Rio Grande Valley Community Pandemic Relief

Texas’s Rio Grande Valley is one of the areas that has been most adversely affected by COVID-19 in the United States. Already a vulnerable community, where more than a third of its largely Hispanic population lives in poverty, and almost half of its residents have no health insurance, the pandemic has devastated the area. 
  
In Brownsville, a city in the Rio Grande that sits at the tip of the US-Mexico border, THE REVIVAL OF CULTURAL ARTS  stands as a symbol of help and hope to the community during these times. Located in the heart of downtown Brownsville, the organization's mission is to create opportunities for the neighborhood through the arts. When COVID-19 began to surge through the area, they used their platform to provide resources and spread safety awareness to the residents around them, many of whom only speak Spanish.

As ROCA brings support to their community during this time, we are asking you to bring support to them. Any donation helps to make sure that they can continue to have the resources they need to help their area during the pandemic; and that simultaneously, they can continue their important mission of cultivating success and inspiring creativity through the arts – and, in doing so, showcase the beautiful culture that this bordertown brims with!

For more information on Brownsville, R.O.C.A., and the specific help they are providing during the COVID-19 pandemic, please read more below:


The border between the United States and Mexico is a country all its own, with a culture all its own; neither US nor Mexican. It is a place with its own beautiful and unique customs, language, and heritage.  This is true for the bordertown of Brownsville, where the REVIVAL OF CULTURAL ARTS celebrates this amazing culture to inspire creativity and foster success.

Founded in 2013 as a 501 (c) 3 organization, ROCA's vision is to create a bridge between local families, who live in some of the most distressed areas of the city,  and the experience of art, music, dance, film and culture. In doing so, they strive to create opportunities that will strengthen success and teach skills that become tools for life.

Currently, ROCA serves more than 150 residents in the following music, art, dance, and community programs:

          MUSIC – classes in piano, guitar, violin, cello, accordion, double bass, guitar   
          bass, drums, voice, choir, and paper orchestra.

          DANCE – classes in ballet, tap, jazz, folklorico, flamenco, ballroom and
          modern dance. 

          DAMAS – a group of mothers in the community who take leadership roles
          within the organization and help plan programs, events, activities and
          outreach for the community, from the community. 

          ROCA SCHOLARS – a group of high school students chosen to receive a
          financial scholarship/stipend from the organization as they help spread
          culture and arts around the city and act as role models and mentors to the
          younger generations in the area. 

          BROWNSVILLE FILM SOCIETY – a partner with ROCA that creates events
          for the community (workshops, screenings, etc.) and also helps local artists
          and filmmakers with productions and in promoting the city of Brownsville as
          a friendly motion picture destination. 

As the COVID-19 virus surges this winter,  ROCA and its community continue to see their area harshly affected. Latino populations throughout the US are being disproportionately hit, medically and economically, and this is true for Brownsville. While the organization finds ways to continue their core mission safely, they are also using their platform and the trust they have built to help spread awareness and provide resources throughout their city during this unprecedented time.

A few of the important ways they have expanded their work to help battle the virus and the hardships that accompany it are:

          1.     Providing a safe space for students to work during school hours.
          2.     Enhancing their center's internet service so that it can reach families in
                   the vicinity around them.
          3.     Identifying and helping provide for essential needs in their community -    
                   food insecurity, cleaning supplies, PPE.
          4.     Connecting families to other partners, providing services such as
                   groceries.
          5.     Keeping families informed of ordinances and health and safety
                   information.
         6.     Translating this important information into Spanish, the majority of the
                   population around them dominantly speaking this language. 

As ROCA continues to do this important work, any donation would be meaningful to the organization -- for so many, it stands as beacon of hope, community, culture, and opportunity at the heart of the city. 

We thank you for your consideration and generosity and wish you and your loved ones safety and health this season.