Sister Trinitas, the Founder and Executive Director of the Center, came to East Palo Alto in 1996 with two other sisters from the Daughters of Charity with the mission to end the cycle of poverty in this historically low-income neighborhood on the outskirts of a flourishing Silicon Valley.
The Rosalie Rendu Center officially opened in 1998, offering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for adults who were struggling to integrate into the English speaking community and American culture. The Center has expanded to include life, college and career readiness skills workshops, conversation clubs, and supervised play for children, and educational family field trips.
Mission, Vision, and Core Values Statement
The Rosalie Rendu Center opens opportunities for adult English language learners to integrate linguistically, socially, economically and culturally into their communities.
Our Vision is that the Rosalie Rendu Center will inspire, educate and promote the overall well-being of immigrants and their families through classroom learning, social activities and family outings into the community.
All our programs reflect our Core Values of respect, advocacy, simplicity, compassion and creativity. These values are rooted in Catholic social teaching and in the tradition of service of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
We believe that providing a safe, caring environment for learning and enhancing life skills reduces social isolation and poverty and creates thriving, healthy families. We welcome participants from diverse backgrounds, and we honor and celebrate their cultures. We believe that diversity enriches our lives and builds vibrant communities.
Adopted June 22, 2021
The Rosalie Rendu Center is a non-profit organization supported by generous donations from the greater Silicon Valley community.
Sponsored by Daughters of Charity