Under the Sun: Sandy Sanchez, program director at La Luz 

Sandy Sanchez, 31, talks with The Sun’s Anna Pier about growing up in Sonoma and her commitment to La Luz Center, the primary nonprofit providing support to the Valley’s Latinx community since 1985.

You’re Sonoma, born and raised.

Technically I was born in Santa Rosa, but I lived my whole life here. In fact, that’s why I decided to move to Santa Rosa. I wanted a separation from Sonoma. And I play on a women’s league soccer team there. I love being outdoors. Our parents always took us hiking in the Regional Park, other parks. I’m the middle of seven children born in 10 years, and my parents got help at La Luz and FISH. My mother always said, “If you get a service, you also give something.” My family helped FISH with delivery, translation. 

Schools?  

Sonoma Charter school K-8, then Sonoma High. I went straight to SRJC. I’m a huge fan of the JC. Everything clicked for me there. I became a better writer. I got math. And I figured out what I wanted to study – sociology. I thought, this aligns with where my heart and my mind go. It’s what I think about all the time. I had a great counselor there, from EOPS, Extended Opportunities Programs & Services, for “first-gen” students – the first in their family to go to college.

Next?  

I went to Sonoma State, and in a little over two years got my Bachelors in Sociology. All the time I was in school I worked, sometimes three jobs. As a server, as a nanny, interning and working at nonprofits. I love learning. If it didn’t have the price tag, I’d get degrees and degrees. I do plan someday to go back to study psychology and get a counseling degree. I would love to be a therapist. This would be later in life, a second career.  

As a child, what did you dream of doing? 

I never had one distinct career I wanted, just that I wanted to work with people. As a teen I thought I’d be a therapist or social worker. 

 Your path in the nonprofit world? 

In 2015 I was an intern at La Luz for six months, working on a local needs assessment which Long Beach State was running. I was on the ground with the survey and consolidating data. Then I was hired. In my early days it was “all hands on deck” and I helped with family days, we had outings to Jack London, nutrition classes, and other work with families. I also helped with the volunteer program, creating a much-needed database. And I was just learning, observing, picking up what I could.

Next?

I joined AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps, for a year in 2015-2016. I already had the broke-college-student mentality, so I was okay with the very low pay. And I made so many friends, from California and other states – Louisiana, Texas, Oregon. In 2017, I was hired by La Luz as manager of the Family Services team. And then came the wildfires. I was both experiencing the effects of them, and at La Luz, helping others.

What were the main needs? 

In our Valley, it was power loss and loss of wages. The program director was on maternity leave, so I got my first taste of high pressure, emergency response. I adapted and simplified the case management process. That’s the beauty of being a nonprofit: you do due diligence, yes, but you can get help to people faster. Redwood Credit Union gave La Luz $750,000 to get to people. In total we gave out $1.2 M. We went over to the shelter at the high school to translate, and it turned out they needed help setting up the intake process. We were on the streets, giving out smoke masks. It was a wild time, but it was what we do. 

You’re on the board of Sonoma Overnight Support. 

In 2018 I did the Leadership Program that La Luz offered to young people working in various sectors in the Valley. I was interested in S.O.S. but when I tried to find out about it, I discovered they didn’t have a social media presence. So I brought my expertise from Seeds of Learning, where I had interned, and La Luz, and helped set up social media for S.O.S. – Facebook for the clients, and a mailing list for donors. And I’m still on their board. 

As Program Director at La Luz, talk about the summer camps. 

We started in 2021 with one pilot camp. Last year and this, it’s 100 -120 children who got to attend a two- or three-week camp. Many sponsorships and partnerships make it possible to offer them free. The programs are culturally relevant. Music and mariachi is one, where we partner with Quetzalén, Sonoma’s folkloric dance group; there’s an arts camp; and one in partnership with Sonoma Ecology Center for art, outdoor learning, and adventure. They are a quality opportunity for our kids. 

Other programs? 

Lots of educational programs for pre-school children and their parents, in partnership with Hanna. We just graduated two classes of 15 – 20 children each. We offer Pasitos (Little Steps) where parent and child learn together. Also Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) in parenting. And Estrellitas. The Redwood Empire Food Bank has been helping us with a diaper supply program for our families. Facebook is our main client outreach. 

What do you feel is the main challenge for the Latino/x community? 

I can’t speak for all the Latino/x communities but what I see through my work at La Luz is the combination of the cost of living, low wages, and housing access being a huge challenge. Families are living paycheck to paycheck and many have mixed documentation statuses which makes it difficult for them to access better paying jobs. 

And the main challenge for you? 

I’d say one of my greatest challenges in this work is wanting to help all, in every capacity, but knowing that isn’t sustainable. Partnerships help us reach and serve a broader community but unfortunately we still have to decide if and when a partnership can be taken on.