Latino Outreach of Tehama County
Ensuring that Latino residents are healthy, safe, connected and engaged is the focus of Latino Outreach of Tehama County.
This organization collaborates and connects the Latino community, community service agencies, public welfare, law enforcement, educational systems and others to improve quality of services to the Latino community. Projects and services include:
- Quarterly membership meetings to discuss needs and outreach opportunities for agencies and businesses.
- Promotion of health education and referring clients to services in English and Spanish.
- Sponsoring two fairs each year — the first Saturday in May (Cinco de Mayo) and the fourth Saturday in October (Multi-Cultural Health Fair).
- Promoting physical activity and education.
- Fundraising for, and providing, scholarships to high school seniors.
The organization began in 1996 as the Hispanic Outreach of Tehama County, and changed its name to Latino Outreach of Tehama County when it became an official nonprofit in 2001. It's run entirely by volunteers.
The Cinco de Mayo event on May 4 at Corning Community Skate Park includes dancing, singing, music and food. It's a free, family-friendly event that also features a mobile health clinic, a healthy cooking demonstration and plenty of information about available resources. The October health fair also offers connections to all sorts of resources, including employment help, voter registration, educational information, immigration information and health screenings.
“We’re proud to provide these very important links to our community to help ensure that all people have access to the resources they need to be healthy,” says President Jess Elshere.
The organization is also looking forward to hosting a backpacking trip in July for teenagers between ages 13-16. The all-expenses-paid excursion includes a 15-mile trek into Lassen Volcanic National Park’s wilderness area.
“Many of these teens have never been backpacking before, and some haven’t even been to a national park,” Elshere says. “We can’t wait to watch them enjoy this fantastic experience in our beautiful outdoors.”