Experience LatINola Livens up Lakeside Mall
Shoppers at Lakeside Mall on Saturday were shopping to a different beat than usual-a Latino beat. Puentes New Orleans, Inc., a non-profit community development organizations that serves the Latino community of the New Orleans metro area, presented a day-long celebration called Experience LatINola.
LatINola is a Puentes campaign that aims at fostering a stronger sense of civic engagement among Latinos in the greater New Orleans community while celebrating the Latin American and New Orleans cultures that abound in the area. Lucas Diaz, Executive Director of Puentes New Orleans, Inc., noted, “it is important to recognize that Latinos can become active participants in their communities without abandoning their Latino culture.”
The event featured a Brazilian martial arts demonstration, Latin dance instruction and a Latin American percussion ensemble. Children were entertained by a magician and a Zydeco music performance, as well as Fernando Botero puppet-making presented by the New Orleans Museum of Art.
While enjoying the Latin American performances, visitors received vital information about the services of over twenty area non-profit organizations. Participating groups included the Girl Scouts of Southeast Louisiana, the Hispanic Apostolate Community Services Catholic Charities, and the American Red Cross. Jennie Robinson, who represented the Good Will Institute Hospice, commented, “this event is a necessity in our area to let all know that Latinos have a professional presence in our area, are growing and can meet the needs of the community. Of course, fun, family and friends blended together as well!”
LatINola volunteers also registered voters as a part of the LatINola Votes! non-partisan voter registration campaign. This initiative seeks to provide Latinos with a greater voice in the upcoming election by increasing the number of Latino voters in the New Orleans area. According to Diaz, “becoming a registered voter is a vital first step in being able to effect change in your community.” The campaign, which is run primarily by volunteers, also helps to further LatINola’s mission of promoting a spirit of volunteerism in the Latino community.
Post created by Jill Portnoy
Click Here to view the Experience LatINola Slide Show
Tags: hispanic, hispanic community, hispanic leaders, hispanic voters, latin american, latino, latino community, latino engagement, latino leaders, latino leadership, latino louisiana, latino voters, latinola