The idea for Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS) sparked during Dr. Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga’s therapy session with a young client who had been in and out of the ER with stomach pains. She sketched in crayon a large mama cat and small baby cat both with tears streaming. She marked a big black X over the mama cat and, crying, asked Dr. Belinda, “What will happen to the baby cat if her mama is taken away?” She had heard about ICE and deportations and worried every day that she could be separated from her family. Dr. Belinda knew this girl was not alone in struggling with the traumas of migration. She had a vision of creating a sacred place where people could feel welcomed and protected.

ALAS began with this vision in 2011, serving the San Mateo County coastside community of Spanish speakers and farm workers from its home base in Half Moon Bay. As a Latino-centered organization, the offerings at ALAS weave arts, culture and identity together in support of community well-being. Today, ALAS has expanded to provide comprehensive, wrap-around programs for children, youth, families, farmworkers, asylum seekers, seniors, and the general Coastside community – including bilingual mental health services, art and culture classes, healthy free food, supportive services brought to farm workers, and an entrepreneurship hub.

Sand Hill Foundation started supporting ALAS in 2019 when its budget was under $250,000. Since then, the foundation has funded the organization’s steady growth, providing capacity building grants for ALAS’ office expansion in Half Moon Bay, crisis response support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing funding for their youth mental health programs. Recently, the organization celebrated its 10-year anniversary, achieved a budget over $4 million, and was named the California Nonprofit of the Year in San Mateo County.