Staying the Course
Before RFHC opened in December 2001, Julio Garcia was already involved. He sat in on planning sessions with the Blue Ribbon Taskforce that laid the foundation for the clinic, and has seen it grow from one stage to the next -- blueprint to blueprint. For the past three years, he has chaired the Board of Directors.

Julio was born and raised in Guatemala City, the son of a well-to-do family. Many of his school friends, however, came from poor families. Julio started his activism at an early age. At 14, he joined his first protest march to right the injustice of a bus fare hike. By the time he went to university, he had become an organizer and advocate for peasants’ rights and joined Comité de Unidad Campesina.

He moved to this country in the early 1990s, settling in Redwood City, but he didn’t change course. Soon he was involved in advocating for immigrants instead of peasants and joined the National Coalition of Immigrants Rights.

Seeing the need is one thing; doing something about it almost always requires a long-term commitment. Currently Julio works as a Community Organizer with the nonprofit One East Palo Alto and is part of a taskforce that is beefing up afterschool programs that gives youth from East Palo Alto access to resources and mentoring support, making it more likely they’ll complete their schooling.

Julio helped found Nuestra Casa, a nonprofit in East Palo Alto that has taken ESL in a new direction, combining English language learning with education about health, community resources, and how to advocate for your children. He also serves on the board of CORA, an agency that provides counseling to victims and families affected by domestic violence.

When asked how he manages so many commitments, he says, “I try to balance my life. But what really drives me is making a better world for my kids. Money is not what changes the world. It’s caring - not just saying it but doing it.”

We call them the “two Julies.” They share more than the same name. Julie Brody and Julie Merk have a readiness to act when they see a need. First, they offered to host a small gathering so that their friends could hear about our work, followed by a visit to the clinic. Six months later they organized Womenade at Menlo College; 80 of their friends came to talk to staff and hear about the clinic. Julie & Julie are women of action. They do what they say they will do.