damian trujillo: hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle," i'm damian trujillo and today, the girl scouts and the farmworkers caravan on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪ damian: we begin today with the monthly visit of the consul general of mexico in san francisco on "comunidad del valle." with me is the consul general, remedios gomez arnau. consul, welcome back to the nbc site. it's been a while. remedios gomez arnau: thank you, yeah, i'm so excited to be with you again, damian. damian: thank you so much. what's the latest? how are things going at the consulado

in san francisco right now? remedios: well, very busy, actually, because right now it's time for people to file for taxes. and many of them, they require their passports to identify, so we have a lot of people, but we still have to deal with the pandemic and to keep the distance, so we invite everyone to do their appointment through online at mexitel. if they have problems about how to do the appointment online, they can read our web page. there's a video telling them what to do. and if there's an emergency, we also ask the people to send us an email to confrancisco@sre.gob.mx and we'll be glad to help them with their emergency. damian: all right, so, yeah, you know, the taxes are due next month, april 15, like they are every year, so make sure you get that in order. consul, we just passed the women--international day of

women this past week, but i was mentioning to you off-camera that every day should be international women's day, but tell us what you all did at the consulado. remedios: well, thank you for that, that every day is a day of women. yeah, we celebrated not only march 8, that was monday, but the whole week. we have different activities, mainly online, of course, and we had every day, a video clip about health issues with women, from pregnancy and covid to how to deal with teenagers' issues, and also how to be a well-rounded woman. so we invite the people to check our facebook page and our web page. we still have the videos over there. and also we had an interview with the women that are professionals from tgn service of mexico about their

experiences working abroad. that it's not always easy, it's always challenging. so the people can learn about that. so, yeah, and there was also, for women that wanted free migration advice, that was available also during the whole week. damian: all right, well, we are--we were previously looking at video of inside your consulado. they weren't wearing masks. i want to tell people that was file video, that was before the pandemic, so that way people don't get alarmed, but we're still doing it, right? i mean, you're still doing what you can at the consulado to help fight the pandemic and make sure people wear the mask and socially distance and everything that they need to be doing. remedios: yes, please. we do not accept if someone doesn't have a face mask. they cannot come inside. we also take their temperature so everybody is safe. and i just wanna remind something, damian. please know that the appointments for

consular documents are free. unfortunately, there are people outside, that are there, that are charging to make the appointment. please, it's completely free and you have an issue, please visit our web page to know how to make the appointment online. damian: wow, it never fails to amaze me how much people are trying to rip off our community. and i would imagine that right now your ventanilla de salud is very busy, right, because there's so many things going on with the pandemic. remedios: yeah, we are helping through the pandemic at the salud to do the appointments. you know, there are different stages in the different counties, so we have the information county by county in our web page also so that people know what to do. and even we have already uploaded information about, those that have been completely fully vaccinated, so they know what they have to do. that means most of the people have not been vaccinated yet.

they still have to be wearing face masks in public. damian: ah, well, that makes all the sense in the world. the consulate of mexico in san francisco is on folsom street but, again, they're asking folks that if you do need to make an appointment, you do so on mexitel. you can find the mexitel site, actually, on the consulado's web site, and there is that consulado web site on the screen right now, they are on folsom street. we'll be back and talk more with the consul general of mexico, stay with us. ♪♪♪ it's back, guys! check it out! what up, people? jack! what are you doing in my car? oh, just sharing my triple bonus jack combo... triple meat and cheese, secret sauce... go ahead, tell them how much it is... it's just $5.99! only at jack in the box. sorry, what were you going to say? for nearly a decade, it's just $5.99! only at jack in the box. comcast has been helping students get ready. we've connected 4 million low-income students to low- cost, high-speed xfinity internet. we're working with hundreds of school districts

across the country to sponsor free internet and laptops. and parents are seeing an impact. and now we're turning 1,000 community centers into lift zones - wifi enabled safe spaces to study. so more students can be ready for anything. i'm trying to do some homework here. good news friends, my triple bonus jack combo is back. the triple meat and cheese you need... the secret sauce you love... plus curly fries and a drink. it's...a pretty legit combo. and it's just $5.99. only at jack in the box. damian: with me again on "comunidad del valle" is the it's...a pretty legit combo. consul general of mexico in san francisco, the consul, remedios gomez arnau. in your jornadas sabatinas, your saturday appointments, they're still going, right, at the consulado? remedios: yes, in order to satisfy the demand of the people, so we are having on march 20 and also in april 10 and 24, if you wanna know when we'll have our saturday

journeys, please visit our web page. there you will find the information. and we're doing this to help the community to get their documents. damian: and are they every saturday or do you have them every other saturday? how does that work because i know that the demand is high, but, you know, your resources are limited. remedios: yeah, that's right, because the same people that is working on a daily basis are those that have to also come on saturdays to help the community, so it's not every saturday. so please visit our web page. there would have the calendar with the different saturday journeys that we will have. damian: okay, and there's also on--you also have the daca information [speaking foreign language] daca that you wanted to talk about. remedios: yes, please, and i wanna remind the people if someone has problems to pay for the renewal of daca, we have limited amount of resources but we can help.

