Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Olivia Ponce left her native Mexico for South Philly in 2001, with a young daughter and no extended family; she strongly felt the lack of a support system.<\/p>\n
Putting her own health and personal growth on the back burner to give her child a better life, she worked unceasingly in the restaurant industry for more than a decade. A phone number on a light pole offering English classes changed her life.<\/p>\n
The digits belonged to the Garces Foundation<\/a>, created in 2012 by Ecuadorian American chef Jose Garces<\/a> and Cuban dentist Beatriz Garces after the death of a friend who had avoided seeking medical care out of fear of deportation. <\/p>\n Since then, the organization has helped Philadelphians from 26 countries in 12 languages, providing access to English classes<\/a>, free healthcare, and support as they adapt to their new home, regardless of insurance or immigration status.<\/p>\n Now, to honor its communal sentiment, the foundation has changed its name from Garces Foundation to Comunidad Garces, beginning Tuesday. <\/p>\n As the organization approaches its quincea\u00f1era, the new name is just one change. The agency is expanding its free community health days from Philly to Kennett Square<\/a>, where more than 28% <\/a>of the population is foreign-born.<\/p>\n For Beatriz Garces, the new name responds to the way people have already come to see the organization: as a community. <\/p>\n \u201cWe felt like, given everything the community is going through at this moment, it was even more important to evolve the name to something that really feels welcoming to all immigrants,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Although the word comunidad is Spanish for community, Beatriz Garces said, the sentiment and their doors are open to people from all walks of life. <\/p>\n