Tia Chucha’s independent retail bookstore makes culturally diverse and relevant books and literary events accessible to a population hungry for this service. Aware of the positive social impact it can engender, the organization practices social engagement through our community dialogues, internship opportunities, and since 2005 also offers the only outdoor literacy festival for the greater San Fernando Valley--the annual Celebrating Words Festival: Written, Performed and Sung. Other projects include Tia Chucha Press, one of the country’s leading small cross-cultural presses that focuses on socially engaged poetry and literature; Trauma to Transformation, Lil' Readers, and Coateca Collective. Our 2012 "Rushing Waters, Rising Dreams: How the Arts Are Transforming a Community" book and documentary film offer a glimpse of the many ways Tia Chucha's and the arts impact and save lives in the Northeast San Fernando Valley and beyond.