Blanca Alvarado Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Blanca Alvarado received the lifetime achievement award from Alum Rock Counseling Center on May 22 at the group’s annual fundraising luncheon at Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose, according to the Mercury News and Santa Clara County records. The honor went to a former San Jose councilmember and Santa Clara County supervisor whose public career was rooted in East San Jose. (mercurynews.com) County records show supervisors formally commended Alvarado ahead of the event as the 2026 lifetime achievement honoree. (alumrockcc.org) Alum Rock Counseling Center said the luncheon was part of its annual fundraising effort for youth and family services in Santa Clara County. (alumrockcc.org) ### Why did this award carry special weight for Blanca Alvarado? Blanca Alvarado, born in 1931, built her political career in East San Jose and became the first Latina elected to both the San Jose City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, according to county archives. The county archive says she represented East San Jose on the City Council from 1980 to 1994, then served on the Board of Supervisors from 1995 through 2008. The Mercury News reported that the Alum Rock Counseling Center award had personal meaning for Alvarado. That link to the organization fits her long record of work on youth, families and East Side institutions described in county archives and prior local reporting. (mercurynews.com) ### What is Alum Rock Counseling Center recognizing? Alum Rock Counseling Center said it has worked since 1974 with low-income, predominantly Latino families in East San Jose and other under-resourced Santa Clara County communities. The nonprofit says its behavioral health and educational support programs focus on youth ages 0 to 25 and their caregivers. (sccbosarchive.org) ARCC said its staff delivered 9,075 individual and family therapy sessions and 4,997 behavioral health assessments in fiscal 2024-25. The group said it also ran 1,412 tours, workshops and outreach groups for parents, providers, teachers and youth. (mercurynews.com) ### Who was at the luncheon with Alvarado? A photograph distributed with local coverage showed Alvarado with Santa Clara County Supervisors Betty Duong and Sylvia Arenas and ARCC Chief Executive David Mineta at the May 22 luncheon. ARCC said Mineta became chief executive on July 7, 2025. (alumrockcc.org) Santa Clara County’s May 19 board agenda included a commendation for Alvarado as the recipient of the 2026 lifetime achievement honor. That county action placed the award within a broader show of support from local elected officials before the luncheon took place. (alumrockcc.org) ### How does Alvarado’s record connect to East San Jose? County archives say Alvarado worked with Cesar Chavez, helped establish the Community Services Organization and was active in the Chicano Employment Committee and the Opportunities Industrial Center. The archive says she later pushed county efforts tied to juvenile detention reform and created an Office of Women’s Advocacy. (bhnet.org) In 2012, Alpha: Blanca Alvarado Middle School in the Alum Rock neighborhood was named for her, the county archive says. KQED described her in a 2023 profile as a central figure in the rise of Chicana political power in Santa Clara County. (sccgov.iqm2.com) ### What comes next for the counseling center? Alum Rock Counseling Center listed the May 22, 2026 luncheon at Mexican Heritage Plaza as a public fundraising event supporting its mission to “heal families and inspire youth to reach their full potential.” The organization says it continues to provide mental health and educational support from its East Santa Clara Street office in San Jose. (sccbosarchive.org) ARCC’s website says the nonprofit remains focused on under-resourced communities in East San Jose and across Santa Clara County. The group’s public materials direct supporters to its programs, volunteer opportunities and donation campaigns tied to youth mental health services. (sccbosarchive.org) (alumrockcc.org) (alumrockcc.org)