we need to do a-- economic questionnaire, and if the person are qualified for the help, for the assistance, we'll be very glad to help. so don't forget, please come and visit the consulate if you have the type of assistance. damian: and consul, we mention this every time, every month, but one thing that we all need these days because everything--is patience. i know it's easy to get impatient when somebody's not picking up the phone, you can't make an appointment at the time that you want, but you--we always ask people for patience when it comes to important documents like this. remedios: yes, please. and, again, the best way is to do that online, and if you don't know how to do online, visit our web page, there's some video saying exactly how you have to proceed in order to get your appointment online. and i'd remind you to download the free application: miconsulmex.

that's the best way to have in your cell phone all the contact twork of consulates in the united states and in the world. damian: and consul, finally, after your segment here today, is gonna be the girl scouts, una niñas with the tropa 65123. and they partnered with the farmworker caravan. they're gonna go out and feed or give supplies to farmworkers, stuff that they need. your thoughts on the fact that these travelitas, these niñas, these girls with the girl scouts, are doing this. remedios: whoa, i wanna congratulate them for being so solidaire with the farmworkers. they are essential workers for all of us. i mean, what would have happened if, during the pandemic, we't h? and that's thank you to the farmworkers who risked their life, their health, to that, so i really wanna commend what the

girl scouts are doing and just remind the farmworkers that we are very attentive about how to help in the vaccination now. we've been in touch with supervisors of the counties where they are mainly located here in our jurisdiction and, yes, thank you again. thank you again for all your help, and thank you to the girl scouts for doing what they are doing. damian: that's great. we talked about a lot of topics today. anything else that you wanna add, consul, before we let you go this month? remedios: oh, yes, please. just the people know that we are very committed to promoting education for our community, so next week we will be calling the scholarship committee because, this year, the mexican government will be allocating also funds to help students go to higher education, and this committee helps us to select those students that will be granted to higher education, and twith these funds.ps us

and also this is the video clip that we upload in our web page about science. we want the people get excited about science because we want the community also--that that's a great opportunity for the jobs in the future. many of the young people are going to technology and science. that's part of our lives, and every day will be more and more important in--impacting jobs, and what we do in our daily day. damian: all right, consul, thank you so much for all your information. we will see you again next month. stay safe. remedios: thank you. damian: thank you very much, and there's the information on your screen. that's the consulate of mexico in san francisco. they're on folsom street. log on for more information. we'll be back with the girl scouts and the farmworker caravan, stay with us.

the chicken or the egg. duh. damian: well, the farmworker caravan headed by darlene tenes was a great success last year, and now they're

teaming up with, guess what, the girl scouts of northern california, in particular, troop 65123 out of the south bay area. with me now is darlene tenes on "comunidad del valle." darlene, welcome to the show. it's been a while. darlene tenes: yeah, it's been a while. damian: well, we do ha and it couldn't--you saw the need, not only the need, but you saw the amount of volunteerism that you received. darlene: it was amazing amount of people that have come out to support the farmworkers and it's such a unifying force, and we see people from every walk of life that come together, and it's really been a beautiful thing this year. damian: so give us the numbers. what were you able to do this past year when it comes to amount donated, amount delivered, amount of farmworkers--or number of farmworkers who were helped out. darlene: you know, i have no idea. i don't keep copies, i don't have to report to anybody.

it's been a lot, though. we've gone to quite a few--we work with quite a few partner organizations from half moon bay to salinas or watsonville, and then we've gone to quite a few cities, so i haven't really kept track, to be honest with you. it's very grassroots. people think we're this large non-profit or something, it's not. it's very grassroots. it's just people coming together to make a difference in their little corner of the world. damian: yeah, you know, when i report on the farmworkers, we show you the images, but, and you know this, it's not the same when you're actually there and you're seeing it yourself. my camera can't show you the ache on their backs. it can't show you the dust inside their eyelids. you have to be there to know exactly what it takes to pick the crops of this country. darlene: yeah, there's so many people, that's the thing that people remark on when they come on the caravan. they're like--and these are, you know, people

that were born in california. they say, "i never knew. i didn't realize," 'cause we're going out there in the summer sometimes and it's 99 degrees out and these people are covered from head to toe with hats, hoodies on, gloves, long pants, you know, they're covered from head to toe to protect them, not just from covid-19 but from the pesticides that are still there in the fields. and so, people are going, "wow, i don't even know how they could work all day in that," and then, this past year, we had the wildfires and they were working during, in the smoke, which i feel is a sin beyond just not legal, to do. we did file some osha complaints on and we got a--so there are things that we've been doing outside of farmworker caravan. we did find a woman, a female farmworker, who was willing to be a whistleblower, and so she did file some osha complaints.

