• Valentina Mensa, Executive Director, Centro Latino of Milan, Missouri
• Carrie Tyler, Executive Director, Centro Latino de Apoyo, Recursos, y Oportunidades (CLARO) of Marshall, Missouri
• Enrique Muruato, Centro Latino of the Lake of the Ozarks
• Eduardo Crespi, Director & Health Coordinator, Centro Latino de Salud, Educación y Cultura, Columbia, Missouri

Alex Rampy

Although Missouri has four Centro Latinos, or community centers for Latinos, many areas in the state still need one, said Eduardo Crespi, director of Columbia's center.

Centro Latinos provide information, services and assistance in the areas of education, law, health and more. Milan, Marshall, Lake of the Ozarks and Columbia all have centers.

Valentina Mensa, who is originally from Argentina, started the Milan program 10 years ago, but the community center began in 2001. The Milan center receives some volunteers from students at Truman state University but is always looking for more volunteers. They help translate and interpret, assist in ESL classes and provide programs for prenatal care. Other programs include teaching about the law, after-school programs and summer programs for boys and girls.

Carrie Tyler is the director of the Marshall center. It became incorporated in 2002 but opened Fe. 2, 2003. Latinos there face language barriers, transportation conflicts and trouble with immigration status. They have received the NAACP award for community service. They participate in community events such as Miss Independencia and the homecoming parade. OSHA in the U.S. Department of Labor has a partnership with the Marshall center because the ConAgra plan, the Cargill plant and new ethanol plants employ many Latinos. OSHA can [do] inspections and listen to employee complaints.

Enrique Muruato is the director of the Lake of the Ozarks center, which covers Eldon, California, Camdenton, and Jefferson City to Lebanon. its goal is to locate and rent a place for the actual center. Until then, Latinos are invited to participate in various activities such as a cultural fair and a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Eduardo Crespi, the director of the Columbia location, wrapped up the presentation by making a call for everyone to support their centers by volunteering and organizing. He made an argument for the centers to receive funding and asked that anyone conducting research to contact the directors. In Nebraska, a researcher partnered with a center to develop a grant through which the center grained funding, he said.

How to Create a Partnership that Works for your Community: The After-School Program

Eduardo Crespi, Centro Latino de Salud, Education y Cultura

La Escuela Latina program is the result of three years of hard work and determination. It comprises all the education programs at the Centro Latino:

• The after-school program

• Teen tutoring program

• English as a Second Language classes

• Computer labs

• University of Missouri Office of Service-Learning partnership

• Latino Parents as Teachers conference

• Summer program

The goal is to educate the Latino community, enabling self-sufficiency and empowerment.