As an homage to our environment and surrounding landscape, Vanessa Munoz and Jorge Ayon raise awareness about the importance of maintaining the Tijuana River, which is now heavily polluted.

Snorkeling the lagoon of Biscayne Bay in Florida, David Riera describes the beautiful signs of life underwater in his ‘carta de amor’ and takes us through his efforts to desegregate the outdoors, to bring his students one step closer to nature.

Public school teacher, Laura Flores discusses merging public education with environmental education.

Tierra Wools owner, Molly Manzanares reflects the weaving tradition and the importance of keeping knowledge alive.

Pastor Moses Borjas speaks about the importance of ministries getting outside.

Angelica Padilla and Gabaccia Moreno speak about increasing access to the outdoors for the benefit of our future generations.

Historically, the decision-making process in the field of conservation has left minorities and vulnerable communities out of the conversation. The Hispanic Access Foundation’s MANO Project partners with agencies like the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to connect and mentor young leaders of color to protect public lands and implement equitable and just climate change strategies.

Chantelle Ruidant-Hansen is a San Antonio native who currently works as a bilingual Visual Interpretation Specialist at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. She began her journey with the park back in 2017 as a MANO Project intern and after interning there for two years, was able to obtain a permanent position as the first ever bilingual VIS.

Pastors Juan and Rocio Almanza hail from Colombia, but have resided in Henderson, NV, for many years, pastoring outside of the Las Vegas area. For more than 10 years, they have worked alongside Hispanic Access Foundation to support our community-focused programs, most recently serving as program managers for our COVID-19 vaccination program.

Pastor Jesus Garcia and his wife Bethzaida Perez-Villegas recently moved from San Juan, Puerto Rico to New London, CT. Within a year of relocating to the area, they have established a strong relationship with the community and have run a successful vaccination program to get community members vaccinated against COVID-19.