About Us

Our Story:

Madison Park Neighborhood Association (MPNA), a city-formed association, has served community members in Southeast Santa Ana, California since 1987. In 2011 MPNA founded GREEN (Getting Residents Engaged in Empowering Neighborhoods.) GREEN-MPNA and its programming emerged from needs identified by Madison Park parents and youth, including (1) supporting youth and families to pursue educational and leadership opportunities and (2) improving health equity outcomes through wellness programs and environmental justice policy work. GREEN-MPNA is fiscally sponsored by OneOC.

Eloy Rodriguez, Ph.D.

The GREEN-MPNA story starts more than 35 years ago. Two young Latinos came together while attending the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Frank Zaldivar and Mr. Jose Rea were inspired by their former mentor, Dr. Eloy Rodriguez, who created opportunities for Latinx undergraduate and graduate students as well as children from Santa Ana. Following Dr. Rodriguez’s legacy, his two former students created programs for UC Irvine science and medical students to immerse themselves in community-based learning. They found strong partners in MPNA and James Madison Elementary.

Our Mission

Through civic engagement, GREEN-MPNA promotes youth educational opportunities, health equity, safe & clean environments, and community empowerment.

The birth of GREEN-MPNA

When the California Endowment selected Santa Ana for their Building Healthy Communities Initiative in 2009, Dr. Zaldivar, Mr. Rea – Madison Park neighborhood resident – and Mr. Victor Becerra, another UCI colleague, created momentum by successfully obtaining grants to develop STEM programs at James Madison Elementary. They also connected university students as mentors. In 2011, MPNA launched the Getting Residents Engaged in Empowering Neighborhoods (GREEN) Initiative.

One of GREEN-MPNA’s biggest strengths is the way that it influences and impacts the individuals [and] who are in the families who are part of it.

We care for our community, and we know what our needs are.

We are vocal and persistent. Experience has taught us that perseverance pays off.

A lot of the residents who are actively involved in some of the programs in one program are involved in a lot of other programs. And so I think that it's really rich in that way.

What is unique about GREEN-MPNA is their history and their story?... they are local community members... just how deep their roots are... the knowledge of [involved in] the transformation of both the place and their people.

Being a mentor has pushed me to be a better student. I want to practice what I preach and be the best college student I can be. I often think about being a better role model for our mentees.

I feel more connected to the community, especially the Latinx community given that many of the students come from a similar background as myself. This has reaffirmed my decision to pursue a STEM career and incorporate teaching and mentorship.

These kids light up every time you teach them something new.

We’re not only teaching our children how to communicate with a circuit, but they’re also teaching them how to communicate with each other much more effectively. They’re playing as a team, they’re thinking as a team and together and collectively, this cohort of students are going to make differences in our community.

For me, the experience in this program has been very beneficial and very valuable as well because my children have learned important things for them and for me, they are learning things that will help them grow in their future. I have seen many changes and much intelligence in [my children] that have opened their minds to a better future.