Palmetto Beach: Program bears more gifts than three kings
In addition to parties such as the Three Kings Day celebration, a cultural institute lends a helping hand to local Hispanic communities.
By ELISABETH DYER
Published January 9, 2004
In an old cigar factory south of Ybor City, the Florida Institute for Community Studies extends a helping hand to local Hispanic communities.
"When people suggest things, we work with them to get them done." said Alayne Unterberger, president of the federally funded group, based on S 22nd Street in Palmetto Beach. "We create social space for these things to happen."
Last Sunday, the institute helped Wimauma residents celebrate Three Kings Day, a Hispanic holiday honoring when the kings brought gifts to baby Jesus. Members of four area churches gathered at the Wimauma Civic Center to re-enact the Biblical tradition. Afterward, parents gave their children presents.
Unterberger helped secure the gifts from community organizations, including Toys for Tots.
The institute, which marked its one-year anniversary in December, has been involved in five projects.
The longest running one, Pocos Hijos Para Darles Mas, (loosely translated as Have Few Children So You Can Give Them More) addresses family planning among Hispanic men. It began when a young Hispanic mother of a 3-month-old found out she was pregnant. Migrant women told Unterberger that family planning needed to be directed to their husbands, who make the decisions about such matters.
Another project, the Rural Youth Soccer Association, brings together bilingual children from farmworker families to play in Wimauma. The institute helped out with league fees and supplies.
Other institute projects target preventive health care, substance abuse and HIV prevention. In the works is a Spanish immersion project to introduce English speakers into Spanish families.
One of the group's goals in 2004 is to expand to other under-represented community and add volunteers.
