By Maridith Yahl
NKyTribune health reporter
Esperanza Latino Center in Covington is a place where Latino/Hispanics and the multicultural community in Northern Kentucky can access a wealth of resources in a welcoming and safe environment.
The One-Stop Bilingual Service Desk at Esperanza is making a big difference for the Latinos/Hispanics. In one place, those who need help can be connected to any assistance they need and can ask any questions.
“I always just say, when in doubt – reach out,” Reid Yearwood, executive director, says.
Just into its second year, Esperanza — which means “hope” in Spanish — has provided a multitude of services which include referrals, advising and consultation, health, legal and education advice, assistance with documents like passport applications, medical forms, job applications, notary and banking referrals, tutoring, translation and interpretive services, ESL classes, food assistance, resume writing — and more.
In its first year, it helped more than 1000 individuals. This year, its second, it expects to help 2000.
The needs vary and are wide-ranging but Esperanza provides a comforting and safe contact point to connect to resources, Yearwood says.
“I just want to make sure that it’s a welcoming atmosphere,” he says.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, requests for help have grown significantly because the awareness of Esperanza and its services has grown, Yearwood says. When the year began, the usual 2-3 calls a day became 6-8 a day.
Leo Calderón and Irene Encarnación saw the need for an organization in Northern Kentucky that specifically helped Latino/Hispanics. They built what they imagined, a non-profit resource center where people can get connected to resources and are offered educational opportunities.
Calderon is director of Latino Programs and Services at Northern Kentucky University and has more than 29 years experience at NKU. He is board chair of Esperanza. Irene Encarncion is a senior lecturer in World Languages and Literatures at NKU and an avid advocate of social justice issues, particularly for Latino students. She serves on the Esperanza board. They understood the need for an organization serving the immigrant community.
Esperanza offers a variety of educational opportunities geared toward youth. They provide tutoring, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and summer camps. When they were forced to close temporarily for the pandemic, ESL classes continued online.
“My focus is to educate and provide as many opportunities as possible,” Yearwood says, so when he saw the need for tutoring online, he wrote the curriculum and built the lessons.
The free, online ESL program is providing an invaluable opportunity to the entire Northern Kentucky Latino community.
“If we can help them with English, then we can help them with other kinds of coaching or any sort of help to get them connected to secondary education,” says Yearwood.
His two biggest obstacles are computers and the internet at home. Some students will receive a computer from school. With grants, Esperanza will be able to provide some Chromebooks.
To help with internet access, Yearwood looks to Covington Connect, a program underway to expand wireless in low to moderate-income neighborhoods of Covington. The City of Covington, in partnership with Covington schools, Cincinnati Bell, ReGadget and Blair Technology Group and others, is working with Comp-U-Dopt to give free computers to 1900 families. The United Way launched the “NKY Digital Equity Initiative for Students” program, providing over 1,000 families with internet for the 2020-2021 school year.
Once large gatherings can happen again, Esperanza hopes to have more cultural celebrations and events for the community. They envision a festival in Goebel Park, a fall fiesta feel, which had to be postpone this year because of the pandemic.
Esperanza welcomes and is need of volunteers. By visiting their website, you can see a list of opportunities, including helping at events, tutoring two hours a week, interpreting, translating, or just to get your name on a list to be contacted for future opportunities.
The bilingual help desk is the biggest need. They are looking for native Spanish speakers who can commit to four hours a week.
“This is the point of contact,” says Yearwood.
Esperanza’s One-Stop Bilingual Service is on pace to help 2,000 this year. Helping 2,000 people/families can be broken down per case. Donating $7 a month will cover the cost of helping one case a month.
“It’ll give us some consistent funding for keeping our main service,” Yearwood says.
Follow Esperanza on Facebook to learn about and become a part of what they are doing.
“Everybody is welcome to stop by the center. It says clearly in our mission statement that it is for the multicultural community of Northern Kentucky,” Yearwood says.