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V <br />STRONGWU FOR A FAIR KNOW <br />December 19, 2016 <br />Honorable Santa Ana City Council and Mayor, <br />It is with great pride and respect that I write to you this letter of support for Centro <br />Cultural de Mexico, a non -profit that has served Orange County for over 22 years, <br />Having been scored in the top -ten (9th place) by City Staff for funding from the <br />Community Enhancement Program Grant (CEPG), the Centro stands out among local <br />organizations -- it is the only community-based organization in the top -ten with <br />over 20 years of arts and culture programming experience. Today Council has an <br />opportunity to support this (often overlooked) important community asset. <br />Today the Centro's contributions to the Arts and Culture of Santa Ana are widely <br />known. The Noche de Altares festival, with over 40,000 attendees, has received <br />international acclaim as a beautiful representation of Mexican culture in the heart of <br />downtown Santa Ana. Members of Son del Centro - who piloted the Fandangos in <br />Schools project at the Orange County Educational Arts Academy (OCEAA) - have <br />been recorded in the Library of Congress as part of the American Folklife Center <br />archive. <br />Most importantly, the Fandangos in Schools project proposed falls in line with City <br />initiatives including the Arts and Culture Plan and the Strategic Plan. Strategic Plan <br />Goal 5, Objective Sc is Community Health, Livability, Engagement & Sustainability - <br />promotes a strong arts and culture infrastructure: Generate public and private <br />support and resources to strengthen, expand and stabilize funding for the arts. <br />There can be no better example of this objective than support for the Centro. <br />Especially now, this grant comes as the long time non -profit is moving into a <br />building of its own in downtown Santa Ana, becoming a part of the permanent arts <br />and culture infrastructure for the City. <br />Arts and culture initiatives like these from the Centro promote wellbeing in the City, <br />healthy identities for youth, leadership and education. Thank you for supporting the <br />Centro and the invaluable work of local residents in our City, <br />Respectfully, <br />ctb�a'keel Syed <br />Executive Director <br />Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development <br />