Press Releases
A New Organization, Centro Latino, Inc., is Created
Click here to download the full press kit.
Two well-known Latino community service organizations, Centro Latino de Chelsea and Concilio Hispano, are proud to announce that they are merging. Board Presidents Freddy Gonzales and Linda Cundiff will make the announcement today at a reception hosted by the Boston Foundation.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to join together with the respected Concilio Hispano,” said Freddy Gonzales, board chair of the former Centro Latino de Chelsea. Linda Cundiff, board president of the former Concilio Hispano noted that “the already strong mutual respect between these organizations grew significantly during the planning of this merger.”
The organization will now be known as Centro Latino, Inc., according to Juan Vega, President & CEO of the new organization and the former executive director of Centro Latino de Chelsea. “This is a good news merger, because it brings together two of the most well-established and respected Latino service organizations in eastern Massachusetts. Together, the two agencies have 60 years of experience providing culturally competent services to this community. Our intent is to expand our services to the ever-growing Latino and immigrant community, and we believe that we are now better positioned to do so than ever before.”
Latinos and immigrants are a critical part of the state’s population and workforce. The Latino population in MA tripled from 141,380 in 1980 to 427,340 in 2000. From 2000 to 2008, Latinos grew another 20%, and now account for 8% of the state’s residents. All immigrants make up more than 14% of the state’s residents. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the Massachusetts workforce will be completely dependent on immigrants for all of its growth over the next decade. In fact, if not for new immigrants, the state’s population would have shrunk between 2000 and 2004. This population has a significant need for education, skills training, immigration, and support services.
The new organization will continue to offer programs to help clients learn about community resources and advocate for themselves, overcome barriers to sustainable employment, and integrate into and contribute to their community. All of the services take a capacity-building approach that helps people to identify and reach their own goals. Programs include adult training and education, community health services, citizenship preparation services, and youth development. Centro Latino, Inc. will continue to operate two sites in Chelsea and one in Cambridge, with plans to expand over the next few years, as feasible.
Centro Latino and Chelsea Public Schools join forces to host a Community Thanksgiving Luncheon
Centro Latino and the Chelsea Public School will jointly host Centro Latino’s 13th Annual Community Thanksgiving luncheon on Wednesday, November 26, from 11 am to 2 pm at the cafeteria of the Williams Middle School, 180 Walnut Street, Chelsea. The thanksgiving luncheon is free and open to the public.
With the economic crisis and economists describing this as the worst time for working families since the Great Depression, many participants are expected. In anticipation, this year’s venue is being moved to the Williams Middle School. Centro Latino and the Chelsea Public School are joining forces to help feed Chelsea families during this North American holiday and harvest festival. Since an event like this has been a broad-based community-building project of Centro Latino for the past 14 years, it is expected that as usual diverse members of the community including business, community, and government leaders will also be on hand.
For the occasion 20 turkeys, 20 pork shanks will be roasted. To embellish the menu, Latino side dishes of potato salad and mashed potatoes, arroz con gandules ( yellow rice with green beans), white rice, jamón con piña ( pineapple ham) will be prepared for the luncheon by Centro Staff, students, and volunteers. Dessert will consist of traditional American apple, pecan, and pumpkin pies. More than 550 piping hot meals will be served. To add a Latino touch and flavors to the thanksgiving meal, Centro’s staff and volunteers will prepare the turkey and pork in traditional Hispanic seasonings of sofrito, adobo, and recaito, which will be roasted in advance by the staff of the Chelsea School Food Program as early as 4 in the morning of November 26.
As in years past, Stop & Shop in Everett will again be the generous donor of all of the food and supplies. This traditional community donation is part of Stop & Shop’s Food for Friends program.
Centro Latino to celebrate Hispanic Heritage on October 10
Centro Latino will hold its Annual Open House to celebrate Hispanic Heritage on Friday, October 10, from 3:00 to 7:00 pm at Centro Latino, 267 Broadway, Chelsea.
In addition to a cultural exhibit of a variety of folk arts and an educational summary PPT presentation of the history of representative Latin American countries, this year’s Hispanic Heritage Day will be a wonderful tastings of authentic cuisines, some home-made, from original home countries in Latin America. The event will also feature artists and musicians who will fill the air with traditional Latino music and instruments, including a genuine folk flute.
A quilt, symbolizing a pioneering collaborative effort between Centro Latino and Temple Emmanuel to construct viable and creative vehicles for positive community relationship-building, will be unveiled. It is a part of a project called Chelsea, A City of New Americans, A Common Thread, a joint initiative at the grassroots between older Chelsea Jewish residents and the newer Chelsea Latino residents, to transform community - equally, creatively, realistically, and with heart - by sharing stories, remembering home, and finding commonalities. The processes include artistic, cultural, educational, and social dialogues that leap over social, ethnic, religious, and age boundaries.
