The Community for the Advancement of Family Education (CAFÉ) was founded in 2005 to fill a gap in services that founders Jorge and Alma saw in their community. Latino, immigrant and multilingual families in Washington’s Wenatchee Valley had nowhere to turn for English classes, help navigating paperwork or basic community information, and almost no local agencies had bilingual staff to help them.

From a converted house at 209 Lewis St., where eight staff members shared a cramped space, CAFÉ built a roster of programs that grew to include English as a Second Language and digital literacy classes, youth mentoring, leadership training, recovery navigation, small business support and beloved community events like Pachanga and Mercaditos.

“Our partnership with Self-Help made it possible to turn a long-standing vision into reality — one that will serve generations to come.”

— Taylor, CAFÉ board member

Their programs served their community well and demand for them was high. CAFÉ serves over 12,000 individuals and families annually, and its existing space was just not large enough. A conversation between the founders and other community leaders was already underway around the need for an expanded community center when they identified a building to purchase. To finance it, they reached out to Self-Help. With a $625,000 loan from Self-Help as well as support from the Community Foundation of North Central Washington, CAFÉ purchased its new building, just up the street from their original location.

The new facility offers expanded classrooms, a computer lab and a dedicated youth area, as well as space for Northwest Family Services Institute, a behavioral health partner offering counseling, trauma-informed care and recovery support, creating a more holistic model of care for the families CAFÉ serves.

“This building doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to the community.”

— Jorge, CAFÉ co-founder