Canal Alliance Celebrates 30 Years of Service

, the nonprofit dedicated to helping low-income, Spanish-speaking immigrants, will be celebrating 30 years of service this Sunday with a festival at their office at 91 Larkspur Street.

Since Canal Alliance was first founded in 1982, the organization assisted immigrants throughout Marin in getting access to health and social services, youth development, economic security and citizenship. In the past decades, the neighborhood has changed significantly, according to Executive Director Tom Wilson.

Wilson first began working at Canal Alliance 20 years ago. “So, it’s my anniversary as well,” he said.

In the early 1990s, the densely populated 2.5-square-mile stretch east of Highway 580 was mostly populated by transients, Wilson said. At the time, the neighborhood’s elementary school, Bahia Vista, had a 95 percent turn over rate.

“There was not a strong sense of community,” he said. “Now, it’s an entirely different place.”

With the help of Canal Alliance, several neighbors have become small business owners, gone to college and gained citizenship. Now, Bahia Vista’s Annual Performance Index (API) hovers just below the 800 mark, according to the California Department of Education. Recently,

As the neighborhood continues to change, Wilson believes that one day Canal Alliance will be a completely different business.

“I hope it overcomes its issues with poverty,” he said, “but still keeps its cultural roots.”

Sunday’s festival will include entertainment, international food, music and a raffle where someone will take home a free bicycle donated from Mike’s Bikes. The event will go on from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.