I am excited to continue serving as the interim President at Cristo Rey De La Salle East Bay High School, St. Elizabeth Campus, and ready to build on the successes we have already achieved as a new community. March encompassed a lot of beginnings and endings as we grew and realigned to meet the changing needs of our community.

We realized that outside of providing an affordable Catholic education, our greatest resource is the relationships that we have built and fostered through various networking and touch points. Our vision is a future where we continue to grow and support students and their families, as we make a movement for transformative change in the Fruitvale district of Oakland and greater Bay Area.

We started thinking differently about the way we approach our work and the value we bring to every community we serve. Instead of focusing on the individual departments within our school, we wondered what would happen if we took a more holistic approach to the unique needs of each of our entities. This is a prime example of how CRDLS is constantly looking at ways we can best steward the resources entrusted to us, to have the greatest impact on the most people.

We are proud of our awesome Corporate Partners – and the people within them – with whom we work and partner with in making good things happen. So, how do we continue to fuel this journey? Well, it started with a foundation solidly grounded in our Catholic faith-based mission and vision. It was built with collaborations and participation from volunteers, donors, elected officials, school staff, businesses, other non-profit agencies, and the students and families we opened our doors to. It will continue to flourish with patience, perseverance and partnerships from individuals and organizations who share our mission, passion and determination to make meaningful, systemic change.

Our journey continues and is a work in progress, but we are committed for the long run. As always, we believe this work brings hope and promise to those we serve. I am optimistic about this new approach to our work and what it will mean for the communities we serve in years to come. Thank you for continuing to support our work during this exciting time of growth