On a crisp October evening, our friends at Tualatin Riverkeepers (TRK) hosted their annual Green Heron Fundraiser. Between laughter, conversation, and even feeding the alpacas who once called Oakwood Gardens home, guests celebrated the importance of passing the love, care, and protection of our watershed to future generations. That message resonated deeply with our team. It’s exactly what our Chicas program strives to do every day: empower Latina youth to lead, to explore, and to become stewards of their communities and environment. 

When you enter Juniper Garden in the fall, you are suddenly surrounded by rows of ripe vegetables and the hum of community. This October, we gathered to celebrate something exciting: the official inauguration of our new yurt in the community garden collaboration between Adelante Mujeres and Bienestar. 

This yurt is a symbol of what happens when community, perseverance, and purpose come together to create something lasting. It is a space for education and connections for years to come. 

Guadalupe Maldonado, affectionately known as Doña Lupita, is a trained teacher and one of the earliest collaborators of Adelante Mujeres. “What inspired me more than anything was wanting a future for my children, thinking that they had to go to college and, as a Latina mother, we always think about supporting our children with school expenses,” Lupita explains. 

Thank you to Health Share, CareOregon, Washington County Behavioral Health, and Trillium for their continued partnership and support of Clínica Esperanza.

We are proud to continue providing mental health services to our community with a team of four full-time therapists and a care coordination team that helps participants navigate services and connect to needed resources through case management and care coordination.

Daniela and Selena discovered that the best entrepreneurships can be born from the simplest conversations. Between jokes and laughter, these two young women transformed a casual chat into an elevated snack cart business. 

Raquel Garcés, an ambitious pastry chef, carried sweetness in her hands from her hometown of Puerto Ordaz, in Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela, to the valleys of Oregon, and she keeps dreaming of new ways to impress people with her confections. 

Oregonian entrepreneur Imelda Cirilo built a business that honors family recipes from the mountains of Guerrero. "I am passionate about food of all kinds," Imelda shares. 

Adelante Mujeres has supported immigrant Oregonians through a variety of programming since 2002. Our immigration attorney, Nanci Vasquez Rios, and our team of accredited representatives provide vital immigration legal services to our community at a time when it is needed most. We are committed to helping Latine and immigrant families thrive. 

This August, the Cornelius Public Library’s Drake Learning Center celebrates its one-year anniversary, marking 12 months of sparking youth creativity, innovation, and community connection. This room in the library was the culmination of years of partnership between Cornelius Public Library, Adelante Mujeres, and Centro Cultural, three community-based organizations united by a shared vision: ensuring that every young person has access to the tools, resources, and encouragement they need to dream big and make those dreams real. 

Back-to-school season is a time of excitement, possibility, and new beginnings. But for many families in our community, it can also be a time of stress, as the costs of clothes, shoes, and supplies quickly add up. That’s why we are so proud of a special partnership that brought joy and relief to seven Adelante Mujeres families this summer. 

In 2025, we set ambitious goals for state policy that would uplift immigrant families and strengthen Oregon communities. Here’s the outcomes for each of our priorities.

As Wendy Weissman wrapped up six years of thoughtful, values-driven leadership on the Adelante Mujeres Board of Directors—most recently as Board Secretary—she found herself at a different kind of graduation: one of Adelante’s preschool graduation ceremonies. The timing was poetic! In the reflection below, Wendy shares what that day meant to her, and how it encapsulates the spirit of Adelante Mujeres. 

We are proud to be guided by a Board of Directors that truly reflects the heart of our community. This year, we’re celebrating the arrival of a new board member and the powerful women stepping into leadership on our Executive Committee. 

In June 2025, the Adult Education team at Adelante Mujeres celebrates a milestone that fills our hearts with pride: the largest GED graduation in the past ten years! This moment goes beyond numbers, it honors the dreams, determination, and resilience of adults who chose to believe in themselves.

Since 2018, Adelante Mujeres has partnered with Washington County to launch the Washington County Civic Leaders Program, and the response has been incredible. Over the years, 161 leaders from various backgrounds across the county have proudly graduated from this program, showcasing the strength of community interest and involvement. 

During the month of June, Adelante Mujeres proudly celebrated the end of the school year with joyful, heartwarming ceremonies honoring the accomplishments of its preschool students. This year, 90 preschool graduates participated in the festivities—some preparing to take the exciting leap into kindergarten, while others will return for another enriching year of preschool.

At Adelante Mujeres, we know that when we center community, culture, and connection, we open doors to powerful transformation. Our Chicas Youth Development Program is an example of a space where we create joyful and accessible experiences for about 700 Latine youth in grades 3-12 at 28 schools throughout Washington County, OR.

The 2025 Fiesta of Hope, presented by Trammell Crow Company, was a powerful celebration of community, resilience, and the unstoppable fuerza (strength) of Latine immigrant families. After months of preparation and anticipation, the big night arrived and what a night it was! Nearly 300 people gathered at Castaway in Portland to honor our collective strength, uplift voices that are too often unheard, and raise critical funds to support and empower our Latine community. 

Through our powerful partnership with Oregon Worker Relief’s ECO program, we’re helping immigrant communities navigate legal pathways with dignity and hope.

At Adelante Mujeres, we believe in the power of the land and the potential within our community. That's why we created our Spanish-language regenerative agriculture program, supporting Latino farmers and gardeners in building sustainable, thriving agricultural businesses.