The Garces Foundation announced Tuesday that it is adopting a new but familiar name after 14 years of serving the Philadelphia community.<\/p>\n
According to foundation leaders, the organization officially changed its name to Comunidad Garces \u2014 comunidad means \u201ccommunity\u201d in Spanish \u2014 because that’s what patients, students and volunteers have been calling it for years. Officials said the new name also reflects the foundation’s commitment to serving immigrant families.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTransitioning to Comunidad Garces is a natural evolution for us, as our students and patients have called us their comunidad for years,\u201d said Robin Morris, executive director of Comunidad Garces. \u201cComunidad Garces reflects our mission to open doors to opportunity for our immigrant friends, family, and neighbors \u2014 regardless of status and place of origin. Whether you need help learning English, access to health care, or just an ear to listen, you can count on our team at Comunidad Garces to welcome you in.\u201d<\/p>\n The organization was founded in 2012 by Chef Jose Garces and Dr. Beatriz Garces, following the death of Felipe, a 26-year-old butcher who died of treatable thyroid cancer after avoiding medical care out of fear of deportation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve witnessed and experienced firsthand the challenges of the immigrant journey in the United States, and that\u2019s why we built Comunidad Garces,\u201d said co-founders Dr. Beatriz Garces and Chef Jose Garces. \u201cFelipe was our co-worker and our friend, and his loss affected us deeply. Knowing his death could have been avoided with earlier medical attention led us to this work, so that nobody has to wait that long again.”<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the organization also announced that it will expand its free “Community Health Days” to a second location in Kennett Square amid growing demand for services.<\/p>\n According to officials, Community Health Days, which provide free medical and dental care, have increased from quarterly to every other month, and now include mammograms through Penn Medicine\u2019s mobile mammography program alongside colon and prostate cancer screening.<\/p>\n Moreover, leaders say enrollment in IDIOMA, the organization\u2019s English as a second language (ESL) program, has doubled since 2020 to more than 700 students a year.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Garces Foundation has been helping immigrants in South Philadelphia for a decade with services like health screenings and English classes. NBC10’s Miguel Martinez-Valle reports as the foundation says some of their services have seen a decrease in attendance because of an increase in ICE activities.\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n