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ARISE Fact Sheet
History
ARISE was founded in 1987 by Gerrie Naughton, RSM.
ARISE….A Resource In Serving Equality (ARISE has always seen itself as a resource to the immigrant population in bringing about equality of opportunity for its people).
From its very beginning the colonia community women who worked together with Sr. Naughton knew that they needed to begin to prepare themselves to, one day, take full responsibility to guide and manage ARISE for their own people within their own community.
From 1987-1998 ARISE was a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy of the St. Louis Region.
1998 until the present ARISE is a co-sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, the Daughters of Charity and the Sisters of the Incarnate Word.
While ARISE can be seen as a faith-based initiative it does not proseletyze nor in any way meddle in religious matters.
ARISE has four Centers located in the middle of the Las Milpas (’87), Muniz (‘95), (‘97) South Fork(’01) colonia communities in the Pharr-San Juan- Edinburg area of colonia community. Each Center is separately incorporated with its own Board, President and Staff. All four work together as a collaborative on matters that pertain to all four Centers (i.e. staff development, grant writing, mission, vision, values).
Six Guiding Principals
In the colonia communities ARISE carries out a number of programs which support children for educational success, families for strength from within, persons of all ages with cultural transitions and a sense of responsibility to make their community a better place. To guide it in realizing its vision through its programs and activities ARISE pays close attention to its six guiding principles.
- “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because God has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. God has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and to announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.” Luke 4:18) (This spiritually strengthened the women for mission.)
- ARISE does not do for the people what the people can do for themselves. (This calls staff to empower the people)
- Look around you, assess what’s going on, make a response, evaluate and celebrate. (This cycle keeps staff attentive, creative and flexible according to needs of the people and their own giftedness, and always in a learning stance).
- Home visits and personal contact are the ordinary ways for ARISE to communicate with the people. (This keeps ARISE staff out among the people, in the streets of the neighborhood).
- ARISE is not here to create a perfect system. ARISE is here to serve the people. (This helps the staff to put more emphasis on what is comfortable to the people than on orderliness and sophisticated system building that is outside of their capacity thus rendering them dependent).
- Our hospitality should be cordial. Cordial means something which refreshes, animates and invigorates. (This calls the staff to receive everyone with honor and dignity, including one another.)
Vision
These guiding principles guide ARISE to its Vision and Mission which mesh together into the following statement:
Because it believes that each person is created in the image and likeness of God, and is therefore with gifts and talents;
Because it believes that each community is, from within itself, blessed with persons who can work together to respond to the needs of their own community;
ARISE focuses itself on a consistent program of personal development together with training in leadership and community organization for women who are immigrants to USA so as to build their capacity to be leaders, organizers, and capacity builders of yet other persons who are immigrants within their own communities.
ARISE Women share best practices with MACC students
Statistics
(ARISE = the 5 ARISE collaborative)
- During 2005-06 ARISE significantly impacted the lives of 2,209 immigrant families. Hundreds of other were impacted in less significant ways.
- ARISE has a staff of 25 full time persons and 3 FTEs
- The ARISE Volunteer Corp is a group of 8 women who receive training, support and guidance to help the staff to carry out some of its activities.
- The annual operating expenses for ARISE are about $800,000.
- 15 of the ARISE staff women have completed 720 clock hours of coursework to qualify for Certification in Leadership with Hispanics from the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio (MACC).
- 18 staff persons have completed the Leadership for Hispanics in Church and Society course from MACC. This course went one full Saturday per month for 18 months. ARISE invited other agencies to send staff members to this course.
- During 2005-06 participants in ARISE services contributed 12,783 hours of volunteer service in their community.
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