We are incredibly honored to receive the 2024 Social Impact Business of the Year Award for for-profit organizations from the San Diego Cause Conference. This recognition, awarded in October, means so much to our team as we continue to dedicate ourselves to creating enrichment programs that truly transform the lives of students. We believe in the power of creativity, education, and community, and this award validates the positive impact our work has made.

Our programs, including Jr. ARTrepreneurs and Animating for Change have not only garnered national media attention but, more importantly, have touched the lives of countless students and their families. These initiatives have empowered young people to express themselves through art, animation, and storytelling while addressing critical social issues such as climate change, financial literacy, and cultural awareness. By blending creative skill-building with advocacy and career readiness, we are helping students develop confidence, communication skills, and a passion for positive change.
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This award is a testament to the collective efforts of our dedicated team, students, and community partners. We are deeply grateful for this recognition and even more excited to continue our mission of empowering young voices through the arts, making a lasting impact on the communities we serve. Thank you to the San Diego Cause Conference for this incredible honor!

Freelancers often start by serving individual clients (B2C), but moving to a business-to-business (B2B) model can lead to bigger, more consistent contracts. Here are the top 7 reasons to consider making this switch:

1. Larger Budgets
   Businesses typically have bigger budgets than individual consumers, allowing freelancers to command higher rates for their services.
2. Long-Term Relationships
   Companies often require ongoing services, providing freelancers with the opportunity to secure long-term contracts rather than one-off projects.
3. Higher Volume of Work
   Businesses usually have greater needs, meaning more opportunities for repeat work or larger-scale projects that require extended involvement.
4. Increased Stability
   By working with companies, freelancers can experience more financial stability since businesses tend to have steady funding and reliable payment schedules.
5. Greater Professional Growth
   Business clients offer more complex projects, which helps freelancers build stronger portfolios, gain more experience, and hone their skills.
6. Networking Opportunities
   Collaborating with businesses often opens doors to a wider professional network, leading to new referrals, partnerships, and future contracts.
7. Scalability
   The B2B model makes it easier for freelancers to scale their business by expanding their services, hiring subcontractors, or creating packages tailored to corporate needs.

By transitioning from B2C to B2B, freelancers can unlock higher-paying, more sustainable opportunities, allowing them to grow their businesses and reach new levels of success.

As educators, we're always looking for engaging ways to educate the youth. Some schools have the funding to create incredible programs. Title I schools, which receive additional funding to support students from low-income families, often face challenges in providing enrichment programs due to limited resources. However, these schools can bring enrichment programs into their curriculum through a variety of creative strategies. Here are just 8 ways that we found online, that can help schools find creative ways to bring in some new enrichment programs: 
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1. Partnering with Local Organizations

• Nonprofits and Community Groups: Title I schools can form partnerships with local nonprofits, museums, theaters, and community organizations that provide enrichment activities such as art, music, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and cultural experiences.
• Local Universities and Colleges: Partnering with local higher education institutions can help bring in student volunteers, interns, or faculty members to provide tutoring, mentorship, or specific enrichment programs like coding, robotics, or advanced art classes.
• Business Partnerships: Some businesses, particularly in technology, engineering, and health sectors, are interested in promoting STEM education. These companies can provide funding, mentorship, equipment, or volunteers for enrichment programs.

2. Leveraging Federal and State Grants

• Title IV, Part A Grants: Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) offers grants to support well-rounded education, including enrichment programs such as the arts, technology, and physical education. Schools can apply for this funding to enhance their extracurricular offerings.
• STEM and Arts Grants: Specific grants are often available from federal or state governments to promote science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and the arts. Title I schools can apply for these targeted funds to develop enrichment programs in these areas.
• 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC): This federally funded program supports after-school enrichment activities, particularly in high-need areas. Title I schools can apply to establish after-school programs focusing on academics, arts, sports, and career development.

3. Utilizing Title I Funding Flexibly

• Supplemental Programs: Title I funds can be used to hire additional teachers or specialists for after-school and summer programs that focus on STEM, arts, literacy, and physical education. Schools can allocate funds to offer programs beyond the standard curriculum.
• Teacher Professional Development: Providing professional development opportunities for teachers in specialized areas such as music, art, or technology allows them to implement enrichment activities directly in the classroom.

4. Developing Partnerships with Parents and Volunteers

• Parent Involvement Programs: Schools can engage parents and community members to volunteer in enrichment activities. For example, if a parent has a skill in music, art, or technology, they can lead workshops or activities.
• Volunteer-Led Programs: Enrichment programs can also be led by community volunteers, retirees, or local professionals who are willing to share their skills in areas like gardening, coding, writing, or sports.

5. Creative Use of Technology

• Virtual Enrichment Programs: Schools can use online platforms to bring virtual enrichment experiences to students. For example, virtual field trips, guest speakers, and online art or coding classes can be organized through partnerships with cultural institutions, tech companies, and educational platforms.
• Coding and Robotics Programs: Schools can partner with organizations that specialize in coding and robotics education, such as Code.org, to provide students with access to technology enrichment programs. Often, these organizations offer free or low-cost curriculum and resources to schools.

