Living Mission & Vision
Dance of Development
April 7, 2017
Call to Action
April 17, 2017Raza Properties recently offered financial support to the Director of Outreach at Aquinas Center in South Philly to attend an intensive training that will help support and advocate for the immigrant community–the population that is the focus of much of Aquinas Center’s important work.
Raza Properties is continuing to seek out meaningful ways to collaborate with community organizations to live out our mission and vision and to authentically contribute to the revitalization and support of Philly in ways that extend beyond brick and mortar development. Understanding the true needs of the city and addressing not only the visible development concerns but also the deeper systemic barriers to equality and quality of life are critical parts of developing neighborhoods and communities. This is not a simple or complete effort– but one we are trying to be aware of and contribute to in whatever small way we can as we grow as a company and a force of positive change for the city of Philadelphia.
The following excerpt comes from a thank you we received after the completion of the immigration law training.
Greetings! It has been nearly a full week since I completed the ‘Basics of Immigration Law’ training in Akron, PA. The training required quite a lot of my energy! Happy to say I am now recovered and looking forward to keeping you [Raza Properties] updated as the Aquinas Center moves ahead.In summary, the training involved 40 hours in class as well as 5-6 hours of homework each night. Not only was I provided with irreplaceable resources, tools, and knowledge, but also met a number of wonderful colleagues. I was encouraged by passion shared among the 60 peers in this training with me, as these connections are more important now than ever. The opportunity to participate in this 40-hr training was only made possible through your generous donation. Thank you so much! (To give you a better sense of my week, please see attached photos).Becoming Recognized and Accredited with Department of Justice (DOJ) will allow the DOJ Accredited individual to practice immigration law within the DOJ Recognized organization. With the Aquinas Center pursuing DOJ (previously known as Board of Immigrant Appeals) Recognition and Accreditation (DOJ R&A), this very reputable training will be critical for ongoing legal support to our immigrant community members.
Congratulations to Aquinas Center and their Director of Outreach for the continued efforts to live out their mission to “build unity in diversity, support learning, and inspire thoughtful action.” Hospitality, solidarity, responsiveness, and transformation are four core values that drive their mission. We believe their participation in this training and tireless efforts beyond it are evidence of the love of the people and higher purpose they serve and the greater good of Philadelphia.
Raza Properties is happy to support this training and live out our mission in a way that on some small scale helps them live out theirs, collaborating towards a universal goal of building up and developing the city and world we share.
To find out more about Aquinas Center and ways you can support their work visit their website.
