MARCY FLORES: GIVING BACK FROM WITHIN
Most of Healdsburg’s social justice programs are run through Corazon Healdsburg, a community organization dedicated to helping those in need. This means that many of the most beloved efforts now fall under the watchful management of 27-year-old Marcy Flores. Marcy recently joined Corazon as programs consultant and quickly has become one of the most important community liaisons the organization employs. She grew up in Geyserville, speaks fluent Spanish, and has an expansive knowledge of the local Latino community.
Marcy seemed destined to help her neighbors. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree from Sonoma State University, Marcy began her career with the Geyserville Union School District as student services liaison in the high school. She quickly was promoted to the position of academic and college career counselor, where she advised students on what colleges to consider and what to do after high school. In this role she met hundreds of families, earning their trust and respect by dishing honest and open advice. Then, due to budget cuts, she got laid off.
She didn’t stay away for long. Marcy knew she wanted to continue giving back to the community, but she wasn’t sure how or where to do it. So she called up Corazon CEO Ariel Kelley and asked to become a volunteer. Marcy joined the organization full-time shortly thereafter. Since then she has become point-person for a number of key Corazon initiatives, including a program to help high schoolers who represent the first generation of their families go to college, an effort to organize and host baby showers for expecting mothers, and a drive to help families set up savings accounts for higher education. She also proved to be instrumental in operating the Healdsburg Free Store, which Corazon set up after the Kincade Fire to help support victims of the blaze. In 2020, Marcy will continue her work with these projects and add others to the mix.
“Considering my background, considering I’m from here, this job just fits,” she says. “The local Latino population needs help, and it’s amazing to see how this organization has grown to serve that role. I’m honored to be a part of it.”
