South Bay CROP Hunger Walk

Join us on April 23rd for our annual South Bay CROP Hunger Walk, sponsored by Church World Service (CWS)! With its inception in 1969, CROP Hunger Walks are viewed by many as the granddaddy of charity walks. The walk’s legacy is deeply entrenched even in our own community; since 1993, our community has raised over $1.2 million through 70+ local groups. We walk to respond to resource shortages, to protect and provide for our vulnerable, to build sustainable community, and to show solidarity in a time of divisiveness. We choose to walk so that others don’t have to.

Why do we walk each year? We know that by bringing food to families in times of scarcity and by bringing water to communities in times of drought, we are helping people both in our own community and around the world reclaim their livelihoods so they aren’t forced to look elsewhere. On CWS’s side of things, the need is greater than ever this year to stand together as we seek to preempt the extreme situations that prevent displacement and refugee status. Given the current climate, we are attentive that we may need to increase capacity of resources in refugee camps/services so that food, water and shelter can continue to be safely and sustainably provided to those who are vulnerable. CROP walks are an incredibly meaningful outlet to providing these resources (and the flexibility to respond), with symbolism in the walk itself at a time when an unprecedented number of people do, indeed, have to walk for resources and safety. There is power in a walk.

Luncheon with Nicol Perez: Refugee Humanitarian Crisis

Suggested Donation: $25-50 (All proceeds will benefit UN Refugee efforts)

RSVP Required. Please RSVP at pacificasv.eventbrite.com

Nicol PerezNicol Perez is the 2016/2017 UN Youth Observer. Born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Nicol Perez immigrated to the US at age seven. She is a  strong  advocate for social and economic equality. Nicol’s experiences coming from Bolivia have fueled her passion for helping underprivileged communities gain access to the resources and support needed to have equal opportunities.

Nicol graduated from the University of Florida (UF) where she was president of Nourish International, a student-run, non-profit organization that works towards making a sustainable impact on communities around the world. During her time at UF, Nicol spearheaded a project in Guatemala City, alongside 3 other students, where they taught business classes to a group of 50 single mothers living in extreme poverty and provided them with the tools and skills needed to start their own businesses. At UF, Nicol co-founded the Global Leadership Program where elected students spent a semester leading business ventures around campus to raise money to start a Goat farm in Uganda. Later, Nicol studied abroad in Bangkok, Thailand where she volunteered with the Mechai Viravaidya Foundation for a semester.  Upon graduation, Nicol received an Outstanding Leadership Award for her work in Guatemala.

After college, Nicol lived in Maastricht, The Netherlands, where she worked with Enactus, a global non-profit that provides an entrepreneurial platform for youth to create sustainable community development projects. During her time in Maastricht, Nicol worked with students and community leaders to start a community house and business incubator.  Later, Nicol moved to New York City and was part of the Emerging Leaders program at Nielsen.  There, she rotated under the Public Development and Sustainability vertical and worked with global non-profits to help measure the impact of their social initiatives. Nicol was also a part of the United Nations Association’s Young Professionals Program. She served as the VP of Technology and Innovation for the Economic Development Committee, for which she planned and executed events that foster awareness, dialogue, and support for the work of the United Nations. In 2015, Nicol was a UNA Blogger Fellow for the Social Good Summit, a conference examining the impact of technology and new media on global social good initiatives.

Nicol currently resides in San Francisco, California, where she is a Product Marketing and Communications associate at Instagram. In her free time, you can find her eating ice-cream at Dolores Park or drinking too much coffee at a new café.

Program hosted by Silicon Valley United Nations Association-USA & Pacifica Institute-Silicon Valley; co-sponsored by SiVIC.