East County Regional Group to Receive the Changemaker Award at the 12th Annual East Bay Philanthropy Awards

East County Regional Group

The East County Regional Group (ECRG) is on a mission to foster healthy, safe, and equitable communities for young children and families in East Contra Costa. ECRG is run by volunteer parents and residents, largely low-income parents of color, and is sponsored by First 5 Contra Costa. 75 core parent leaders develop strategies based on community insight to achieve equitable representation, immigrant and racial justice, housing security, and park equity.

ECRG parents are conducting a groundbreaking community-led housing campaign, called Antioch CHANGE, to keep Antioch children and families in healthy and secure housing. The campaign has led to concrete changes, including eviction and rent moratoria during the pandemic for thousands of renting families in Pittsburg and Antioch. The “Antioch Change” report written by ECRG leaders lays out policy recommendations including permanent tenant protections, rent control, just cause for eviction, and anti-harassment policies.

After assessing conditions at 63 East County parks, the ECRG and its partners helped inform and pass the City of Antioch’s first parks policy to increase park access for children and families of all abilities. The group also secured $4.9 million in public investments to renovate 7 parks in low-income neighborhoods across East Contra Costa.

ECRG parents are also organizing a peer to peer Get Out the Vote campaign to inform underrepresented families of young children about local races and how to register and vote. ECRG is canvassing and phone-banking thousands of homes leading up to Election Day.

ECRG’s work is intergenerational, which ensures its sustainability. Some of the children of participating parents have grown up as part of the ECRG family and are now participating with their parents and guardians to advocate for the changes they want to see in their communities.

Priscilla Nzessi, a parent leader of ECRG, said “What I want the elected officials to know about low-income families or immigrant families with young children is that they are the cornerstone and backbone of our community. It is important for us to invest in these families because their children will grow up to be our future leaders. If we do not take care of them now, how are they going to lead our country forward?”

Since 2002, ECRG has been a source of inspiration for East County families, and the group is having a significant impact on the health, safety, and quality of life of young children and families.

We are so excited to honor the East County Regional Group with the Changemaker Award at the 2022 Philanthropy Awards on November 17. If you are interested in attending please register here.

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