Leigh leads with her heart
Leigh Stokes joined the Corazón Board in January 2023 and has served as our board chair since January 2024. With a background in strategic planning and product development for major banks, community organizing, public education advocacy and culinary arts, Leigh brings a wealth of professional and lived experience to her role. In the following Q&A, she shares what drew her to Corazón, the moments that have especially inspired her and her hopes for the future of our community.
What first inspired you to get involved with Corazón Healdsburg, and what drew you to serve as board president?
Coming out of the pandemic and after a series of devastating crises, I became more acutely aware of the disproportionate negative effects the cost and challenges of living in this community have on our immigrant neighbors. Especially working as a cook in the kitchen at SHED, where many of my colleagues were working multiple jobs to try to carve out a sustainable living here. I was cooking to pursue a passion. They were cooking to raise families. And if they got a call from their kids’ school in the middle of a shift asking them to pick up their sick child, they had no backup. If they were struggling with medical issues or an unfair landlord, they had no one to advocate for them.
This is when I found out about Corazón. In cooking school, we learned about the importance of sustainably produced food. We tend to think of this as only the things planted in the ground, and less often about the sustainability of the human resource that plants, nourishes, cares for, delivers and serves that food. I love this community and feel extremely lucky to be able to live here, but I have always felt that alongside that luck and privilege comes a desire, if not a responsibility, to help all members of our community have access to the benefits of living here and a decent shot at a good future.
Is there a particular program or moment at Corazón that has especially touched your heart or stayed with you?
Like many, the FirstGen College Counseling program is a guaranteed tear producer for me. The graduation of these kids who have worked so hard, under the 24/7 guidance of Bianca Calderón, the head of the program for Corazón, is a testament to the faith, hard work and potential that exists in our community. So that’s an easy one.
But the stories of hardship, unfair treatment, even cruelty that come from those who visit our Family Resource Center and then the lengths our team goes to to get them the help they need really affect me. Someone or something has suppressed the potential of these people who live in our community, trying to make a living and raise families just like the rest of us, but without the privilege, resources or voice that most of us take for granted. When I see the power and effectiveness and care our Family Resource Center staff brings to each of these problems, I am deeply moved. It’s so hard to be hopeful these days. These stories give me hope.
What do you wish more people understood about Corazón’s work or our community?
I wish more people understood the breadth of the work we do and the range of problems we work to solve. We have always offered “first aid” to immediate needs (food, vaccines, shelter support). During every single crisis since Corazón was founded, we have been first responders, pivoting quickly to be among the first to offer help and relief. But that’s not all we do. Over the years, we have built a set of programs that invest in the potential of these individuals and families, such as our pre-natal education program and our FirstGen college counseling program. We have expanded our toolkit even further by forming partnerships with other non profits and social services agencies, as well as with private funders to address a broader set of needs (financial literacy, mental health counseling, computer training, immigration legal support). And, we have built trusted relationships with local governments to advocate for broader access to services (e.g., simultaneous language translation at public meetings) and bring in the voices of our immigrant neighbors for important decisions, such as the design of the Multicultural Center and the map of new voting districts.
How have you seen Corazón or the community grow or change during your time as board president?
I’ve had the pleasure to watch Marcy Flores’s leadership and vision as our Executive Director have a marked impact on the organization and our community. Marcy possesses the unique combination of lived experience, grace, intelligence and steely determination that keeps Corazón firmly on the path to building a more just, equitable and inclusive community. Corazón is a trusted, forceful and effective presence in northern Sonoma County as a result.
At this moment, what would you encourage others to do to support Corazón’s mission and the families we work with?
Several things come to mind:
If you’re able, give an unrestricted donation. Maybe even make it monthly. The funding life of a nonprofit has never been for the faint of heart, but it’s been more challenging than ever lately.
We always need volunteer help. Go to our website and sign up to give us a hand in whatever way that connects with your interests and fits with your schedule.
Celebrate with us! We have several events throughout the year that celebrate the cultural wealth and achievements of this community. Whether it’s our Preschool Fair or Mi Bebé Y Yo baby shower in the spring, our FirstGen graduation in late May, Event of the Heart in July, Día de Muertos in October, or Noche de Paz in December, these are all soul-filling events that celebrate and give hope.
Thank you, Leigh, for leading with heart and for being a champion for equity and hope in our community!
