Marisa Peñaloza

Attorney Advocates For Poor As Immigration Debate Continues

Marisa Peñaloza — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:34:00 +0000

As Washington debates changing the immigration system, the demand for immigration attorneys has already jumped, even without new laws in place.

Lawyers such as Jose Pertierra, a veteran immigration attorney, are trained to interpret the law, but Pertierra sees his role as much more.

Every Thursday at 6 p.m. for the past 10 years, Pertierrra is here — on the set of the Spanish language TV studios of Univision in Washington, D.C., near Capitol Hill.

Immigrants Key To Looming Health Aide Shortage

Marisa Peñaloza — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:43:00 +0000

In the shadow of the Capitol on a recent sunny morning, about 50 home care workers from around the country gather to lobby their legislators for basic labor rights. Most are native-born Americans, but about a quarter are documented immigrants from Africa, Latin America, India and the Caribbean.

Elizabeth Castillo is one of them. Born in central Mexico, she's now a U.S. citizen. She's been working with an agency for 30 years in El Paso, Texas, and she says she currently makes $7.75 an hour.

For Ex-Felons, Limited Rights Mean A Future On Hold

Marisa Peñaloza — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 22:21:00 +0000

Vikki Hankins wants nothing more in the world than to have her civil rights restored. Hankins, 43, lost the right to vote — and many others — when she went to a federal prison for selling cocaine in December 1990. She spent almost two decades behind bars for her crime.

Today, Hankins is an author and an undergrad who dreams of going to law school. She got out of prison four years ago and quickly applied to have her rights — like voting, serving on a jury and becoming a lawyer — restored.

Hankins was denied. She has reapplied three times since.

Carrying 'Dreams': Why Women Become Surrogates

Marisa Peñaloza — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:53:00 +0000

Last in a four-part report

Surrogacy is an idea as old as the biblical story of Sarah and Abraham in the book of Genesis. Sarah was infertile, so Abraham fathered children with the couple's maid. Today, there are many more options for people who want to grow their families — and for the would-be surrogates who want to help.

Macy Widofsky, 40, is eager to be a surrogate.

"I have very easy pregnancies.

Gifting Birth: A Woman Helps Build Other Families

Marisa Peñaloza — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:03:00 +0000

For most mothers, there is no event in life bigger than giving birth to a child. Charity Lovas has given birth to eight children, yet only three of those children are her own.

It all began in 2002, when she and her family were living in Indianapolis. She says she was reading the Sunday newspaper and spotted an ad for ovum donors. She had never heard about it. She was curious.

She called the number in the ad. A woman at the other end of the line explained the egg donor program, and said they had a surrogate program, too.

"I couldn't wrap my own brain around the idea," she says.

U.S. Rhythmic Gymnastics Star Readies For London

Marisa Peñaloza — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:04:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A4vBYDfNHg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ctzsPJZZA

The Challenge Of Measuring Relief Aid To Haiti

Marisa Peñaloza — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

After Haiti's devastating earthquake two years ago, Americans donated large sums of money. This helped charities and aid groups save lives immediately after the disaster. But it's been much harder for them to help Haitians rebuild their devastated country. In the second of two stories, NPR's Carrie Kahn and Marisa Penaloza report that its difficult to get detailed information about how organizations spend their money.

NPR surveyed 12 of the largest and best-known U.S. charities about their work in Haiti.

Two Years After Quake, Many Haitians Await Aid

Marisa Peñaloza — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

First of a two-part report.

It was two years ago this month that a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, killing hundreds of thousands and leaving more than a million people homeless. Through U.S. charities, Americans donated more than $1.8 billion, but some in Haiti haven't seen much of that yet.

Charles Giiagliard, his wife and their five children live in a tiny one-room shack in downtown Port-au-Prince.

His oldest daughter lies lifeless on a small bed, sick with a fever.

In Haiti, Hope Is Still Hard To Find

Marisa Peñaloza — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

You can see some progress in Haiti two years since the 7.0-magnitude quake hit. But Port-au-Prince is a tour of unrelenting misery and often disturbing images. Things are happening — slowly. You can tell the pace of progress by looking into people's eyes — emptiness looks back at you. Pain is etched on their faces.

You see it in Elicia Andre. We met her back in December at the homeless encampment run by Catholic Relief Services in Port-au-Prince, where she sought refuge after the quake.

From Body Scan To Body Form: Sizing A Clothing Line

Marisa Peñaloza — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:04:00 +0000

Are you size 4? A 6? An 8? Often women shoppers don't know. And they can actually be all those sizes without gaining or losing an ounce.

Ed Gribbin, president of Alvanon, a clothing size and fit consulting firm in New York City, says everyone has a number in their head. When you go shopping, you instinctively look for your size, but more often than not, the item doesn't fit.

"Every brand looks at their fit as something that's proprietary, like their 'secret sauce,' and none is willing to share that info with anyone else," Gribbin says.