Nati Fuentes, a native of Riverside’s Eastside who helped establish a non-profit childcare program in her neighborhood, has died. She was 88.
Fuentes was a community force in the predominantly Latino neighborhood from 1950 until her retirement in 2006. The childcare program, which opened in 2007 originally as Centro de Niños, was renamed in 2009 as the Nati Fuentes Centro de Niños in her honor when it moved to a new facility in Bordwell Park.
Fuentes died July 3 after a brief illness that progressed over time, her niece Suzy Sawyer said.
As executive director of the Concilio Child Development Center for Spanish Speaking of the Inland Empire, Fuentes “had a huge care for wanting to help underprivileged Hispanic families,” Sawyer said.
A funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 23, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, 2858 Ninth St., Riverside. A reception will follow in the Catholic church’s hall from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Born in Riverside on 1936, “Nati was an advocate for causes that she knew were important, especially those impacting children,” said Art Alcaraz, a past president of the Riverside Latino Network and a friend of Fuentes.
She dedicated most of her time to helping low-income families, serving as a community leader collaborating with government officials to assist Eastside neighborhoods in better understanding complex government policies and forms.
Fuentes also served for decades on the Eastside Advisory Committee and was active with the Latino Network. She was a founding member of the Latino Women’s Health Forum.
“I didn’t realize how much of an activist she was all this time,” Sawyer said.
Fuentes, whose parents were born in Mexico, was also a dedicated member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, her church since childhood.
Related links
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Nati Fuentes Centro de Ninos
City of Riverside Latino Historic Context Statement
In a 2018 city of Riverside report, Fuentes is quoted as saying her family’s life “revolved around the church and its community.”
“Nati never had children, but at the Concilio Child Development Center, she saw these kids as her children and got to be a part of many children’s lives,” Sawyer said.
A graduate of California Baptist University in Riverside, Fuentes’ biggest accomplishment was opening Centro De Niños, which served income-eligible families with children 3 or 4 years old.
“Thank you Nati Fuentes for not being afraid to knock on the doors and open them, sometimesforcefully so others could benefit,” Alcaraz said.
