Hidalgo Community Development Corporation Empowers Individuals

Hector Chavez, Executive Director of Hidalgo Community Development Corporation (CDC), first met Alejandro and Andrea, when they were teenagers, living in the Hidalgo neighborhood. Their parents had spent years laboring under the Central Valley sun as agricultural workers, and Alejandro and Andrea carried that legacy with them. When summer camp or youth trip opportunities arose, they would smile politely and decline the invitations. Instead, they rose before dawn to join their parents in the fields — not out of obligation but — out of gratitude for parents who had worked tirelessly, so their children might one day have choices. 

Years later, when Alejandro and Andrea’s names appeared on the roster for the eight-week Work Life cohort, Hector felt joyful. They weren’t joining the cohort to collect a paycheck; they were attending to discover what possibilities were in store for their futures. In those first weeks, Hector, Alejandro, and Andrea discussed identity and purpose, exploring how each person carries unique gifts that no job title can define. They learned to tell their own stories with confidence — to illuminate the strengths they had built through years of responsibility and perseverance. As the course unfolded, they practiced communication and conflict resolution, worked through goal-setting exercises, and turned vague aspirations into practical goals. When the cohort explored financial literacy and budgeting, Alejandro and Andrea became the first members of their households to have bank accounts. This helped both build new financial habits that would benefit them throughout adulthood.  

Alejandro soon found a pathway in his career trajectory. After completing the cohort, he started at Vallarta Supermarkets, where he applied the leadership and teamwork lessons from class. He learned how to guide others with empathy, communicate clearly, and manage his time effectively to accommodate the needs of his family. These attributes led to Alejandro becoming a manager in the bakery department. His grit carried him further than he could have ever imagined. From the fields of the Central Valley to the bakery counter, and then to a managerial role with Amazon in Fresno, Alejandro has continued to model growth through perseverance. He later earned his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and became a professional truck driver. Through ongoing mentorship, he has discerned that his next career step will be attending the local police academy, with the goal of becoming a Fresno County sheriff. Both he and Andrea credit the Work Life program for helping them see their labor as a pathway beyond merely surviving to one of thriving.  

“At the heart of Hidalgo CDC’s work lies a transformative but straightforward approach: every person needs both windows and mirrors,” Hector said. “Windows that open sight to new horizons and potential pathways, and mirrors that showcase people who have been in the circumstances you are in and reflect the possibility of who you can become.”