Community To Community
Rosalinda Guillen – Executive Director
Rosalinda Guillen is a widely recognized farm worker and rural justice leader. The oldest of eight she was born in Texas and spent her first decade in Coahuila Mexico. Her family emigrated to LaConner, Washington in 1960 and she began working as a farm worker in the fields in Skagit County at the age of ten. Ms. Guillen has worked within the labor movement with Caesar Chavez’s United Farm Workers of America and has represented farm workers in ongoing dialogues of immigration issues, labor rights, trade agreements, and strengthening the food sovereignty movement. She works to build a broader base of support for rural communities and sustainable agriculture policies that ensure equity and healthy communities for farm workers. rosalindag@qwestoffice.net
Erin Thompson – Director of Food Sovereignty Programs
Erin Thompson grew up in the beautiful Puyallup Valley and is currently the Director of food Sovereignty Programs at Community to Community Development. She is currently working with C2C’s farmworker leaders on several projects including Cocinas Sanas (Healthy Kitchens), Raices Culturales Bi-lingual Youth mentoring program, the development of CoCoSa- a Culturally Appropriate Cooperative DevelopmentCenter and an organic training farm for worker- owned cooperatives. She also coordinates the food Justice of a healthy, just, and sustainable food system. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, she continues to research and incorporate local and global strategies for systemic change such as the Principles of a Solidarity Economic, the World Forum Process, ecofeminism, and community organizing in her work in Whatcom County and beyond. erinc2c@qwestoffice.net
Angelica Villa-Cocinas Sanas/Promotora Coordinator/Americorp Volunteer
Angelica Villa was born in Oaxaca, Mexico and has lived in the United States since 1988. Angelica wanted a better life and more opportunities for her and her family. Angelica heard about Community to Community through her son Joaquin, who joined the C2C team as part of his senior project. Now, Angelica is in her 2nd term as an AmeriCorps Volunteer working as the Coordinator of the Promotora Cocinas Sanas / Healthy Kitchen Project. Cocinas Sanas promotes good nutrition through healthy eating. Angelica has seen many of the injustices done to Latin families and she sees this as a way to empower Latin women and families by teaching them there are other ways to prepare food. Angelica enjoys talking to the women at the Cocinas Sanas workshops and especially likes using ingredients that the women have used but she likes to put a healthy spin to them; such as using cucumber and oatmeal to make flavored water. Angelica is a single mom with four children who enjoys dancing, watching movies, running and doing zumba. cocinassanas1@qwestoffice.net
Tara Villalba – Cocinas Sanas (Healthy Kitchens) /Promotora/Americorp Volunteer
Edgar Franks-Formación Cívica Coordinator
Edgar joins the C2C Team as the Coordinator for the Formación Cívica (Civic Engagement) Project. His first challenge is coordinating the Campaign to End Racial Profiling in Whatcom County. He is also the producer for C2C’s radio show “De Domingo a Domingo” at KMRE 102.3FM – the only Spanish language radio show in Whatcom County. Born in McAllen, Texas and raised in Skagit County, WA, Edgar comes from a farmworker family and is proud of his farm worker rooots. He was a MEChA member throughout High School and College; a volunteer for the Farm Worker Solidarity Organizing Committee from 1999-2011 and Co-Chair of this committee in 2001-2003. Edgar co-founded the Latino youth soccer league – Liga Tlaxtli Club de Futbol Juvenil in Skagit County and played various leadership roles in the league from 2006-2011. He has lived in Bellingham since 2008 with his partner Alondra Mendoza and their son Evo.
Enrique Lopez-Ameyaltonal Danza / Food Sovereignty program support
Enrique Lopez was born in Michoacan, Mexico. He arrived to WA State at the age of 4, in where he recalls living in unexpected harsh living conditions in Los Campos (Migrant Labor Camps) in Skagit County. He later graduated from Mount Vernon High School after overcoming many obstacles and understanding that education is a powerful tool and needed in order to create positive change and move communities in the right direction. Enrique went on to receive a BA degree from WWU Fairhaven College in American Cultural Studies program. After graduation, he returned to his community to work with Migrant, Seasonal and Low income families with Community to Community and Washington State Migrant Council. Enrique through out his career has been a leader and activist in his community, first leading M.E.Ch.A. at MVHS and then at WWU where he was able to inspire, motivate and influence high school youth to continue into Higher Education through out Washington State. He was also a founder of the “Dream in Action” Scholarship on WWU Campus. Enrique plans on receiving a Masters degree, possibly in Educational Administration so that he can be a leader in being part of the change in successful and just educational systems.Finally, he is also a member of Danza Azteca group Ameyaltonal in where he reminds youth and families that cultural roots must never be forgotten because it is the roots that reminds us of who we are.
Social Media Team
Malora Christensen
Ed Moran, Webmaster
Daniel Ruiz
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Interns
Christina Woeck-Cocinas Sanas/Raices Culturales
Christina Woeck is a junior majoring in Human Services and minoring in Spanish at Western Washington University. She was born and raised in the Western Washington region. She loves helping others and working with people. For the past two years she has worked as an advocate at Domestic Violence for Sexual Assault Services in Whatcom County. She is passionate about women’s rights, ending the cycle of domestic violence, systemic change, and social justice. She loves to be outdoors, practicing Spanish, traveling, and learning about other cultures. Christina will be supporting C2C Community Health Promotora Angelica Villa in outreach/education efforts on teen pregnancy, healthy eating and exercise, and domestic violence to Latinas in rural Whatcom County. She is very excited to assist C2C in all that she can. Check out this outstanding advocacy letter written by Christina.
Callie Reff-Formacion Civica/Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals(DACA)
Isabela Ordoñez-Cocinas Sanas
Keeley Savatgy-Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals(DACA)/Volunteer Coordination
Lauren Rasmussen-Raices Culturales
Rodrigo Garcia-Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