6. Maximizing After-School and Summer Programs

• After-School Enrichment: Title I schools can focus on creating after-school programs that offer enrichment activities in a less structured, more exploratory environment. Activities can include sports, arts and crafts, science experiments, drama, and technology.
• Summer Enrichment Camps: Using Title I or grant funding, schools can offer summer programs that focus on academic and non-academic enrichment. These programs can help mitigate the "summer slide" and provide students with new experiences in areas like environmental science, art, or sports.

7. Culturally Relevant Programs

• Culturally Enriching Experiences: Title I schools can create enrichment programs that reflect the cultural backgrounds of their students, such as language classes, dance, music, or cooking from various cultures. This not only broadens students' horizons but also builds pride and engagement in their heritage.
• Multilingual and International Programs: Partnering with organizations that offer language or global exchange programs can bring exciting opportunities to students, fostering global awareness and language acquisition.

8. Peer Mentorship and Student-Led Initiatives

• Student-Led Clubs: Encourage students to take the lead in creating clubs or organizations around their interests. This could include anything from a drama club to a coding group. With teacher supervision, these student-led initiatives can provide enrichment at minimal cost.
• Peer Tutoring and Mentoring Programs: High-achieving students can be paired with peers to help with academic support and enrichment, particularly in STEM, arts, and literacy. Schools can create programs where older students mentor younger students, providing leadership experience and fostering a collaborative learning environment.

By creatively leveraging partnerships, applying for targeted grants, and using community resources, Title I schools can provide their students with rich, diverse, and meaningful enrichment opportunities despite financial limitations. These programs can boost student engagement, support academic achievement, and provide opportunities for personal growth and exploration.

Scholastic hosted a read-a-long event with four Latin authors during the last week of Hispanic Heritage Month. I was honored to be among one of the four. I had the pleasure of being interviewed by actor, comedian and fellow Lower East Side, Manhattan resident John Leguizamo. One of the best compliments was Leguizamo introducing me as "the master of Latin facts." It was an incredible experience. 

July 2023, Santa Clarita - People often ask me what inspired me to create my company. It wasn't just one thing that forced the company into existence, it was a collection of events, moments, frustrations, and experiences that my children had to endure in school. So this answer, sums up the origin of my company perfectly. 

August 2023 - The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted the Black Business Month Celebration at a ceremony at California Institute of the Arts on Thursday, August 31st — drawing in elected officials, dignitaries and business leaders alike.  Heroes of Color was among one of the local companies to be honored with five awards. The Awards include: Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, Recognition from County of Los Angeles, California Legislature Certificate of Recognition, Black Business Council Certificate of Accomplishment, and A Certificate of Recognition from The City of Santa Clarita. 
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Heroes of Color was recognized for providing enrichment programs for grade-school-aged children as well as workshops on the Business of Freelancing for higher education.  These awards would not have been possible without the help and guidance of some key people from the Small Business Development Center: Catherine Grooms, Bandhana Katoch and Jeffrey Forrest. With the recent success of the National School District Animation program, The Signal Newspaper of met up with David Heredia to learn more about the organizations future objectives.

The event honored two locally owned Black businesses: Heroes of Color and Omni Wound Physicians. Representing Heroes of Color was David Heredia, founder of the organization. Heroes of Color is an educational company that uses children’s books and animation as a tool to help children of color tell stories of their own experiences, as well as provide enrichment programs for grade-school-aged children as well as for higher education.  

“I’m extremely proud of it, especially because a lot of my experiences came from what I did not have when I was graduating from school,” said Heredia. “I didn’t have enough business courses as a child, I wasn’t given permission to draw myself — meaning a Black character. All of my characters did not look like me. So this was liberating and it’s liberating for a child to know that they can draw themselves and feel like they belong, even if everybody around them looks completely different.” - David Heredia Click here for full article

After an amazing experience as the first keynote speaker for College of The Canyons first International Animation Festival, I was honored to be interviewed by Canyon News correspondent, Jonathan Garcia. It was a great to be able to speak with the young students. 

Work in progress drawing and quote from one of my favorite comedians, Eddie Griffin. 

At CalArts University, on March 24th, I did my first live workshop in over 2 years. The topic was an incredibly important one that every art graduate has asked themselves when suddenly they found out that making it in the arts full time, isn't as easy as they thought it would be. Students were given class exercises to help them chart the path that they want to take in their careers. They were given tips on how to amplify their freelance opportunities as well as tasked with writing some goals and clear action plans on how to achieve them. It was a highly interactive, insightful experience that everyone (even non-art majors) walked away feeling more empowered and focused. I am uploading a snippet of what will be a full-hour presentation that will be available via Vimeo on demand. If you are interested in renting a copy of the full presentation, please contact me.