“My children remember me telling them when they started school that I would always fight for them no matter what.”

This story was adapted from the “If We Come Together, Then We Have Power” Snapshots of Organizing Families report. Read more about how COFI impacted Delia and see quotes from her children.

Meet Delia! She is a mother of three and grandmother of three and describes herself as a woman who has always believed that showing up for her children means showing up for every child in her community.

“My children remember me telling them when they started school that I would always fight for them no matter what,” she said. “My son, who struggled, saw this firsthand when I showed up again and again to make certain he had what he needed to grow and thrive.”

She first heard about COFI nearly a decade ago and still remembers her first COFI trainers: Graciela, Tracy, Ms. Harris, and Christina.

“I gravitated toward Ms. Harris because of how she was talking about the importance of early learning,” she said.

At first, Delia came in as an observer. She said she watched and took it all in. She wasn’t shocked by what she saw and learned because, in many ways, she already knew she had a voice. And she knew people heard her, even if they didn’t act like it. But, COFI gave her something more. It gave her a community of people who kept showing up. The same group of parents year after year, all working toward similar goals.

Since then, she has been the Co-Chair of the POWER-PAC IL’s Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign, which she says is her “baby,” a Delegate for her branch, and a Vice President. She has worked to expand the Illinois Child Tax Credit and continues to be a strong, vocal advocate for economic security because she believes it’s the glue that holds all the other campaigns together. “Every family deserves to feel economically secure. If a parent doesn’t have that security, how are they going to focus on their health and issues going on at their child’s school?”

Her youngest son eventually came along to meetings, too, and traveled to Springfield alongside her. Today, all of her children have been part of COFI in some way – and now some of her grandchildren are even watching.

Her son once said, “If we come together, then we have power.” For Delia, seeing the impact of advocacy ripple through her family – watching her children and now grandchildren understand why it matters to show up, speak out, and keep going – is everything.

Delia’s dream for COFI is to see more parents advocating for themselves, their families, and their communities. Additionally, she wants them to truly understand why they’re advocating.

“People think, ‘you’ll get this if you do it,’ but advocates need to break it down more,” she said. “They need to understand the information they’re putting out there, so that when a lawmaker or someone pushes back, they have the power to keep advocating for their families.”