[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\n“Being a mother doesn\u2019t come with a manual, but COFI is like a manual, and they help you grow and lead\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Meet Nelly! She is a devoted mother of four and has lived in Illinois for nearly 20 years. She said people have always told her she was a leader, but it wasn\u2019t until she took COFI training that she recognized it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joining COFI During the Pandemic<\/h4>\n
Initially skeptical about COFI, Nelly was persuaded by a friend to check it out. At the time, the COVID-19 pandemic was impacting her community, and many people were not working and needed resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cCOFI originally helped me connect with some resources, so I felt obligated to go to training, but I\u2019m glad I accepted. COFI helped me find my identity not just as a parent but really as Nelly and what I wanted to do for my family and community.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said that before COFI, she felt \u201call over the place\u201d and didn\u2019t have a clear structure for achieving her goals. But the first phase of the training really helped her break down her goals into smaller pieces and taught her how to overcome challenges.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Turning Dreams into Action<\/h4>\n
Having previously struggled with mental health, Nelly is a big advocate for well-being and health-related policies for both adults and children. She says, \u201cIf we aren\u2019t okay, how are we going to continue doing this work for our communities?\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why one of Nelly\u2019s proudest achievements with COFI and POWER-PAC IL was contributing to the successful passage of the \u201cRight to Play\u201d campaign in 2021, which mandates 30 minutes of recess for K-5 students in Illinois. It was pivotal because it ensured that children couldn\u2019t be denied recess as a form of punishment and prioritized the health and well-being benefits of unstructured play.<\/p>\n
But seeing her children empowered by her advocacy efforts was also a pivotal moment for Nelly. \u201cWhen they returned to school, they shared what they learned with their friends and made sure they had 30 minutes of recess,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Looking ahead\u2026<\/h4>\n
Nelly emphasizes the importance of self-growth for parents. As a parent, it\u2019s easy to pour yourself into your kids and family and forget about your goals and dreams, but she says, \u201cIt isn\u2019t selfish to invest in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nelly wishes she had this knowledge as a first-time parent and is eager to share COFI ‘s teachings with others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, as parents, teach our kids what we know, but if we don\u2019t know, then we sometimes pass the wrong information,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we can teach our kids what COFI teaches us – like how to overcome challenges – our kids will be better equipped, and the future will be brighter.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”\/about-cofi\/30-years\/30-stories-for-30-years\/” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
<< Back to 30 Stories<\/strong><\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”\/gloria\/” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Gloria’s Story >><\/strong><\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a1Conoce a Nelly! Es una madre dedicada de cuatro hijos y ha vivido en Illinois durante casi 20 a\u00f1os. Dice que la gente siempre le ha dicho que es una l\u00edder, pero no fue hasta que tom\u00f3 la capacitaci\u00f3n de COFI que se dio cuenta de ello.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":33500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"
\u201cWe will triumph and succeed in what we are asking for when we organize together.\u201d <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>
Meet Mar\u00eda, or \u201cDo\u00f1a Mari\u201d as other parents call her as a sign of respect. She is the proud mother of eight children, grandmother to 14, great-grandmother to seven, and great-great-grandmother to one.<\/p>
\u201cI paved my path\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>
When Do\u00f1a Mari arrived in Chicago nearly 25 years ago, she started volunteering with her local school, and soon connected with COFI. She became friends with the other parents, and from then on, she said \u201cshe 's never left\u201d COFI.<\/p>
\u201cThey would have us talk one-to-one, to talk about our needs or how we felt. As they say, I paved my path. They helped me a lot.\u201d<\/p>
Do\u00f1a Mari also recalls how she had to figure out how the bus system worked in order to get to COFI and POWER-PAC IL meetings when her children weren\u2019t able to drive her.<\/p>
\u201cWith or without fear, I would make a mistake and get on another bus and go somewhere else. All of that helped me develop in COFI. And now I go to East St. Louis, I go to Aurora, and other places. We develop more and we learn from others that way.\u201d<\/p>
Turning Dreams into Action<\/strong><\/h4>
One of her team goals in Little Village was to secure a stop sign for a school. There were many accidents, and people were getting hurt.<\/p>
\u201cWe fought hard to get that stop sign and they put it there because of parents,\u201d she said.<\/p>
Another big goal was fighting for recess for all. \u201cThe children really needed recess,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause if a teacher simply goes outside for five or ten minutes to clear his head a little, why not the children? They need it, too.\u201d<\/p>
In 2005, Do\u00f1a Mari and several COFI-trained parents prioritized bringing recess back to elementary schools. Their campaign, Recess for All!, successfully restored recess for all 266,000 Chicago public elementary students in 2012. In 2021, they expanded this victory to the entire state of Illinois!<\/p>
\u201cWe had a strong voice because we went directly to talk to the person who is affecting us.\u201d<\/p>
Looking ahead\u2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>
Currently, Do\u00f1a Mari has been reflecting on the escalation of ICE deportations and federal cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. She worries for her community \u2013 especially children.<\/p>
As she looks ahead to COFI\u2019s future, she recognizes how important organizing and advocacy are to addressing the issues she\u2019s seeing unfold. That\u2019s why she hopes to see the organization grow more and reach more parents.<\/p>
\u201cWe will triumph and succeed in what we are asking for when we organize together.\u201d<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-testimonials"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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