Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month | |
Congreso Familia – it’s Hispanic Heritage Month! We’re honoring the culture and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans all month long as we continue to highlight Latina staff, share Latino centered resources, and conclude the celebration with our 'Congreso Celebra’ virtual fundraiser on October 15th! We invite you to join us as we recognize extraordinary Congreso staff, local Latinx honorees, and celebrate our impactful work through COVID-19. Tickets are now available! | |
Feria del Barrio - a Celebration from Home! | |
| |  | Missed the virtual celebration? The event is now available on Facebook to stream: | | | | | The 36th Feria del Barrio took place on Sunday, September 20th. While the event was hosted through Facebook Live, the fiesta did not disappoint! Gracias for all who tuned in virtually! Congreso is also proud to announce that our Health Center team was highlighted for going above and beyond during COVID-19 for their community work. The segment included External Affairs Director Julia Rivera, Director of Primary Care Judy Emmons, and members of her team as they spoke on their experience providing critical services to our community during a pandemic. A special gracias to our community partners Taller Puertorriqueño, APM, HACE, and Raices Culturales for another successful year! | | | |
Corporate Spotlight: Aramark | |
Aramark Building Community Day 2020 was on September 17th and although we couldn’t physically be with our Aramark familia, we’re grateful for their continued partnership and support for local communities and organizations. We’d also like to give them a special gracias for their latest contribution: 200 PPE kits for Congreso! | |
Congreso's Family Empowerment Center & Healthy Americas hold Book Drop-off | |
Before the pandemic, the Family Empowerment Center (FEC) had an ongoing project with Healthy Americas Foundation called “Comfy Cozy Space.” This hub, located on our first floor, was specifically designed for young children and families that included storybooks, coloring books, and videos, which reinforced children’s self-confidence and provided supportive coping strategies. Unfortunately, after setting up our Comfy Cozy Space in full gear, COVID-19 hit. While this prevented our families from enjoying these resources, our FEC team decided to bring the Comfy Cozy Space to their front doors in the form of a book drop-off! “We did this initiative through a book drop-off. 45 Families signed up through our automated chat system and let us know how many children they had. The packages were filled with bilingual books, crayons, coloring activities, and snacks. We even included masks and gloves!” said Monica Puga, Family Support Specialist. Gracias to Healthy Americas for your support and felicidades to the FEC team for their awesome work! | |
Family Empowerment Center and Santander Present Budgeting Workshop | |
On September 24th, Congreso’s FEC team also partnered with Santander Bank to present a “Manage Your Money” workshop to FEC clients! Participants shared their long-term and short-term fiscal goals with Santander representatives, discussed how important it is to track where your money goes, and how to create a spending plan! “Creating a spending plan is a habit you should do monthly, even weekly!” said Santander Branch Manager John Rahe. Gracias to Santander and to the Family Empowerment Center team for providing this beneficial workshop for our families during a challenging time! | |