BOSTON AREA NON-PROFIT LEADER AWARDED BARR FELLOWSHIP
Juan Vega honored for work with Centro Latino de Chelsea
Juan Vega, Executive Director of Centro Latino de Chelsea, has been awarded a fellowship from the Barr Foundation in recognition of his extraordinary work in the field of health and human services. The Barr Fellows Program honors the contributions of the most gifted and experienced leaders in the Boston area.
“We congratulate Juan on his selection and are pleased to provide him with this opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of his organization. His leadership is important to the future of Greater Boston,” said Pat Brandes, Executive Director of the Barr Foundation. The three-year Barr Fellowships include a sabbatical, international travel, a series of retreats, peer learning, and executive coaching.
Mr. Vega has been active in community development and human services work for over 20 years. Since July 1998, he has served as the Executive Director of Centro Latino de Chelsea, a non-profit community-based organization that focuses on addressing the health, education, and social well-being goals of Latino and immigrant families in the Greater Boston area. In this role, he has raised the organization’s profile, developed and strengthened its infrastructure and programs, and successfully managed Centro Latino’s growth as one of the state’s largest Latino-directed human service organizations.
Under his leadership, Centro Latino has developed and implemented various organizational development strategies that have helped the agency more effectively and efficiently respond to demographic changes and growing demands for high quality, culturally-competent direct services. A key component of the agency’s success has been the pursuit of strategic alliances with government, businesses, and other nonprofits to enhance the opportunities for constituents and maximize the impact of the agency’s programs.
Juan is a lifelong Chelsea resident whose family came from Puerto Rico in the early 1960s. He served as an elected member of the Chelsea City Council from 1994 to 2001. He remains active on various community boards and committees, including the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, Chelsea Collaborative, Multicultural Advisory Committee at Massachusetts General Hospital, Advisory Council of the Gaston Institute at UMASS Boston, and the Metro North Regional Employment Board. Juan still resides in the city, where he and his wife Carolyn are raising their four young children. “I am both humbled and honored to receive this prestigious award from the Barr Foundation. I particularly want to recognize Centro Latino’s Board and staff for working with me to build this great organization. Congratulations to all of the other fellows, and I look forward to this incredible learning opportunity,” said Juan.
Barr Fellows were selected based on their past contributions to the community, their potential to continue to contribute at a high level into the next decade, and their demonstrated capacity to learn from their peers locally and globally. Their organizations will receive financial support to promote organizational development and the mentoring of new leaders, as well as to ensure effective interim management during the executive’s sabbatical. The 2009 Barr Fellows will take sabbaticals, travel internationally, and learn from each other. The Barr Foundation today announced the names of the following twelve non-profit leaders that have been awarded a fellowship:
- Vanessa Calderon-Rosado, Executive Director, Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion
- Meg Campbell, Headmaster, Codman Academy
- Deborah Jackson, CEO, American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay
- Andy Kendall, President, Trustees Of Reservations
- Sr. Margaret Leonard, Executive Director, Project Hope
- Jeremy Liu, Executive Director, Asian Community Development Corporation
- Lydia Lowe, Executive Director, Chinese Progressive Association
- Marvin Martin, Executive Director, Greater Four Corners Action Coalition
- Jesse Solomon, Director, Boston Teacher Residency
- Juan Vega, Executive Director, Centro Latino de Chelsea
- Valora Washington, President, CAYL Institute
- Mariama White-Hammond, Executive Director, Project Hip-Hop
The Barr Foundation is a private foundation committed to enhancing the quality of life for all of Boston’s citizens. Its primary areas of emphasis are education and the environment. Barr also provides support to arts and cultural activities.
Centro Latino to hold Family Health Fair on June 24
Centro Latino will hold its 1st Annual Family Health Fair on Tuesday, June 24, from 2:00 to 7:00 pm at Centro Latino, 267 Broadway, Chelsea. The event will feature health information and free health screenings, diabetes, blood pressure, HIV testing eye screening, etc. There will be free food, including an outdoor cookout and family entertainment, including a clown and disc jockey music. The fair is free and open to the community.
Conducted in observance of National HIV Testing Day, the goal of the event is to increase awareness of AIDS/HIV, encourage at-risk individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing, and provide knowledge about community health resources.
