Closing the year with hope

We knew 2025 would be difficult. And we can expect to face continued adversity in 2026. Yet, as we push forward to a future of unknown challenges, I feel compelled to pause and marvel at the resilience and generosity of this community – and to do so with deep hope and gratitude.

With your support, Voces Unidas continues to make monumental strides in our transformational work to create a more equitable Colorado for all. From our home in the Western Slope to the Capitol Building in downtown Denver, we have seen Colorado’s Latino community step forward to speak out and lead on the issues that matter most to us all, no matter the obstacles. I want to personally thank you for helping us to learn, grow, and achieve success for another year.

Thanks to you and all of our partners, we made our mark on 2025 through every pillar of our work. And with your continued support, we will make an even greater impact in the year to come.

Over the past year, Voces Unidas de las Montañas, our 501(c)(3) organization, engaged more than 7,000 people across our core pillars of organizing, advocacy, leadership development, policy, research, civic engagement, and direct services. From organizing parents to push school districts to close the achievement gap, to bringing hundreds of rural Latinos to the Colorado State Capitol and to Washington, D.C. to elevate rural priorities and demand action, our work ensures community voices shape public decisions.

Through our Colorado Latino Agenda (CLA) research initiative, we released data on three groundbreaking surveys representing more than 2,200 Latinos in Colorado — including the Colorado Latino Policy Agenda (CLPA), the President’s 100-day poll, and the Road to 2026 poll. We invested in the leadership of hundreds of rural Latinos through coaching, workshops, and programs like our Colorado Latino Education and Advocacy Program (CLEAP), which takes rural leaders to Mexico City for immersive education and advocacy. We also reached thousands of voters through nonpartisan education to increase participation in critical elections, while also responding to urgent community needs via our 24/7 immigration hotline and providing free legal consultationsthrough our Western Slope Legal Defense Fund.

The year was even busier for the Voces Unidas Action Fund, our 501(c)(4) organization, which took positions on more than 40 pieces of legislation in 2025 and led lobbying efforts at the Colorado State Capitol and in Washington, D.C. to advance immigrant and Latino priorities. Our work helped secure the passage of key immigrant rights legislation in Colorado and amplified rural Latino voices in critical policy debates. We also invested strategically in elections, endorsing and electing champions—particularly in local school board races—at historic success rates, while reaching more than 25,000 voters through our political and electoral work. And we held leaders accountable once in office through our legislative scorecard and newly launched school district report cards, giving communities clear tools to track results.

We are proud of these accomplishments, but understand that the fight for justice remains ongoing. We’ve already identified our priorities for the next legislative session, built the programs necessary to develop local leaders who will give voice to Latinos in rural Colorado, and put the pieces in place for direct advocacy to ensure Latinas and Latinos are thriving, engaged, and leading in all our communities in 2026 and beyond.

As we reflect on the past and prepare for the future, we recognize that we could never have come this far without the enduring support and commitment of this community. You are the most important part of what we do, and we thank you once again for standing alongside Voces Unidas as we strive towards a more inclusive and compassionate Colorado for all.

Alex Sánchez is the President and CEO of Voces Unidas.