Episode 11.7 | El Centro Inc.
Hispanic Lifestyle continues our series on profiling Kansas City success stories by placing the spotlight on El Centro Inc. In this episode we spoke with Irene Caudillo who was appointed President and CEO of the not-for-profit corporation El Centro in December 2013.
Irene earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After graduating college, she created children and youth programs for nonprofit organizations, including El Centro and Wyandotte Mental Health Association, in Wyandotte County.
Ms. Caudillo also spoke about National Council of La Raza (NCLR) selection of Kansas City as the site of the 2015 NCLR Annual Conference and National Latino Family Expo® that will be held in Kansas City July 11-14, 2015.
El Centro, Inc. is being recognized along with other Latino business success stories during Hispanic Lifestyle’s Kansas City event presented by Wells Fargo Bank to be held on May 20 2015 at the Boardroom located in Kansas City Historic Union Station Union Station 30 W. Pershing Rd. Kansas City, MO 64108
From their website
Mission:
The mission of El Centro, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation, is “strengthening communities and improving lives of Latinos and others through educational, social, and economic opportunities.”
History:
El Centro was established in 1976 with a $10,000 grant from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, along with the blessing of Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker, Father Ramon Gaitan, the commitment of the Cordi Marian Sisters, and a group of energetic and caring community members who saw a need for an organization to address the needs and concerns of Kansas City, Kansas’ Hispanic population. With that care and commitment, El Centro de Servicios para Hispanos was born.
Fast-forward to the present day. In the intervening years since our humble beginnings, we have grown from a single location to three locations in Kansas City, Kansas and Olathe, serving more than 10,400 individuals and families per year. Our programming has evolved from our first program for elders – the Senior Day Program – to include The Academy for Children – a dual-language Pre-K program, workshops on money-management and homeownership, health education and healthy living outreach through our Promotores de Salud (Health Promoters) volunteers, health navigation, domestic violence prevention and intervention, and our policy and advocacy efforts for issues of special interest to our community. While our Senior Day Program is no longer a part of what we do, we still embrace people no matter their stage in life to empower them for the future.
Exclusive photos from Hispanic Lifestyle’s Celebrating Kansas City Success Event
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