{"id":33799,"date":"2026-05-29T14:24:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devcofi.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=33799"},"modified":"2026-06-04T05:54:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T10:54:13","slug":"delia-30","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/delia-30\/","title":{"rendered":"Delia"},"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” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy children remember me telling them when they started school that I would always fight for them no matter what.\u201d<\/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 Delia and see quotes from her children.<\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy children remember me telling them when they started school that I would always fight for them no matter what,\u201d she said. \u201cMy 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

She first heard about COFI nearly a decade ago and still remembers her first COFI trainers: Graciela, Tracy, Ms. Harris, and Christina.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gravitated toward Ms. Harris because of how she was talking about the importance of early learning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At first, Delia came in as an observer. She said she watched and took it all in. She wasn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Since then, she has been the Co-Chair of the POWER-PAC IL\u2019s Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign<\/em>,<\/a><\/span> which she says is her \u201cbaby,\u201d 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\u2019s the glue that holds all the other campaigns together. \u201cEvery family deserves to feel economically secure. If a parent doesn\u2019t have that security, how are they going to focus on their health and issues going on at their child\u2019s school?\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Her son once said, \u201cIf we come together, then we have power.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Delia\u2019s 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\u2019re advocating.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople think, \u2018you\u2019ll get this if you do it,\u2019 but advocates need to break it down more,\u201d she said. \u201cThey need to understand the information they\u2019re putting out there, so that when a lawmaker or someone pushes back, they have the power to keep advocating for their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”\/katrina\/” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

<< Katrina’s Story<\/strong><\/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 30 Stories >><\/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 Delia! Ella siempre ha cre\u00eddo que estar presente para sus hijos significa estar presente para todos los ni\u00f1os de su comunidad.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":33838,"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-33799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-testimonials"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDelia | COFI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet Delia! 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