The Latino Community Association (LCA) will open Bend’s 2022 Welcoming Week with a festive meet and greet kickoff event from 5-8pm Friday, September 9, at its Family Empowerment Center in Bend at 2680 NE Twin Knolls Dr., Suite 110.
Welcoming Week celebrates the city’s commitment to welcome immigrants and value what they contribute to life in Central Oregon. LCA invites community members and immigrants to chat with Bend city councilors, staff and law enforcement representatives and will provide English-Spanish interpreters.
It’s an opportunity for local residents to connect with the Latino community and meet some of the families LCA serves. This is a family friendly event with raffle prizes, food trucks and folkloric dancing by Danza Libélula, a performance group founded by LCA’s Renee González.
In 2017, the Bend City Council voted unanimously to join Welcoming America welcomingamerica.org, whose motto is “Building a Nation of Neighbors.” In the resolution, the city pledged to not use any of its resources to enforce federal immigration laws.
On its website, the city describes its commitment: “Welcoming Cities are guided by the principles of inclusion and creating communities that prosper because everyone feels welcome, including immigrants and refugees.”
In 2018, Bend began participating in Welcoming Week by sponsoring a week of public events to help break down barriers between immigrants and citizens. This year, the theme is Where We Belong.
Click HERE to see the schedule of events.
latinocommunityassociation.org • 541 350-1693
