Your gifts don't just fund programs – they transform lives Thank you for making this life-changing work possible, led by Araceli Marquez

Thanks to your generosity, every program, resource and human connection provided through the Adventist Health White Memorial Community Resource Center (CRC) has changed lives. CRC Program Coordinator Araceli Marquez sees the impact every day. 

For Marquez, this work is personal.  

Rosa Mercado (middle) sitting with Community Resource Center team members

CRC Program Coordinator Araceli Marquez

“My parents didn’t have many resources, and they don’t speak English,” she shared. “When I was a kid, my dad would hand me a letter and say, ‘Don’t you speak English?’ But I was just a kid. Sometimes I didn’t understand enough to help. That’s why I try to be of service to the community that reminds me of my parents.”

Marquez joined the CRC in 2018 as an intern and became Program Coordinator in 2022. While working full-time, she earned her master’s in public health from California State University, Northridge, in December 2023.  

Her time at the CRC shaped her decision to pursue public health. She wanted to help people have a better quality of life before they get sick. 

As program coordinator, she has expanded the CRC’s offerings by adding mental health classes that address Alzheimer’s, stress, anxiety and depression. In 2024, she created a new spiritual support group led by chaplains. She also helped secure a partnership with L.A. Care, which provides Food 4 Less gift cards to seniors living on fixed incomes. 

“Donor support keeps us going,” Marquez said. “¡Vive Bien! wouldn’t exist without support because all the exercise instructors are paid with donor funds. If our pantry didn’t grow as much, that means more people in the community would be hungry.” 

Your gifts don’t just fund programs — they transform lives. Thank you for making this life-changing work possible. 

Visit our websites to learn more about the CRC or ways to volunteer 

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