The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) will help meet the urgent needs of immigrant Latino residents in Bend and the surrounding region with a $30,000 grant to enable the Latino Community Association to hire additional staff.
Currently, two primary employees, a part-time contract worker and a couple of volunteers work diligently to respond to requests for help at our Bend office, and the phone never stops ringing, according to the client services manager, Milagros Aparicio. With this grant and other contributions, LCA will hire a long-time volunteer, Erika Ortiz, to join their team as a full-time administrative assistant. The grant will also help leverage funding to hire a program support specialist.
“Demands for services in Bend outweigh our capacity to manage the need,” LCA wrote in its grant application. “We are stretched thin.” This grant will immediately increase LCA’s staff capacity.
Among its services, LCA offers English and computer classes, help finding employment, document translation, citizenship assistance, consults with immigration attorneys, youth activities, support for people exposed to COVID-19, and vaccination and dental clinics.
Oregon Community Foundation
Our mission is to improve the lives of all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. As a statewide community foundation we work alongside donors, stewarding their priorities into strategic giving to support diverse communities across Oregon, creating lasting, transformative change.
About Latino Community Association
Since 2000, the Latino Community Association (LCA) has been empowering Latino families and children and building bridges across cultures to create a more resilient Central Oregon. In partnership with caring individuals, businesses, community organizations and public agencies, LCA remains committed to ensuring full participation of Latinos in our communities. Programs of LCA include: Workforce Education and Training, Family Empowerment, Healthy Families, Youth Rising and Cultural Enrichment. Its services impact more than 8,000 people every year. For more information or to join LCA, visit www.latinocommunityassociation.org or call 541.382.4366.news@bendbulletin.com
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