{"id":33791,"date":"2026-05-29T13:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devcofi.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=33791"},"modified":"2026-06-04T07:05:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T12:05:10","slug":"isaiah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/isaiah\/","title":{"rendered":"Isa\u00edas"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

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\u201cCOFI has helped me reach my dream of being a better parent. And now, my dream is to be a better provider for my family and help inform my community.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

This story was adapted from the \u201cIf We Come Together, Then We Have Power\u201d Snapshots of Organizing Families<\/span> <\/a>report. Read more about how COFI impacted Isaiah and see quotes from his son. <\/em><\/p>\n

Meet Isaiah! He first heard about COFI in 2003 and says that when he was first invited to join his COFI training, he had a teenage son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was learning so much from COFI – how to be a better parent, how my own leadership helped my community, how to reach my goals, how to be patient and have better conversations with my \u2018rebellious\u2019 teenage son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isaiah took a break from COFI but returned in 2011 when his younger son was born. He remembered the invaluable lessons about teamwork and the impact parents can make when they unite. He wanted to reconnect with that network of parents as he navigated having a newborn.<\/p>\n

From POWER-PAC IL\u2019s Early Learning Campaign <\/em><\/a><\/span>and the policies they were fighting for, he learned about the importance of Early Intervention services, Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), and more. When he suspected his youngest son might be experiencing developmental delays, he remembered initiatives on lead testing and had his son tested.<\/p>\n

Isaiah spoke up and got his son critical early intervention services with Medicaid. From his COFI training, Isaiah knew he was the strongest voice and advocate for his son. He firmly believes that his advocacy played a vital role in shaping the wonderful young man his son is becoming today.<\/p>\n

His son has also traveled to Springfield many times with COFI and POWER-PAC IL, and he says he wants to be a Senator when he\u2019s older. He specifically wants to help people who are unhoused get the resources they need: \u201cI want to give [them] some clothes, some shirts, and some food…. I think we need to give them a little money for them to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isaiah is proud that his advocacy has inspired his son to find his voice. For example, when his son had an \u201cice-cold\u201d hot dog for lunch, he knew it was completely unacceptable and spoke up. Isaiah said his son speaks fondly of COFI when he\u2019s in other spaces, too, often highlighting the trips he takes to Springfield with his parents.<\/p>\n

Parents, as leaders of their families, do so much for their children and families from cleaning to cooking to taking care of sick relatives. But Isaiah’s story and the impact COFI has had on him are a reminder of how strong parent voices truly are to their families and communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOFI has helped me reach my dream of being a better parent,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now, my dream is to be a better provider for my family and help inform my community \u2013 especially around mental health and the impact it has when it\u2019s left untreated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isaiah\u2019s journey is a testament to the power of parent leaders, their organizing, and unwavering determination to turn their dreams into action.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”\/about-cofi\/30-years\/30-stories-for-30-years\/” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

<< Back to all 30 Stories<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”\/jennifer-c\/” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

<< Jennifer: A Champion for COFI Families<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”\/marisol\/” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

Marisol’s Story >><\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a1Les presentamos a Isaiah! \u00c9l oy\u00f3 hablar de COFI por primera vez en 2003 y dice que cuando lo invitaron a participar en su capacitaci\u00f3n de COFI, ten\u00eda un hijo adolescente. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":3040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"

Meet Leah, a longtime partner and supporter of COFI!<\/p>

She partnered with COFI on a parent-led project that COFI Organizer Talibah<\/span><\/a> and other parents worked on to address the lack of developmental screenings.<\/p>

As the director of a statewide community collaboration project, Leah collaborated with seven communities, including Englewood, to boost early learning enrollment. Englewood parents, armed with training from COFI, discovered that fear of stigma and mistrust of systems led some families to avoid developmental screenings for early intervention and special education.<\/p>

Parents pitched an idea to Leah: with funding, parents could support other parents to navigate the early intervention system and the special education system to get children in their community the support they needed.<\/p>

Leah funded the project and parents did it!<\/p>

Fast forward to 2024: during a training with The COFI Center for Action and Learning<\/a><\/span>, Leah visited Parker Academy in Englewood (pictured below) and met parents who were initially part of the project and were still benefiting from it!<\/p>

\u201cI got really emotional about a dad whose son benefited from the program and thrived,\u201d she said. \u201cThe parent-led project in Englewood shows that with a little bit of seed money, families can lead and make their innovations last. It is a systems change success story. This is how things work when parent voices are at the table.\u201d<\/p>

This anniversary and Leah\u2019s dream serve as a reminder of the connections forged through parent-led efforts. Change begins with a parent\u2019s dream, and when they unite with others and partners like Leah, remarkable transformations can ripple out.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-testimonials"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIsaiah | COFI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet Isaiah! 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