This is part of a series profiling the members of the Genesis spinning plant. As many of you know, the Genesis co-op members have committed themselves to working without pay for the past two years in the construction of their building, organizing their co-op and training members. It’s been hard, however, to find groups willing to commit funding to the project. So many have said to us, “We’d love to help, but start ups are too high risk.” While we understand that, we also know that the co-op members themselves have already taken a greater personal risk than any funding agency, and we see their sacrifice as a commitment that will ensure Genesis’ success in the future.Like all active
members of Genesis, Pablo González can see the doctor at the
CDCA’s clinic in
Nueva Vida without paying the $1.50 consult fee, but for Pablo this care is especially important.
He’s a diabetic who walks with a severe limp caused by permanent damage to his foot and leg.
Last week while working on the co-op Pablo had a cement block fall on his foot.
While the initial injury was minor, it has since turned into a serious infection, and he is depending on our clinic to keep him from the very real danger of losing his foot or even leg.
He’s been to the clinic twice this week and was ordered by the doctor to rest.
Although he isn’t earning a salary at the co-op, Pablo hates to miss a day of work.
For nearly two years, Pablo worked as a security guard at night and then came to work on the spinning plant construction during the day, 
sacrificing sleep and his family to make the project a reality. After a long fight, he has finally able to get disability benefits and quit his night job to dedicate himself more fully to the co-op. With five children, two grandchildren and his wife and mother-in-law dependent on him, Pablo cannot afford for Genesis to fail. “I hope to gain a future for my children, and pull us out of poverty.”
Pablo and all the other members of the co-op need other people to help them pull themselves out of poverty. That’s what we mean by shared risk: they have risked their families’ futures in a way that most of us cannot imagine, and now they need other people to take a risk by helping finance their project.
If you know anyone with “patient capital” willing to invest with the poor, we are looking for folks to lend money to the CDCA’s Shared Risk Investment fund for 5 years at 0-5% interest. Please have them write us at jhc@jhc-cdca.org
-- Becca
Nueva Vida without paying the $1.50 consult fee, but for Pablo this care is especially important. He’s a diabetic who walks with a severe limp caused by permanent damage to his foot and leg. Last week while working on the co-op Pablo had a cement block fall on his foot. While the initial injury was minor, it has since turned into a serious infection, and he is depending on our clinic to keep him from the very real danger of losing his foot or even leg. He’s been to the clinic twice this week and was ordered by the doctor to rest. Although he isn’t earning a salary at the co-op, Pablo hates to miss a day of work. 
sacrificing sleep and his family to make the project a reality. After a long fight, he has finally able to get disability benefits and quit his night job to dedicate himself more fully to the co-op. With five children, two grandchildren and his wife and mother-in-law dependent on him, Pablo cannot afford for Genesis to fail. “I hope to gain a future for my children, and pull us out of poverty.” 
