July 2025 | Message from Fresno DRIVE Director Artie Padilla

Hello Community Champions,  

I know we are in some very interesting times, but in spite of all of the swirling issues at hand, I hope you all are finding time for rest and self-care. Myself, I’m thankful that our organization provides us all a week off so that we can slow down and refresh. We were off the first week of July.  

In this month’s newsletter, we are providing you with a sneak peek into our newly formed DRIVE Communications Plan as well as our developing Community Engagement Plan. I’m bringing both of these up together as they are interconnected, and both play a huge role in the goals we have over the next few years.  

Finally, a little insider info for you all. In early October, we are planning a huge DRIVE gathering where we plan to provide updates on all the work we are doing as well as provide everyone more details on the long-term goals we are striving for.

More to come, 

Artie Padilla