By Carley Jackson
Orgullo Latino Club will bring holiday cheer to elderly patients at Hunterdon Medical Center during their semi-annual community service on Dec. 21. “It’s such a great feeling when you can put a smile on someone’s face,” said Rose Arroyo, club co- founder, “especially in their situation and during this joyful time of the year.”
Club advisors Arroyo and Eva Fontánez started Orgullo Latino Club in 1992 to “meet the needs of Latino students who felt somewhat disconnected with other organizations,” Arroyo said. The members of the club all speak Spanish. At the beginning of each semester the club decides on what activities they can do for educational purposes, fundraising and community service. Throughout the year Orgullo Latino tries to schedule at least two community service projects and often repeats ones they have done in the past. This year the club has about 10 members.
The club calls the visit to the hospital Proyecto Paz, meaning project peace, and that is what they are doing, bringing happiness and comfort to the elderly patients at HMC.
The club members will sing carols and hand out poinsettias and little crystal angels. Patients also receive cards from the students and photographs of students posing with the patients to remember the visit. Arroyo said it makes club members feel good, too. They all get a sense of satisfaction bringing a little holiday spirit to these patients.
Along with Proyecto Paz the club hosts CRECER, an outreach program for “at risk” Latino junior and senior high school students. “CRECER is a Spanish verb meaning to grow,” Arroyo said. The program name is an acronym that stands for Caring, Reaching, Educating, Connecting, Enriching and Reaping.
Earlier in the year, the club participated in Casa Emmanuel, an association that provides help to children with cancer and their families. “At the very beginning, we also prepared food baskets for two needy families during Thanksgiving. We’ve also participated with RVCC’s Relay for Life, by creating a team,” Arroyo said. At the end of the semester the club usually goes to NYC to see a play in a small community theater called “El Repertorio Español” which performs in Spanish.
For more information about the club or Proyecto Paz contact Arroyo at rarroyo@rairtanval.edu or Eva Fontánez at efontane@raitanval.edu.
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