ARISE Muñiz
ARISE Muñiz was founded in 1995 by a group of four women who were part of the early years of the ARISE Las Milpas Program. By that year the ARISE Las Milpas staff felt that it was so blessed by what it had found with ARISE that they should try to bring this same blessing to families of some other communities. A Habitat for Humanity project was already working in the Muñiz colonia community. The leaders there already knew of ARISE and wanted to bring it to Muñiz as a compliment to their home building effort there. The money just was not there for ARISE to expand to another community. Soon that situation was remedied when the Daughters of Charity, through the initiative of Sister Marcella, provided a grant to ARISE to bring the ARISE Las Milpas model to another community. Muñiz had already invited ARISE to its community. Now ARISE could respond. The ARISE Las Milpas staff released all the single women on their staff to go to found another ARISE in Muñiz.
The early stages of ARISE Muñiz.
On December 12, 1995 the entire ARISE Las Milpas staff went to Muñiz and visited every home there. This date is considered the founding date for ARISE Muñiz. In a short time the four women assigned there made their contacts. Meetings were held in the homes of the community so the people could really know and understand the philosophy that the people must stand up and bigin to care for their own community in their own way. Soon one of the Habitat supply sheds was turned into the ARISE Center. There was neither electricity nor a bathroom there. For such needs the ARISE staff turned to the neighbors who were happy to do what they could.
Five participants receive recognition for completion of
Drivers License Coaching with
ARISE animators Andrea Landeros and Lourdes Sierra.
This is how ARISE Muñiz began. Now it is a separately incorporated entity with its own Board, Staff and President. There is a staff of seven women with volunteer time from ARISE Volunteer Corps and program beneficiaries. the programs include English as a Second Language for Children, Coaching for Driver's License, Family days, Parenting skills, Arts and Crafts classes, Staff Development, an annual Summer Program of six weeks which garners the energy of visiting youth volunteers and that of the colonia youth to carry out a very organized and well planned six weeks of fun and learning for the children and youth of the community.
ARISE local summer volunteer leading an arts and crafts class.
The particular feature of this Center is the Matachine Dancers. They are a group of persons of all ages who hail from the community and gather regularly in the Fall of each year to be ready for the many invitations to dance that they receive in the month of December. The dance reaches deep into the Mexican culture and brings with it a spiritual awakening and a sense of peace and centeredness. During December of each year the dancers receive invitations to at least 12 neighborhoods or posada events to perform.
ARISE Muñiz Matachine Dancers
