
We also contributed to a study by researchers at George Washington University on the factors contributing to COVID vaccine uptake in this report. The report, which included Lupi and staff members Carmen Galvis, Rosa Reyes, Gabriela Martinez Chio and Mesgana Tesfahun as authors, helped inform Mayor Bowser’s vaccine response.
Fiscal Year 2021
We distributed food and toys to happy
families during the 2020 holiday season.
Teen contributors to our podcast, W-LAYC, interviewed DC changemakers like Arturo Griffiths, who helped found LAYC, in a six-episode series in summer 2021. Listen here – https://www.layc-dc.org/w-layc – and see the unveiling of the changemaker artwork our youth created here.
In 2020 the DC government recognized that undocumented DC residents had been excluded from pandemic-related Federal aid. Events DC identified $5 million in relief funds for these residents and chose LAYC and four other local organizations, Mary’s Center, CentroNia, CARECEN, and Bread for the City to distribute them.
In just five months, we created a system to identify residents and disburse funds, granting $1,000 each to 5,000 DC families.
DC CARES met such a vital need that today we’re in round three of the program and DC is covering our administrative costs.
Youth mental health issues have reached crisis-level proportions around the country and our community was no different. LAYC saw a 50% increase in referrals to our mental health programs in the first year of the pandemic and provided 361 youth with services during the 2020/2021 fiscal year, including 97 youth across 11 DC public schools.
Fiscal Year 2021 Highlights — Maryland
In Prince George’s County, our Riverdale youth helped set up a food pantry in partnership with Feed the Fridge to provide our families with supplies and nutritious meals. Weekly food distribution continued there as well.
In October 2021, our Montgomery County Conservation Corps partnered with Montgomery County Parks to refurbish an interactive art installation at Edgewood Park. To make the sculpture safer and more accessible, youth practiced skills like leveling, squaring and backfilling.
In April, we celebrated our 2021 Heroes Honorees for Prince George’s County:
Alejandra Escobar
Buck Lodge Middle School Registrar
Cameron Thurston
Communications and Logistics Coordinator, UMD Office of Community Engagement
Pastor Ben Slye
Christian Life Center Church
Thanks to our school partners!
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Anacostia High School
Ballou High School
Bancroft Elementary School
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Brightwood Education Campus
Cardozo Education Campus
Columbia Heights Educational Campus
Ida B. Wells Middle School
Kramer Middle School
MacFarland Middle School
Paul Public Charter School
Powell Elementary School
Takoma Education Campus
Washington Global Public Charter School
Woodrow Wilson High School
YouthBuild Public Charter School
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Andrew Jackson Academy
Bladensburg Elementary School
Bladensburg High School
Buck Lodge Middle School
Calverton Elementary School
Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Greenbelt High School
High Point High School
Hyattsville Middle School
International Student Admissions and Enrollment Office
Isaac J. Gourdine Middle School
Nicholas Orem Middle School
Oxon Hill High School
Parkdale High School
Port Towns Elementary
Potomac High School
Ridgecrest Elementary School
Riverdale Elementary School
Springhill Lake Elementary School
Suitland High School
Thurgood Marshall Middle School
William Wirt Middle School
Gender
Our Demographics
Race/Ethnicity
Age
Advocacy
Nonprofits are contributing immensely to pandemic recovery, often without recognition or fair compensation. LAYC joined a coalition of local nonprofits pushing for DC to join Maryland in mandating equitable compensation for indirect costs associated with grants and contracts.
Our advocacy worked – the DC Council passed the Nonprofit Fair Compensation Act in December 2020.
We also joined other out-of-school-time providers in asking for better collaboration with DC Public Schools, including testifying before City Council and meeting with Chancellor Lewis Ferebee to share the outsized role we played in supporting youth during quarantine.
LAYC in the News
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LAYC in the News 〰️
Advancing Equity
Our work to create a more inclusive culture made great strides in 2021, with staff participating in unconscious bias training, equity circles and creating a roadmap for embedding equity throughout our systems and programs.
More staff news:
John Holmes, director of our Rita Bright Family & Youth Center site, was named a Rising Leader by Leadership Greater Washington.
George Garcia, our director of education and workforce, received the 2021 MLK Visionary Award from CCES at American University.
Chief Strategy Officer Susana Martinez spoke about food insecurity and mental health at an event sponsored by the Aspen Institute and Share Our Strength in June 2021.
The remainder of our staff returned to the office in November 2021, ahead of many of our peers.
LAYC’s John Holmes
Donor Spotlights
Funders continued to ask us how they can contribute this year; we’re so grateful for their support.
Chris Hornig and Nancy Garruba
Attorney Chris Hornig first connected with LAYC through cultural activities and Central American support work. He later provided pro-bono legal assistance to LAYC and served on our Board of Directors. Chris’s wife Nancy Garruba designed the LAYC logo!
“When we came to Mt. Pleasant over 40 years ago, many of our neighbors were families and young people fleeing violence in Central America. LAYC was addressing their needs, and we became friends and supporters. Today the particular pressures facing youth may have changed but it remains vitally important to us to do what we can to help them launch with confidence and skills and hope,” Chris said.
Chris is a founding partner of Klein Hornig LLP and served as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Housing Investments with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nancy and he remain active supporters and advisors whom we know we can count on.
We first met Hannah Dweck in 2017, after an external evaluation demonstrated that the Promotor Pathway had a significant impact on reducing homelessness, increasing academic engagement and reducing pregnancy among disconnected youth. Her foundation, which works with community-based organizations that make a direct impact on individual lives, especially children, made an initial three-year commitment to support the Promotor Pathway, and remains a steadfast contributor to this day.
Safeway and its Nourishing Neighbors fund helped LAYC fight hunger by supplying food for our families throughout the pandemic. With stores in both Maryland and DC, Safeway is part of the Albertsons Companies, a leading U.S. food and drug retailer. In 2021 Safeway and Safeway Foundation donated nearly $4 million in hunger relief and financial support for education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities, veterans and more around our region. For more information, visit www.safeway.com and www.safewayfoundation.org
Financials
Thank you to our Board!
And welcome to new board members Alfonso Guzman, Nancy Miranda, Carlos Oliva, and Wei Zhang!
Betsy Brand, Chair
Kaye Pestaina, Vice Chair
Shari Thomas, Secretary
Adam Spiegel, Treasurer
Pat Arzuaga
Elizabeth Burrell
Simon Fairclough
Alfonso Guzman
Meg Hauge
Esperanza Lugo
Carrie Markovitz
Jennifer Mauskapf Smalls
Nancy Miranda
Brett Meringoff
Jose Morales
Carlos Oliva
Aaron Pomerantz
Kimberley Salameh
Yvonna Stevens
Amanda Wood
Wei Zhang
Former board chair Tony Marquez shared why he supports LAYC in this message for our 2021 virtual Gala.
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