April, 2009
Watsonville, CA – The El Pájaro Community Development Corporation (El Pájaro
CDC) along with its partners, is launching a new series of Spanish-language business
workshops for small business owners and those who want to open a business. The
first series of workshops begins in May and will reoccur monthly through July.
Business workshops in English are available through the Small
Business Development
Center at Cabrillo College.

These workshops are the kick off to the El Pájaro CDC’s Business
Education & Loan Program, an in-depth, twelve session course that teaches
the basics of business planning, ownership and management. The twelve session course
will be presented in both English and Spanish and offered in several locations
in the Monterey Bay area. The workshop series and twelve
session course are open to any Monterey and Santa Cruz county resident who
would like to improve a business or open one for the first time. Graduates of
twelve session course are eligible to apply for a low interest micro-loan
($500-$5000). The concept of micro-credit developed by Nobel Prize winning
economist Muhammad Yunus as a way to promote economic stability among
entrepreneurs whose face barriers to traditional credit sources.

“At El Pájaro CDC we believe in the possibility
of transforming people’s lives through entrepreneurship. We want to support
current and aspiring small business owners by providing business education and
financing opportunities as a tool for success in this challenging business
environment” says El Pajaro CDC’s Executive Director Carmen Herrera-Mansir.

Individuals who wish to participate in the
series of business workshops can sign up by calling El Pájaro CDC. A complete
list of workshops and locations can be found on their website, www.elpajarocdc.org .The cost of the workshops
is $15 for individual workshops or three for $35.00. Scholarships are
available.

El Pájaro CDC is a non-profit organization
founded in 1978 its mission is to “promote equal access to economic opportunity”
and is located at Plaza Vigil in downtown Watsonville.

To reserve a spot in one of the series of
business workshops contact the El Pájaro CDC at (831) 722-1224.  For more information on El Pájaro CDC visit
the website at www.elpajarocdc.org. This
program is being sponsored by The City of Watsonville, the National Rural
Funders Collaborative, Comerica Bank, the Appleton Foundation and the Women’s
fund of Monterey County.