VAHCC Foundation
Laura Sanchez del Solar, Director
Mission To provide the Hispanic community with education and information to successfully integrate themselves into the Commonwealth of Virginia
Foundation Programs
Legal Assistance
The Foundation hosts a Legal Clinic once a month that provides services in Spanish to the community. The clinic will be expanding to twice a month in the near future to handle the high demand for this service from the community. The Williams Mullen and Hunton & Williams offer services to the Hispanic community through the Foundation’s Legal Clinic. The Foundation provides translation and technical assistance throughout this process. Services offered through this clinic include:
· Immigration and immigrant’s rights issues
· Worker’s compensation claims
· Payroll issues (collecting unpaid wages)
Employment
The Foundation has created a bi-lingual job placement database. This database is available in English and Spanish and is provided at no charge to the community (both to the job placement organizations and to the job seekers).
Information and Referral Services
The Foundation offers Walk-In Information & Referral bilingual services to the Hispanic community about immigration, health, education and other services, in collaboration with other organizations such as the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg.
The Foundation has created a tracking system for referrals. Once a client calls or comes to the Foundation, they are entered into a database and tracked through a referral to the appropriate resource. The Foundation is the bridge between the client and the service provider. The Foundation provides assistance at every step of the process from the first telephone call or walk-in, to the follow up to see how the client has progressed. This service is available to anyone in the commu-nity and is offered in English and Spanish.
Education
The Foundation has scheduled free seminars held in both English and Spanish in the following areas to assist the Hispanic community:
· How to Start a Business or Operate a Small Business
· Selling to The State: Strategies for Success Workshop
· Minority Business Certification Workshop
How to Start a New Business or Operating a Small Business
These workshops are a service partnered with the SBA. Attendees find immediate applications for the information presented in the planning of a new business venture or solving the problems of an existing business operation. Equally as important, attendees are able to recognize areas in which they need additional training or professional assistance.
Attendees have an opportunity to ask questions about their needs. In addition, many attendees schedule appointments for a free Counseling Session with SCORE Counselors who will assist them with business-related problems.
Selling to The State: Strategies for Success Workshop
The Foundation, in collaboration with the Department of Business Assistance, offers workshops for current businesses who wish to learn about eVA registration, the Commonwealth’s electronic procurement system, and sell their goods and services to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Minority Business Certification Workshop
The Foundation, in collaboration with Christian & Barton llp, offers a hands-on workshop for current businesses who wish to apply for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s swam (Small, Women, and Minority) certification. There is an opportunity to begin the application process and ask questions of the staff from the Christian & Barton llp to ensure the clients completed application. All required forms for certification are provided as part of the course. Also, Christian and Barton llp offers the VAHCC’s Members, to serve as their Register Agent with the State Corporation Commission for one year free of charge.
Educational Initiatives of the VAHCC Education Consultant, Rita H. Willis
The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce makes a concerted effort to support our communities and reinforce the value of learning through various Education Initiatives. Currently, we are engaged in the following:
· In partnership with major corporations such as Captial One and Genworth–Scholarship programs
· In partnership with The Hispanic College Fund in sponsoring a Youth Symposium
· In partnership with Centro Fox–Vicente Fox of Mexico’s Institute. -Youth Exchange Programs for Business
· In partnership with The Boy Scouts of America Organization for Hispanic Youth
· The Piñata Connection–Interdisciplinary studies of Science, Art, and English. End product–a piñata!
Chamber events, programs, services and operations could not be possible without the willingness and support of our sponsors, partners and members in making a difference in our community.
The Community Foundation
Nationwide Foundation
Philip Morris USA
AT&T
Henrico County, Virginia
Legal Clinic
Bob Redmond
Williams Mullen
Hunton and Williams
Hispanic Women in Business
Evelia Gonzalez Porto
Mary Cofield
VAHCC Resource Center Partners
Christian & Barton llp
SBA
Luis Garcia
SCORE
Virginia Department of Business Assistance
Fairfax Economic Development Authority
United Way
Telamon
Corporate Partners
Philip Morris USA
Bon Secours Richmond Health System
Bank of America
Verizon/Verizon Wireless
Capital One |