damian: of course, you did file an osha complaint. well, good for you and, you know, if you see something, like they say, if you see something, say something. and you all did. talk about this partnership now, if you will, with the girl scouts, and a particular troop: 65123. darlene: yeah, so the girl scouts, last year, actually, one of the girl scouts, she wanted to start a program where we were writing thank you cards to the farmworkers. and that was very successful. we opened it up to everybody and people made these beautiful thank you cards. and then we passed those out when we were doing the food deliveries. so this year, we wanted to do--i found out about their daughters of farmworkers program, and their daughters of farmworkers program has actually been around for 30 years in santa clara county and the central valley, they have it over there as well, where they do, it's not a full-blown program because it is taking place at the migrant camps. so they, in santa clara county, they work with about 90 to 100

girls that they're doing and they do this program at the migrant camps. and the reason why we're doing the cookie--so we're doing a cookie drive right now for them which will help support their program, and then if people donate the cookies, rather than eat them themselves, we will, ha, we will also take those on our easter drive. we're doing blessing bags and we're giving them cookies for the farmworkers for easter as a little treat. so that'll help support the program, and normally, you know, girl scouts will sell the cookies themselves, but in this instance, the girls are not there yet. they won't arrive until probably april or may, is when the farmworkers arrive to start doing the crops, 'cause people don't realize migrant farmworkers means that they move around. damian: they're migrant. darlene: they don't live in one place, they're migrants. and so the troops are not there during cookie selling season, which is why we--there's--this troop has decided to donate all

their--makes me wanna cry sometimes, 'cause i'm just--it's just so wonderful how everybody comes together to get things together. so they decided they were gonna donate all of their money to the daughters of farmworkers program. damian: and we're gonna meet one of those little girls, camila, in our next segment, but, boy, what a joy to see that philanthropy and giving and volunteerism starts in the 2nd grade, in the 1st grade. darlene: yeah, and it comes--and then we have another--and i'm not gonna say the name of the family, but it's a very nationally known family. they have a very nice ranch that they just contacted us and are inviting the girls to go to their ranch because normally they don't get to go to camps or anything like that. i mean, i was never a girl scout. we didn't have girl scouts, you know, in east side when i was growing up, so i was never a girl scout. so i think a lot of times now, it's not part of people's family

history, and so i'm volunteering to go to the camp so i can go to my first girl scout camp. with smores. damian: my wife was raised in the east side and they-- she was a brownie. i do not--and somebody needs to educate me on the difference between brownies and girl scouts, but, boy, what a program; darlene, thank you so much. we wanna--we're gonna meet in our next segment the young lady who is a part of that girl scout troop and then her mom, but you have 15 seconds. anything else you wanna add? darlene: just go on to farmworkercaravan.com. we have the information there about daughters of farmworkers program. there is a link for you to purchase cookies. and, again, you can purchase cookies for yourself or you can purchase them to go to the farmworkers. and so just do that, farmworkercaravan.com. damian: well, awesome, thank you for what you're doing, darlene. that's--it's a big help to everybody. darlene: thank you, damian. damian: thank you; we're gonna show you the information on your screen, it's the farmworker caravan. it's taking place again in cooperation now with

girl scout troop 65123. we'll be back with one of those troop members. stay with us. ♪♪♪ like, seeing my mom. it's unthinkable to me that i can't see her and i can't hug her. not being able to hug is just like somebody has to tie me down. touching someone to say i love you, to hug you... those are the things that i miss. ♪♪ ♪♪

damian: and now we have one of the girl scout troop members ♪♪ and her mom, lorena. with us is camila chavez. she's a second grader at atlanta dual language academy, and she's ready to sell you a box of cookies and a lot of other things. welcome to the show, young ladies. lorena chavez: thank you. camila chavez: thank you. damian: so, mija, let me start with you. tell us about troop 65123, and what you all do as girl scouts. camila: it's very fun. it's where we learn a lot and it's super, it's so much fun. damian: so aou sure, lorena, that you want your daughter to do this 'cause she's turning into a firecracker. lorena: my goodness, you're telling me.