Participating community health agencies include East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, ABCD, Project Cope, Neighborhood Health Plan, Chelsea ASAP, MGH Chelsea, BMC Health Net Plan, Community Servings. Community sponsors include Kayem Foods, Stop & Shop, and Chelsea Wholesale Distributors.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 180,000 to 280,000 people nationwide are HIV-positive but are unaware of their status. HIV counseling and testing enables people with HIV to take steps to protect their own health and that of their partners, and helps people who test negative get the information they need to stay uninfected.
Centro Celebrates 19 Years of Dedicated Service
Centro Latino’s wide circle of friends, corporate and community philanthropists converged at Anthony’s of Malden on May 9, 2008 to celebrate Centro’s nineteen extraordinary years of service to the community in an annual dinner dance and auction. Besides being a joyous occasion it proved to be a very successful fundraiser. All proceeds will augment the vital community services that Centro Latino provides to more than 5,000 individuals every year.
The Chelsea Record editorial described the occasion as “a great party” with an “enormously diverse crowd” of great and fun celebrants, fabulous auction prizes, fantastic door prizes, delicious food, foot-tapping live music and hip-shaking dancing.
State Street Corporation‘s Sabine St. Lot and Jose Garcia were recognized for outstanding commitment and dedication to building stronger communities. Celebrity guest John Ruiz was fully occupied signing autographs and posing for op-ed shots with his countless fans. The photo appeared in the Boston Globe’s celebrity page.
The event unquestionably set a precedent for next year. The Board, staff, and Centro stakeholders fully expect to see many more old and new friends next year when Cento attains its milestone 20th anniversary. To quote the Chelsea Record “And what a great party that (will) be!”
Click here for more event details and a list of our sponsors.
Centro Latino to conduct free workshops to promote active citizenship among new Americans
Based on its belief that an engaged and informed citizenry helps to build stronger communities, Centro Latino de Chelsea is launching free workshops, for both newly naturalized citizens and aspiring U.S. citizens, to promote a culture of good citizenship in immigrant communities. These free workshops will be offered monthly and are made possible through support from the Peter E. Strauss Trust, administered by the BNY Mellon Charitable Giving Program.
Centro Latino has designed two different workshops. The workshop for New American Citizens will include education on the spirit of voluntarism and volunteer opportunities, voter rights and empowerment, jury duty, and passport procedures. The workshop for Aspiring New Citizens will emphasize practice and review of English vocabulary and U.S. History for those who have applied for naturalization, completed a preparation course, but are still waiting to be called for their citizenship examination and interview. Workshops will be held Friday evenings from 6 to 8 pm, beginning February 1, 2008, at Centro Latino de Chelsea located at 267 Broadway, Chelsea, MA. Advance registration is required. For more information, call Ms. Daisy Gonzalez at 617-884-3238 or dgonzalez@centrolatino.org.
Centro Latino assumes leadership role in “It’s Time, Go Vote,” a new nationwide campaign to mobilize immigrants to vote
Centro Latino de Chelsea is taking a leadership role in Ve Y Vota (It’s Time, Go Vote), a new nationwide campaign to mobilize immigrants to register to vote. Centro Latino believes that engaged and informed Latino Americans will help build stronger communities. Towards this end, Centro Latino is actively participating in a local coalition of many organizations and the media to address challenges in getting Latinos and new immigrants to register and to vote.
To learn more, read the interview with Juan Vega by go-NEWz.com, from January 13, 2008.
Click here to download the interview.
Citizenship Program recognized as All-Chelsea Project of the Year
Centro Latino was honored to be recognized at the 2007 All-Chelsea Awards ceremony last night at Chelsea City Hall. Its Citizenship for New Americans Program was named "Project of the Year" for making an important contribution towards the betterment of the Chelsea community and its residents.
Begun in 2002, the All-Chelsea Awards recognizes the contributions of stakeholders in the community through an open nomination process and secret balloting by community leaders. The nine categories produce distinguished awardees whose actions have enriched the whole community. Centro Latino is proud to have its Citizenship program named among them.
Click here to download a description of the Citizenship for New Americans program and a list of all the 2007 All-Chelsea Award recipients.
Centro Latino Announces New MBTA Advertising Campaign
Press Event Scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 9, 1:00 PM
Centro Latino de Chelsea announced today the implementation of its first ever advertising campaign featuring interior car ads on the MBTA’s Blue line trains, which will be displayed during four weeks in November. The advertising campaign was designed pro bono by employees of Partners and Simons, a Boston advertising company who had previously participated at Centro Latino in the 2005 United Way of Massachusetts Bay Community Care Day.
The ads feature testimonials from two of Centro’s students: Mario was promoted in his company as a result of the technology skills that he acquired in Centro’s computer classes, and Maria was able to achieve U.S. citizenship after successfully completing Centro’s English classes.
