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Hispanic Convención hosts 1st Latino Community Fair
By Arooj Ashraf, La Prensa Correspondent
The first annual Latino community fair sponsored by the Hispanic Convención hosted 50 agencies on Aug. 21, 2010. The agencies included non-profits, health agencies, and large corporations like Third Federal and US Bank.
“The Hispanic Convención tries to hold an event each year to educate the community on various agencies and the services they provide,” said Amy Ramos, adding the fair is a great place to network with potential employers and learn about services many organizations provide.
Last year the event was held at La Sagrada Familia church but the location was changed to the parking lot on Clark and W.25th to encourage more community participation.
Nearly 100 attended the fair and benefited from on-site health screenings, free prizes, received information on financial management and enjoyed live music by Cami & Cora and cultural dance performances by Perlas del Caribe.
Ramos said the event took a year to plan with great interest and feedback from participating agencies but the low community participation is a disappointment. More publicity for the fair is planned for next year.
Mario Parrillo Rodríguez, CPST Provider at Connections, a health-wellness advocacy organization that provides numerous mental health services, said the fair allowed him the perfect opportunity to network with other organizations. “It was good to meet others and exchange cards and learn about what they do and explain to them what I do,” he said.
Rodríguez said events like this facilitate a better understanding of what services organizations provide and are necessary for the Latino community to become empowered. He hopes next year’s event would draw more people and he will certainly bring back his student dancers from Perlas del Caribe to perform.
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