Mission

Mission and Goals
The mission of the Latino Advocacy Coalition is cultivating the dawn of a new day by enriching relationships, empowering people, and promoting a just community for all. In 2002, LAC created El Centro, the first community center reaching out to Latinos in Western North Carolina.

Goals:

  1. To develop leaders from within the Latino Community through providing opportunities for growth and empowerment such as education, training, information, networking, etc.,
  2. To advocate for the wellbeing of the Latino community
  3. To provide direct services that individuals need to better their lives,
  4. To provide information and referral to the Latino Community to assist them accessing the services and resources they need,
  5. To promote cultural understanding among Latinos of different cultures and maintain healthy relationships between the Latino community and the broader community.

LAC has seen its vision realized through the Center which offers a vast variety of programs tailored to the unique needs of the constituency its serves (please refer to a comprehensive list of programs in the appendix). El Centro served 1,152 individuals last year, 98% below the poverty line, 80% speaking little or no English, and 69% heads of families with an average of five children of school age. The constituency of El Centro comprises a universe of disenfranchised people, who do not know how to navigate the system, lack English proficiency and are isolated and vulnerable.