Hispanic Center

Nancy Quero
Dr. Longberg
EN 102
June 14, 2011
Hispanic Center of Western Michigan
Being a Hispanic and an immigrant woman in this country, I felt insecure and fearful to confront a new world of living in the United States. When I first got here, I had so many questions and doubts. I did not know the language, how to apply for a job or where to look for help and support to make my lifeeasier. After a couple of years, I found a small but very important Hispanic organization that helped me to succeed through the services that they provided. There are many people who still do not know about it, and I think people should be aware and take advantage of the different services that the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan have for Hispanic and non-Hispanic population. This center is makinga difference educating the population and also its services are impacting the cultural, economic and political fields of the United States, since Latinos have become the largest ethnic minority in this country.
The Hispanic Center of Western Michigan is a non-profit organization that mainly assists Latino and immigrant communities. Since its foundation in 1978, its main goal was, and still is,“to provide unmet social services to the Hispanic community in Kent County” (Hispanic Center). Also, its main mission statement is: “To serve. To educate. To advocate. For the staff, board and volunteers of the Hispanic Center, this statement means we offer services the community needs in order to bridge gaps in cultural differences, build self-sufficiency in individuals and families, and ultimatelygrow an integrated, stronger community together”(Hispanic Center).
The Hispanic Center of Western Michigan, “relies on public support combined with grants from foundations and local charitable organizations” to keep offering free or inexpensive services that benefit the community (Hispanic Center). These services include: Family Support Services, Adult Education & Employment, Youth Services,Immigration Rights Program, Civic Engagement Program, Interpretation and Translation Services, and Cultural Event Program (Hispanic Center). These programs were created to empower and improve the quality of Latinos’ life, to advance the education of Hispanic adult and youth people, to bridge differences, and to assure fair and equivalent treatment of the Hispanic community.
Talking abouteducation, The Hispanic Center CEO Martha Gonzalez-Cortes says: “The Hispanic Center wants to increase the awareness in Latino Community about the education; the statistic shows that Latinos have a higher dropout from High school comparing with other ethnic groups” (Gonzalez). Also, according with The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization, states that, “the percentage of Latinos enrolled ininstitutions of higher education is low. For undergraduates (ages 18 to 24), for example, 37 percent of Caucasians, 28 percent of African-Americans and 20 percent of Latinos are currently enrolled” (Latino Student). Moreover, a survey conducted by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California found that, “many Latino families are not adequately planning for college prior tothe end of High School” and this is causing Latinos not to have a superior education because of the lack of money (Latino Students).
To fight these statistics, the Hispanic Center has developed a Youth program that prepares students for college, helps students to explore opportunities through college visits, has workshops on ACT and FAFSA, shows students how to apply for scholarships, assistsfinancially for college books, and many other things. The Hispanic Center is also conscious of the recent U.S census which states that, “Latinos represent more than 13 percentage of the U.S. population”, and estimates that by 2050, “one in four people in the united States will be of Latino Origin” (Latino students). These facts and statistics make the Hispanic Center’s purpose stronger about...