Speakers: Marina Palma, Voces del Canal Community Volunteer
Marina Palma: Hi, everyone. My name is Marina Palma. And at the time that, uh, this event took place I was a member of Voces del Canal in San Rafael, California.
How long have you lived in the Canal community?
Marina Palma: I have lived in the Canal community for about 35 years. It's an amazing community.
What has been your experience with Voces del Canal?
Marina Palma: My experience with uh Voces del Canal has been amazing. I love to volunteer. It is a passion for me to uh advocate for the families that we serve for the families in my community and others. Of course. So uh I only have nothing but positive experiences uh as a volunteer with Voces del Canal, always helping, always serving, always advocating and creating um health and well being in our community.
How has partnering with Flock and the San Rafael PD helped make your community safer?
Marina Palma: Working with Flock Safety and San Rafael Police Department has been a great experience for me and members of Voces del Canal, but better yet, uh it helped us so much to uh to keep our community safe. This is a challenge that we've been dealing with for many, many years uh before there was no opportunity or it just didn't happen. But uh I am so grateful that this year uh Flock Safety came along with the collaboration of the San Rafael Police Department and they were able to install four cameras in my community of uh uh the Canal in San Rafael. Um I understand that all together they place 18 cameras in San Rafael. But um for us, it means really, really a lot um because uh we are starting to feel more safer now no more actually safe. Uh Knowing that those cameras are there and uh the advocacy will continue because we do need more cameras. But uh so far it's been like I said, like a dream come true. The personnel from Flock safety is just amazing. nTalking to Hector and Kristen uh working with them is I mean, it's been nothing but positive and positive results. Uh, same thing with Lieutenant Everly from the San Rafael Police Department. So, um, uh, muchas gracias Flock Safety for coming to protect us. It has been needed for so many years. We will appreciate it.
What is one thing you want people to know about your community?
Marina Palma: Our Canal community in San Rafael is approximately has approximately 13,000 residents uh is a colorful community uh so full of culture. The majority are Guatemalans, but we do have Mexicans, Salvadorians in uh in every other country including Vietnamese. We are people who truly believe in keeping our families together. Uh This is a community uh full of hard working people. This is the labor that maintains and keeps uh Marin beautiful. These are people who are struggling to make it, make it to survive, needless to mention to make it, you know, in this country. These are families that are truly believe in making sure that the kids get the education that they deserve. And these are most families, they also support their own families in their countries. This uh we are so full of joy in our community and uh we are very resilient and uh I truly love our community because uh we all, we are all here for the same reason to make our life our life better here and to um advocate for, for what is right. You are welcome to come and visit us and you will know what I'm talking about. Uh So thankful to see how Kristen and Hector actually uh enjoy our company and our community. Thank you so much and welcome to the Canal community in San Rafael.
What do you hope for your community, for your children and their future in the Canal neighborhood?
Marina Palma: What I hope for the children in our community in the future is that they become uh financially successful, that they are able to graduate uh from a university that will enable them to become successful in life. Uh I would love for those children to come back to the community and, and give something in return and to never, never forget their roots, never forget of all the people that have been there for them. And it's not just as volunteers, is the families themselves is people like the San Rafael Police Department is people like, like uh Flock Safety, everything is included to raise up a child. Uh I truly hope that our children, not only they'll be uh bi bilingual, but uh bicultural by being bicultural mean means that they're always gonna carry their culture in their heart
Marina Palma: Um I do hope that our children in the future, they understand that they, they never ever forget where they came from and again to be successful. And that's what we, that's what we advocating for and that couldn't be done without the help of all of you. Thank you.
