Grantee Spotlight - Centro Hispano de Frederick

To better acquaint our members and the greater community with our grantees, we are highlighting some of the nonprofit organizations that have received WGC grant funds. This quarter, we reached out to Suzanne Salichs, Executive Director of Centro Hispano de Frederick, to learn more about the organization's mission to provide support services to our community's immigrants.

Please introduce yourself. What is your role at your organization and how long have you been with the organization?

Greetings! I am Suzanne Salichs, the executive director of Centro Hispano de Frederick. I had the privilege of joining the Centro Hispano team this past June, upon the retirement of Ms. Maria Shuck, the founder of Centro Hispano de Frederick and executive director. Ms. Shuck began Centro Hispano almost twenty years ago. She selflessly served as executive director for over 15 years. Centro Hispano began as a small group of dedicated volunteers who provided services with virtually no budget – and has developed into to a sustainable organization with essential year-round programs and services in house, a STEAM academic program for students in the summer and in the schools during the academic year.

What is the mission of the organization, and what personally moves you about that mission? For almost 20 years, Centro Hispano de Frederick has offered support services to our communities’ immigrants. These services include English and citizenship classes, seniors’ groups, women’s empowerment classes, health fairs, employment fairs, and K-12 academic programs. Our classes are free and open to all. We also offer a variety of information and referral and case management services six days a week at our center.

Our neighbors from other countries often find it difficult to become fully contributing members of our community. There are several barriers including economics, culture, and life experiences. This could mean anything from inability to find a job because of language barriers to dealing with social isolation, connecting with medical services and overcoming obstacles to academic success in the public schools. Our overarching goal–that drives all of our programming and activities–is our desire to best equip individuals and families and help them to thrive and become contributing members of Frederick. Centro Hispano’s mission resonates with me and my desire to best serve our community so that they can reach their full potential.

What are the most significant challenges that the organization is facing right now? What are the most significant challenges faced by the clients/populations that you serve? While Centro Hispano faces challenges like so many nonprofit organizations, we are fortunate to have great supporters, generous investors, talented team members, dedicated board members, passionate volunteers, and appreciative clients. As we grow purposively, we aim to maintain our personal touch and delivery of excellent services that promotes meaningful relationships that our community needs. This helps prepare our clients to thrive and become contributing members of Frederick.

A large percentage of our clients are not authorized to work in the United States. While we enroll them in English, citizenship, and other classes, we also focus our efforts on providing them with other training and educational programs that will prepare them to be work ready when they receive the necessary documentation to work in the United States.

We also see a significant number of female clients at Centro Hispano who have experienced migratory trauma and have no access to services and treatment. This is prevalent among our clients, yet so many of them suffer in silence. We are in the process of starting a Trauma Support Group to equip these ladies with the services and support they need. Another challenge in our work is finding bilingual professionals in the areas of behavioral health, workforce, and case management. We are constantly seeking partnerships to expand our services and provide our clients with essential services they so desperately need.

What is the nature of the Giving Circle grant that you received in our last grant cycle, and what impact will it have on women and their dependents in Frederick?

The Giving Circle has been extremely supportive of our efforts, and we truly appreciate all of you for your generosity. The Giving Circle provides funding to our Entre Mujeres (Amongst Women) Program which provides vital education and training to women between the ages of 18-60.

Since Entre Mujeres began in 2020, we have served almost 200 women. Just this year alone, we have had 501 meaningful interactions with clients, are currently serving 60 ladies, and have provided 42 sessions with over 84 hours of education and training, as well as numerous support services. Your generous investment in Centro Hispano allows us to offer more than just services, it allows us to offer opportunities for true life transformation. It is sometimes difficult to measure the full impact that this programming has on the lives of our clients and their children, but we have witnessed improved self-confidence, and enhanced skills which pave a path for more successful transformation. We have seen major improvements in language skills, nutrition, overall wellness, and the ability to navigate complicated social service systems.

We are able to provide essential services because of the generosity and support of the Giving Circle. This is what allows us to develop, grow, and anticipate and best meet the needs of our clientele and community.

Do you have any specific stories that you can share with us that illustrate what you are doing in the community?

There are several amazing stories that describe the experiences and successes from the perspective of our clients. For example, women who have participated in Entre Mujeres have gone on to start their own small businesses. Four women who are part of the current group are in the process of preparing business plans to start their own small businesses. Later this month, we will be hosting a small business development session with representatives from the City of Frederick, Frederick County, the State of Maryland Office of the Comptroller, and the Golden Mile Alliance to provide information and resources to our clients.

Other ladies that attended the Entre Mujeres Program have returned to mentor and support current program participants. As a result of the training and workshops, many clients have learned how to navigate health, school, legal, and other systems. Program participants have learned to open and manage checking and savings accounts, secure credit cards, and understand the importance of credit, as well as savings.

One specific story is that of Ms. Marbelly, who is originally from Nicaragua. She came to the United States seven months ago and was feeling homesick because she left her daughters back in Nicaragua. Ms. Marbelly found out about the Entre Mujeres Program through social media and began to attend the sessions. After participating in the program for a few months, she said she feels like she is at home. Ms. Marbelly feels comfortable and the interaction with other participants has helped her feel happy and loved. This is especially important since she lives by herself and doesn't have family members here. Ms. Marbelly also mentioned she has learned more about self-esteem and entrepreneurship. She feels comfortable knowing that there are other women experiencing what she is experiencing because they can understand each other. “Since I have been participating, I feel more hopeful and faithful. Just the fact that I can receive a hug from someone makes me feel happy. Entre Mujeres is a support group for me,” said Ms. Marbelly.

We have also noticed that several members of the group have developed leadership skills. For instance, Ms. Olga, who is originally from Honduras, usually comes early to help set up the meeting room. She also helps with attendance and data collection. Ms. Olga likes to help set up when we have a guest and sometimes, she stays after the session to help clean up tables and dispose of the trash. We have noticed how her involvement and active participation has increased over time.

Also, like so many of our other programs, Entre Mujeres participants have family members who attend our Años Dorados (Golden Years) Program, Éxito STEAM Program, and English and citizenship classes. That intergenerational connection is also both vital and impactful.

Is there anything further that members of the Giving Circle can do to help, in terms of volunteering, in-kind donations, etc?

As a volunteer-focused organization, we are able to deliver the quality of services and the quantity of programs because of our dedicated volunteers. The winning combination is our professionally trained staff united with passionate volunteers.

There are many volunteer opportunities available at Centro Hispano. From teaching an English class, to assisting in the office, or with any of our other classes – there are many opportunities to get involved. Interested individuals can contact our office at (301) 668-6270 to learn more.

In-kind donations of art and craft supplies, baby clothing and equipment, and even furniture will certainly be appreciated, repurposed, and will benefit our clients.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

It is an honor to serve as executive director of Centro Hispano de Frederick and work with such talented and generous stakeholders, like the Giving Circle, who selflessly serve and invest in our community and their wellbeing.

As the executive director one of my primary objectives has been to promote our wonderful programs and services throughout the community, which provides opportunities to educate individuals and organizations about our programs and driving purposes. This also has allowed for new networking opportunities that I believe will yield great rewards in the near future. Thank you for your support!