- Felicia Matlosz
- 559-304-9286
FRESNO – Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) on Tuesday, November 14, will present a $1 million check to Live Again Fresno to help support the nonprofit organization’s plans for a permanent home to better serve vulnerable children living in motels along Parkway Drive and nearby neighborhoods.
The check presentation and news conference will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Live Again Fresno, 1145 W. Hedges Ave. in Fresno 93728.
Live Again Fresno provides a safe place for children from families that are struggling and currently serves nearly 400 children in its after-school program and affiliated activities. The organization strives to provide access to education, nutrition, and proper health care. It has been recognized for its caring and compassionate impact and recently was featured in the documentary “Motel Drive” that primarily focused on one motel family’s fight to survive.
Assemblymember Arambula secured the $1 million allocation in this year’s State budget.
Live Again Fresno was started in 2012 by its Founder and Executive Director Richard Burrell. He experienced being homeless, was once a gang member, and his family lived in the motels of Parkway Drive. He turned his life around and found his calling when, in 2012, he met more than 30 children living in a motel on Parkway Drive, a section of Fresno notorious for its reputation for drugs and prostitution. The children’s stories moved Burrell to do something to help them.
Assemblymember Arambula said: “Richard has lived these children’s experiences and has worked tirelessly to provide them a safe haven from the trauma that they have seen in their young lives. His leadership and the dedication of the organization’s staff and volunteers have been tremendous. They give these children a strong sense of family and are simply a rock for the community.
“In addition, Live Again Fresno has provided economic mobility for mothers seeking a better life for their families. The organization hires them, giving them an opportunity to help lift up their neighborhoods along Parkway Drive and around the organization’s home base.”
Founder and Executive Director Richard Burrell said: “The work of Live Again Fresno is rooted deeply in relationship and love for our community. Today, we are creating change that will show up in the lives of these children's grandchildren. When we are ill, our bodies heal from the inside out. I believe that our community heals in the same way.”
Live Again Fresno not only has earned the trust and respect of the families its serves but of leading community organizations. For example, the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health works with the organization as does the Fresno Unified School District, which partners with Live Again Fresno through the district’s Project ACCESS program to support homeless students.
Live Again Fresno’s supporters also include the Central Valley Community Foundation.
Ashley Swearengin, President and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, said: "Live Again Fresno represents the very best our community has to offer – every day, they are lifting up and investing in the youth and families in the Motel Drive neighborhood. Thanks to this significant investment from the State of California, their work will help transform the whole neighborhood. Thank you to Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula for his leadership in securing these funds for our community!"
Tammy Townsend, Live Again Fresno’s board chairperson, and Gabriela Cristobal, a community member, gave a joint comment: “This funding marks the beginning of long-lasting change in our neighborhood – a safe place for children and their families to gather and grow together. Live Again Fresno is a place where people share our medicine. And, that medicine is LOVE.”
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