The launch of the advertising campaign demonstrates the power of partnerships between non-profit organizations and corporations. “United Way's Community Care Day brings together the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds to create positive social change through volunteerism, mentoring and corporate citizenship opportunities," said Milton J. Little, Jr., president and chief executive officer at United Way of Massachusetts Bay. "We're excited that this day of service led to an innovative corporate partnership that will ultimately help more families access citizenship and English language classes and support those families along their pathway to self-sufficiency."
Both Mario and Maria will speak at the upcoming media event. Centro Latino is very proud of this advertising campaign, as it effectively highlights the benefits earned by many of the 5,000 clients taking classes and receiving services each year. “We hope you will join us to celebrate the good work that contributed to Centro’s first advertising effort,” said Juan R. Vega, Executive Director of Centro Latino. “We want to thank Partners+Simons and the United Way for helping us spread an important message that has the potential to greatly benefit hundreds of families. ESL Classes, Citizenship Assistance and Computer Training are among the most important services offered at Centro Latino. It is very gratifying to hear that Mario and Maria and their families have benefited from their experiences with us. We are excited because we know it will be seen by tens of thousands of Blue Line riders.”
Please visit Centro Latino de Chelsea on Thursday, November 9, 2006 at 1:00 PM to view our advertising panels and to meet Mario and Maria. Refreshments will be served.
Open House at Centro Latino to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage and Promote AIDS Awareness
Join Centro Latino de Chelsea in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and National Latino AIDS Awareness Day on Friday, October 13 from 3:00 to 7:00. The annual gathering will feature the work of a local Puerto Rican artist, live music, food and public health information, and will serve as a space for the community to come together in celebration, recognition and awareness.
As a primary Latino serving and Latino directed organization in Greater Boston, Centro Latino de Chelsea considers it a responsibility to promote the appreciation for the diversity of Latino cultures represented in the local population. The agency is pleased to have the participation of Roberto “Zach” Castro Sánchez, who turned a talent for graffiti during his adolescence in Caguas, Puerto Rico, into a repertoire of artwork including painting, drawing, sculpture and murals.
Several local health agencies will participate in the Open House this Friday by providing information on HIV/AIDS to commemorate National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD). NLAAD was established to draw attention to the critical role HIV testing and prevention education plays in stemming the spread of AIDS. Latinos continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, comprising over 20% of HIV/AIDS cases nationwide. NLAAD represents a call to action for Latinos to protect their lives and the lives of those they love by getting tested and learning about HIV. Centro Latino provides free and confidential HIV testing and counseling year round.
This year’s Hispanic Heritage celebration is supported in part by a grant from the Chelsea Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Centro Latino de Chelsea was founded in 1989 by community leaders “to improve the quality of life and promote the self-determination of Latinos in Chelsea and surrounding areas.” The agency is well established as a bilingual, bicultural community-based organization, and serves over 5,000 people every year with education, health and support services.
Spring is here and the time is right for dancing under a tent!
Centro Latino’s 2nd Annual Dance & Silent Auction will take place on Friday, May 12 under the Pavilion at the Hyatt Harborside Hotel at Logan Airport from 7:00 to midnight. Festivities will include food, music, dancing and a silent auction. All proceeds will support the work of Centro Latino de Chelsea: helping Latino and immigrant families to improve their lives and increase their self-determination through training, education and support.
This year the celebration will honor the Red Sox Foundation and Citizens Bank for the support they have provided to Centro Latino, with special guests Meg Vaillancourt, Executive Director of the Red Sox Foundation, and Julie Connelly, Citizens Vice President for Community Relations.
Bidding is expected to be intense on the following auction items: Red Sox tickets, a diamond circle pendant necklace, a “limited edition” football signed by Adam Vinatieri, a wireless network for home or office, a week in a Caribbean vacation home, a Moonphase Chelsea clock, and $500 in gift certificates to TJ Maxx and Marshall’s stores.
“We are very excited about celebrating another successful year of the organization. We very much appreciate the support we have received, and look forward to a fun evening with our community and business partners,” said Juan Vega, Centro Latino’s Executive Director.
Other major sponsors include: Massachusetts General Hospital, the TJX Companies, Kettle Cuisine, Bunker Hill Community College and Liberty Loan Co.
Tickets are $50. Centro would love to have you as a sponsor. Call (617) 884-3238 immediately to be included in the program book, donate an item for the silent auction or purchase tickets. See you on May 12!
