Washington, DC - The Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) will hold its annual Anniversary Reception and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, October 1, 2015, at the Willard Office Building in Washington, DC, from 6:00 to 10:00 PM. During this event, CARECEN will celebrate 34 years of working with and for the Latino community in the Washington D.C. metro area.

Over the past year, CARECEN has continued its work to improve the lives of Latin American immigrants.  We have:

• Provided valuable immigration services to assist immigrants in obtaining and maintaining legal status, reunite with their families, and helped crime victims receive legal relief.
• Accompanied immigrants on their path to US citizenship and prepared them to fully participate in our democracy through voting and civic engagement.
• Assisted families to access affordable housing, know their rights as tenants and homeowners, and prevent displacement.
• Advocated for the integration of unaccompanied children fleeing violence in the countries of the Northern Triangle, who have settled in our region.
  

“CARECEN continues to promote the integration of Central American and Latino immigrants in the Washington area and serves as a gathering space for the issues that promote the participation of our community.  Through education and direct services, we continue to identify and develop leaders who can impact the advancement of our community,” says Abel Núñez, Executive Director of CARECEN.

During the event, Tefere Gebre, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President, will provide the keynote address.

CARECEN will award journalist Armando Trull from WAMU/NPR the Saul Solórzano Justice Award, for his tireless efforts to cover issues important to the Latino community. His exceptional work and spirit as a journalist personify the ideals of Saul Solórzano, a great community visionary and longtime CARECEN leader, who passed away in 2011.  

Citizenship volunteer teacher Emmanuel Caudillo will receive the Community Empowerment award, recognizing his contribution to CARECEN, which has been fundamental to strengthening and sustaining our citizenship program.

Community leaders, business leaders and representatives of local and state governments will attend our event.  This year, the event is sponsored by Clark Construction, the American Federation of Government Employees – Women’s and Fair Practices Departments, 32BJ SEIU, WilmerHale, LIUNA (Baltimore/Washington Council), LIUNA (Local 572), Valor Development, Baker DC Construction, Wells Fargo, Wells Fargo Advisor Moshe Burstin, Verizon, International Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union, Georgetown Center for Social Justice, ACCESO Credit Union, Avianca, and Capital Wire News. 

Since 1981, CARECEN has fostered the comprehensive development of the Latino population in the Washington metropolitan region by providing direct legal services, housing counseling, citizenship education, and community economic development, while promoting grassroots empowerment, civic engagement, and civil rights advocacy. Last year, we provided services to approximately 4,500 low-to-moderate income Latinos, and we reached thousands more though community outreach and education.

Anniversary Reception and Awards Ceremony – October 1, 2015

The Willard Office Building, 1455 F St, NW, Washington, DC

6:00 PM Reception and Live Music / 7:00 PM Program

For reservations or donations to CARECEN, visit: www.carecendc.org Email: info@carecendc.org