La Prensa Texas had the honor of speaking with Richard Montez, Chairperson of SATX Inner City Development. He recently was given the Coors Light Lideres Award which is meant to highlight the work that emerging Latino leaders are doing across the United States. He also works for Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities as director of member services.
SATX Inner City Development is a nonprofit, community based organization that responds to emergency, educational, and recreational needs of the neighborhood on the near Westside of San Antonio in the vicinity of the Alazan-Apache Public Housing Project. It has been operating in the economically poorest area of Bexar County since 1968. The mission of the organization is to lift the dignity of individuals going through hardships. This is done by providing critical, supportive, basic life services and inspiring persons to participate in the betterment of their neighborhood through volunteerism. With the exception of one part-time administrative assistant, the organization is run by all-volunteer staff and administration.
“People have been very generous this year. Donations have been pouring in this year and it says a lot about San Antonio,” says Montez. He believes people realize that the Latino community have been hit so hard by COVID. In the inner-city, we have so many working in the service industry; bar restaurants, and hotels. We have definitely seen a utilization of our services like we have never seen before.”
Inner City receives its financial support mainly through the generosity of individual donations. Volunteers are needed to coach teams, supervise youth programs, stock the food pantry, provide social services counseling, organize fundraising activities and even to maintain the grounds and facilities. For those looking for a more intensive volunteer experience, Inner City has a select number of rooms available at the adjacent volunteer house. This experience is intended for those ready to commit a significant portion of their time to service with the volunteer staff at Inner City. The organization provides room and board in exchange for 15 hours of weekly volunteer service at the organization. If you would like to become involved, contact the staff at Inner City at 210-224-7239 or innercitydev@yahoo.com