When people are given the opportunity to succeed, great things happen for them and the community they live in. Valley of the Sun United Way supported a cohort in Guadalupe to attend Fuerza Local, a course that offers a free course for Latino community members on how to open and run a small business of their own.

“I knew Fuerza Local was going to help me figure out what I really wanted to do. At the time I was working, but I saw a space available to rent to cut hair on my own. When I started I had no name, no logos no nothing. When I started the program it helped me figure things out step by step figuring out the name, branding and other licensing information. You feel really important when you go through this program. You get to know so many great people in the valley, including the sponsors. It makes a family of people that work together.” – Tatiana, Founder of The Cut Men’s Salon, Fuerza Local Graduate

Learn more about Tatiana’s success from being in the program.

Through the program, graduates learn about business finances, marketing their business, and more. In a space where people can come together and learn about these things face to face with experts, understanding, finding, and using these resources is made simple, growing the number of local entrepreneurs.

“Fuerza Local is doing extraordinary things by helping us get past our comfort zones and initiate us and our ideas in a new country that is the U.S. Step by step, we are all here with a mission, whether that’d be facilitating someone else’s life, or filling some type of necessity. I’m sure that each and every one of us can impact this world in a positive way, and as Latinos we can do so with great pride.” - Marcia Angulo, Founder of Diabetypes, Guadalupe Class Representative

This is just a part of the action going on in Guadalupe, Maryvale, and Central City as we fight for neighborhoods through community empowerment.

“Me and my husband, we are looking forward to working together with United Way just to give back whatever we received from the town of Guadalupe.” – Tatiana

To learn more about our community empowerment efforts, click below.

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