Northfield CAC and Main Street Project Launch Partnership

Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on October 2, 2007

Here is a posting of the press release earlier this week by the Community Action Center of Northfield.

LEC is the implementation mechanism for this program. The focus of this partnership is to develop ways to facilitate the integration of the growing Latino population in Northfield. In future posting, the strategy and the different components of this integration plan will be shared, but if you want to support this work and can’t wait, just send a message through our contact form and we will meet with you individually.

Here is the whole press release

(Northfield 9-27-07) Newcomers to Northfield have a new partner to develop leadership, create economic development and discover new housing opportunities.

The Northfield Community Action Center and the Main Street Project, a rural community development organization based in Minneapolis, have formed a partnership supporting the work of the Latino Enterprise Center in Northfield serving Latinos in Rice County.

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Latino Enterprise Center director employed by the Main Street Project, portrays a future where Latinos and Latinas are plugged into the main commerce of the community, own homes and businesses and contribute by public service like others in the community.

Haslett-Marroquin approaches the work of leadership and economic development from within the Latino population by many different and practical strategies. “We want to build on the successes of preceding groups offering hope to immigrant families, like Familias en Accion and TORCH (Tackling Obstacles Reaching College Hopes), ESL and the CAC’s Newcomer Project. In twenty years we want to see Latinos on the City Council! Why not?” he says with a broad grin.

Jim Blaha, CAC executive director, is pleased to see the Community Action Center Newcomer Project expand into civic engagement, leadership development, housing and employment. He hopes that the two cultural communities “will take every opportunity to build relationships even though communicating with each other takes the extra effort. Families who want to sink roots in Northfield deserve the chance to show their determination and make a home.”

Projects that are tangible are the best ways for people meet; important work gets done and friendships are formed. The projects underway already include business training and mini-agriculture for home and market, “green” home development for ownership and skill development, and leadership training.

The two partners hit the ground running. Their respective visions for newcomer service are compatible, “hand in glove” according to Blaha. “CAC knows the people and the Main Street Project, through Regi at the Latino Enterprise Center, brings an expertise and contacts to sharpen the effectiveness of our community development work.”