(Photo from Hope CommUnity Center’s website)
ORLANDO | Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, board chair for the One Orlando Alliance, has been named the new executive director for the Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka, Florida. The nonprofit made the announcement in a press release March 21.
Sousa-Lazaballet will be stepping down as the City of Orlando’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Sr Specialist and LGBTQ liaison to Mayor Buddy Dyer.
“Five years ago I arrived in Orlando driven by my desire to support our communities heal from the Pulse tragedy. Today I am excited to announce this new chapter in my life,” Sousa-Lazaballet wrote on his Facebook page March 21. “As a former undocumented immigrant and a #LGBTQ person I know first hand the crushing forces created by oppression and social exclusion. I also know the power of love and healing that can be found in social justice spaces. I found my voice at meetings and protests. I found my purpose in community building.”
Sousa-Lazaballet, who will begin his new role within the organization March 28, will “manage day-to-day operations, oversee the development of annual budgets, increase Hope’s financial support, provide leadership to Hope’s staff members and work in conjunction with Hope’s Board of Directors,” as well as “collaborate with community advocates, supporters, leaders and organizations throughout Central Florida to drive the interconnectedness and synergy of Hope’s programs.”
Hope CommUnity Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established in the early 1970s by Sisters Cathy Gorman, Gail Grimes and Ann Kendrick that “fosters diverse, empowered, learning communities engaged in personal and societal transformation. Through service and advocacy, we stand together with immigrants and others who are tenacious and courageous in the face of all systems of oppression.”
“We are delighted to welcome Felipe home to Hope CommUnity Center. He not only brings business and organizational skills; he also embodies the spirit of our community in all its diversity, creativity, and strength,” said Elizabeth Swart, Hope’s board president, in the release.
Sousa-Lazaballet, who was born in Brazil, came to the U.S. when he was 14 years old and has since founded the Florida Immigrant Coalition, helped found the organization Students Working for Equal Rights and was part of a larger organization called United We Dream. In 2010, Sousa-Lazaballet was one of four students who participated in the Trail of Dreams, a 1,500-mile walk from Miami to Washington, D.C. to promote human rights, stop the deportations of current undocumented students and to support the DREAM Act.
“Many years ago, Felipe came to Hope on foot as a teenager fighting and marching for immigrant rights,” said Kendrick in the release. “We are thrilled to welcome him back in our 50th year as our new Executive Director.”
“As Florida takes steps to take away our right to exist, we must go back to community organizing, solidarity coalition building, and most importantly love for one another,” Sousa-Lazaballet concluded on Facebook. “We deserve nothing less than full justice and the right to thrive.”
For more information on Hope CommUnity Center, visit hcc-offm.org.