The following article appeared in IKON @ Work, IKON Office Solutions’ employee newsletter
Northern New England “Conversation Group” Changing Immigrant Lives
What started as a one-time conversation has turned into a healthy and productive community initiative in the Northern New England Area. Each year, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay holds a Community Care Day that matches companies with volunteer opportunities at community agencies. In 2004, IKON was partnered with Centro Latino de Chelsea for a program called Circles of Conversation: Coaching English Language Learners.
The conversations centered around immigration and work experiences. The goal was to have the students learn more about the U.S. workplace while having an opportunity to practice their speaking and listening skills in English with native speakers, and to have the volunteers learn about the challenges, risks and rewards of the students’ immigration experiences. The experience was so successful that IKON decided to continue the relationship and opened this volunteer opportunity to other employees. The conversation groups continue to be successful today.
As Juan R. Vega, Executive Director of Centro Latino, explained, “IKON Office Solutions provides an invaluable resource to these immigrant workers learning English. This partnership exemplifies the mutual benefits that can be attained when working with a company such as IKON that is fully committed to corporate volunteerism and giving back to the community.”
The students understand that learning English is key to obtaining better opportunities for themselves and their families. Many students have limited opportunities to practice English outside of the classroom setting. The conversation groups provide a safe place to interact with a native English speaker they might meet in their daily lives without worrying about their English skill level. Three students who have regularly attended conversation groups successfully passed the U.S. Citizenship exam, which is completely in English.
Present IKON volunteers include Wanda Tomlinson, Peter Barrett, Suzie Carrazza, Derron Darcy, Barbara Fontes, Jim Ivers, Kerry Matta, Brian Roden, Reid Roberti and Bob Williams. For more information on IKON Office Solutions, visit www.ikon.com.
Boston Foundation awards grant to Centro Latino de Chelsea for Workforce Development
Centro Latino de Chelsea was recently awarded a grant of $50,000 from The Boston Foundation for its Workforce Development Program, which provides a pathway for the sustained progress of Latino and immigrant workers through language and skills training. At its meeting on December 15th, the foundation Board of Directors announced almost $13 million in new grants for area nonprofits. These included grants across a broad spectrum of organizations that serve Greater Boston, with a special emphasis on three areas that have a major impact on the lives of area residents: education, housing and workforce development.
“Centro Latino has designed a program model in partnership with area businesses to not only provide much needed education services to immigrant workers, but to directly address training needs in relation to what employers indicate are their business needs, in terms of the skills they look for when hiring new workers or to promote current workers,” said Juan R. Vega, Executive Director of Centro Latino.
Centro provides training services at its community learning center in Chelsea, as well as at the worksites of partner businesses that rely on immigrant workers. Training components for immigrant workers include: English for the Workplace, Computer Operations, Workplace Cultural Competency and Citizenship preparation. Centro also offers training for supervisors, such as Basic Conversational Spanish and the Cultural Competency workshop.
According to The Changing Face of Massachusetts, a report issued this past year by the Mass. Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), immigrants accounted for all of the growth of the Massachusetts workforce over the last decade. Latinos, who comprised more than 47% of the newcomers between 2000 and 2004, are the fastest growing segment of the immigrant population. The challenge is that immigrant workers earn between 15% and 20% less than their native-born counterparts due to lower levels of education, fewer years of U.S.-based worker experience, and limited English speaking proficiency. However, an immigrant who speaks English very well earns 2.5 times more than one who does not speak English well. Centro is focused on providing quality education services aimed at increasing the language skills of this population. This grant from the Boston Foundation will allow Centro Latino to invest in improving the training curricula and the assessment tools that are utilized to measure student progress, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the program and further develop a model that can be replicated.
Centro Latino de Chelsea is one of the largest and most successful Latino-directed human-service agencies in the state, and is well established as a bilingual, bicultural community-based organization. It was founded in 1989 by community leaders “to improve the quality of life and promote the self-determination of Latinos in Chelsea and surrounding communities through economic development, education, health and social well-being strategies.” Centro’s four primary program areas are: Basic Education & Literacy, Workforce Development, Community Health Services and Immigration Services. For more information about Centro Latino de Chelsea visit www.centrolatino.org, or call (617) 884-3238.
The Boston Foundation, one of the nation’s oldest and largest community foundations, has an endowment of close to $686 million. Last year, the Foundation made grants of $63 million to nonprofit organizations and received gifts of $53 million. The Boston Foundation is made up of 850 separate charitable funds, which have been established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. The Foundation also serves as a civic leader, convener, and sponsor of special initiatives designed to build the community. For more information about the Boston Foundation and its grant making, visit www.tbf.org, or call (617) 338-1700.