yes, no, she does a lot of amazing different opportunities, different activities, that really teaches students--it exposes them to different areas. they talk about engineering, they talk about cooking, they talk about dance. it's pretty awesome to see their interests blossom as they gain knowledge of what is out there. and girl scouts does a really good job at doing it. and one of the cool things too is that--camila, stand up, mija. you see, she gets badges after she's mastered certain skills, so it's also an incentive, aside from being fun. so she's on her way up to getting more and more badges. damian: that's great, and so you educated me in--during the break, and that she is currently a brownie and you work your way up to girl scout. lorena: yes, you're a brownie, right, mija? camila: i like girl scouts. lorena: you love girl scouts. damian: mija, what do you like the most, mija, about being a girl scout? camila: that it helps me a lot and

i can entertain myself, it's so much fun. i already earned that outdoor badge. it was my favorite. outdoor badge and then snack badge. damian: that's wonderful. lorena, i would imagine that--and it's civic leadership that the whole purpose of the girl scouts and why you want camila to be a member. lorena: it really is, it's civic leadership and, as the educator that i am, i always think about what are different ways that we can support and engage the whole child. and this is part of it: exposing them to organizations like this that's gonna help develop them and build them into the leaders of tomorrow. i mean, this little girl is on calls all the time selling cookies. now she has to do it some sort of virtual way, and she has it down. she's probably one of the best salespeople that you're gonna know in the city of san josé, so watch out, damian,

she might be calling you next. damian: well, she can have this seat, you know, i've been waiting for someone to take over the show. i've been doing it for 25 years, and so i'm waiting for somebody to take the helm. mija, you're getting a good training there with the girl scouts, so [speaking foreign language] the chair is yours. camila: gracias. damian: [speaking foreign language] so this farmworker caravan, talk about, you know, the importance that there is a girl scout troop that is helping out and that is benefiting from what the caravan is doing. your thoughts on that. lorena: it really warms my heart to hear that we're expanding to different communities because in the east side, girl scouts is very limited. in communities where you see more low income, more people of that that is a big focus of girl scouts. and this is one of the initiatives, so it brings me a

lot of joy to see that our young girls are getting more and more development and organizations like girl scouts are committed to that. damian: yeah, it's a good point. i know that my wife was a brownie at cedar grove elementary on the east side of san josé bordering evergreen but, no, i think she might have been the only latina on that troop, but just goes to show that travelitas like camila, they're--they belong and, if not, they'll--they belong in the leadership roles that girl scouts are helping develop. lorena: exactly; camila, you have something to say? damian: i think she's raising her hand, yes, yes, mija? camila: something real quick, i already have sold over 300 boxes and now it's time to support the farmers. damian: that's right, and so it's all you can't stand in front of safeway or savemart or cvs. it's a virtual sales pitch. lorena: yes, so camila, how do you sell your cookies? you're working at become a cookie techie, verdad?

camila: cookie techies sell cookies. you can order or you can--or we can drop them off at your house. damian: lorena, how does your heart not melt listening to your daughter at 2nd grade, which i still don't believe, but how does it not melt and encourage you about how bright her future is? lorena: oh, my goodness. every day, damian, every day. and you know, when i think about my daughter, i think this is great, and it also makes me want it for more and more of our youth, especially our young women of color, right? they have such a bright future ahead of them. it's just putting the resources in front of them so that they can have access to that they traditionally, for whatever reason, haven't had access to. and so that's something i'm committed to, not just supporting my daughter in her development but our children in our community as well. damian: all right, we have about 15 seconds left. anything else that either of you would like to add? lorena: camila, you just said you have sold about 300-- camila: --cookies, and now it's time

to support the farmers. lorena: yeah, so please support the farmworker caravan so that they can really get a strong program going for our youths in that community. damian: boy, you're all on your way, mija. great job, lorena. you're raising a great daughter. thank you also much and good luck to you. lorena: thank you. camila: thank you. damian: all right, thank you, mija. yeah, the farmworker caravan, it's happening again. we heard it here from darlene. they have an easter delivery to make, and so it's troop 65123. we just heard about other tropas helping the caravan. get hold of us, you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. also on instagram it's @newsdamiantrujillo. also pick up a copy of "el observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. thank you for joining us, we'll see you once again here next week. buenas tardes. ♪♪♪ cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 aberdeen.io

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[music playing] i'm sara gore and this is "open house." in honor of black history month, we are checking out some of our favorite homes that celebrate color, originality, pattern, and personality, including a historic theater in harlem that's also the home of this neighborhood original. and we are in los angeles for a tour of this stunning jaw-dropper you are not going to want to miss. we're with this design duo was sought to bring a downtown cosmopolitan vibe to their client's westchester estate. plus, we are down south in atlanta at a home that brings glitz and glam to the traditional. but before all of that, we are in harlem to visit this joyous ode to color and pattern. when you walk through my front door,

it truly is a feast for the eyes.