Celebration!
At Centros Sor Isolina Ferré, Puerto Rico's First EnVision Center, Two Reasons to Celebrate

On November 22nd, Centros Sor Isolina Ferré were designated Puerto Rico's first EnVision Center. HUD Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett, Deputy Regional Administrator Michael Browder, Field Office Director Efraín Maldonado celebrate with the center staff and Board Members.

MedCentro Mobile Health Bus visits low-income communities and public housing developments to provide medical services. Denise Cleveland Leggett, HUD SE Administrator and Michael Browder, SE Deputy Administrator, visit the bus with CSIF CEO Luis Ortiz

Trinity College Director Dr. María del Pilar Bonnin guides a tour of the science laboratory for the HUD team, SE Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett, Deputy Regional Administrator Michael Browder and Field Office Director Efraín Maldonado

The Centros Sor Isolina Ferré (CSIF) recently had many reasons to celebrate: They received HUD's competitive EnVision Center designation on November 22nd, and this year they reached 50 years of service to the island of Puerto Rico through their community, prevention, self-sufficiency and education-based programs.

"Sor Isolina Ferré Centers embody Secretary Carson's vision of hope and holistic approach to help more families become self-sufficient," said HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett. "They offer an effective combination to promote leadership, supportive services and opportunities for education and job training that have positively changed the trajectory of many youth and their families. I am pleased to bring the EnVision Center designation during the celebration of its 50th anniversary." Cleveland-Leggett was also impressed by their facilities and partners, MedCentro Healthcare System and Trinity College, institutions that are partners of the EnVision Center and bolster the Educational Advancement and Health & Wellness pillars that are the core of this initiative.

"We are very proud to be the first organization designated as an EnVision Center in Puerto Rico," said Sor Isolina Ferré CEO Luis E. Ortíz. "This important designation recognizes our work of 50 years in favor of the communities with greatest need and will open doors to benefits and relationships to expand the services to our participants."

Located on or near public housing developments, EnVision Centers (www.huduser.gov/portal/envisioncenters/home.html) are centralized hubs that serve as an incubator to support four key pillars of self-sufficiency- (1) Economic Empowerment, (2) Educational Advancement, (3) Health and Wellness, and (4) Character and Leadership.

Centros Sor Isolina Ferré is a non-profit organization dedicated to community revitalization through educational initiatives, such as early childhood development centers and alternative high school programs; vocational training programs; prevention and health initiatives. The centers are based on the principle that a human being and his community, once aware of their own resources and with confidence in their capacity to use these resources for their own fulfillment, will come alive and create a more humane and fulfilling life for themselves and their children.

View the Video: www.youtube.com/embed/x6e5Ju_Pp-E

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