Founded in 1978 by a group of Chicanos and Latinos who saw a lack of mental health services in their community, Instituto Familiar de La Raza (IFR) became the first integrated community mental health clinic in San Francisco. Their goal was to incorporate practices that went beyond treating mental illnesses to promote health and wellness in their community.
Thirty-five years later, IFR stays true to its mission by providing services to 3,500 people a year. It houses six programs for children, youth, adults, and families that integrate health concepts across traditional, conventional and contemporary modalities.
With the support of funders and donations from the community, IFR has been able to offer an extensive list of services—including violence prevention, trauma recovery, mental health consultations in schools, and assistance to San Francisco’s indigena population.
“No one organization or entity can improve the health and quality of life of a community, but together we can advance health equity,” said Estela Garcia, executive director of IFR.
“IFR considers its growing partnerships with other community-based agencies, city departments, grassroots organizations, universities and civic leaders as an achievement.”
The 35th Anniversary will be commemorated on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at Annunciation Cathedral at 245 Valencia street in San Francisco. Olga Talamantes, founder and executive director of the Chicana/Latina Foundation will be featured as a guest speaker. Tickets are $45.
Hope and Healing concert
The Hope and Healing Concert series is a fundraising initiative of Instituto Familiar de la Raza in collaboration with La Bohemia Productions to support IFR.
“We share a vision and passion about the resiliency of our diverse community, and a belief that music is a powerful medium to convey messages of hope and healing,” said Garcia. “[It is] an event that our community looks forward to every year.”
Kevin Johansen, who spent most of his childhood in the Bay Area, will make his first appearance in San Francisco, marking his first U.S. performance in 10 years. Born in Alaska to an Argentine mother and American father, Johansen’s music is a reflection of his multicultural background featuring a mixture of Spanish and English lyrics that encompass a continuum of styles, including rock, salsa, reggae, cumbia, samba, and tango.
“We promote shows that we love and artists that we like, we don’t do shows because they’re going to sell,” said Carlos Disdier, founder of La Bohemia Productions. “We like the music that we’re going to present.”
Johansen is sure to bring his thoughtful lyrics and humor to the Hope and Healing Concert this year. “Kevin is a talented and creative Latino songwriter and performer whose music is socially conscientious, playful and fun,” explained Garcia. “His songs and performance are uplifting, good for the soul and promotes our vision of a healthy community”.
To learn more about Instituto Familiar de La Raza and the programs they offer to serve the community, visit their website at ifrsf.org.
Kevin Johansen + The Nada and special guest David Aguilar: Sunday, Sept. 22 at the SF Jazz Center, 201 Franklin St. in Hayes Valley. To buy tickets visit sfjazz.org.