“The center exists to serve our community. We are guided by and grounded in a deep commitment to advancing social justice, immigrant rights, and empowering rural Latino communities!”
Dear ROPnet,
A little over a year ago, the Hood River Latino Network and ROP partnered together to make a bold, ambitious, and what felt like a faraway dream a reality. We aimed to meet a critical need in our community by opening the Immigrant Help Center and ROP organizing field office! We knew we wanted to be a resource hub serving the rural Latino immigrants of the Columbia River Gorge, and we have been able to serve our community in more ways than we could have anticipated even one year ago.
As we reflect on the past year, it’s easy to focus on all the work that still needs to be done. But today is a day to celebrate. Join us in celebrating one year of the Immigrant Help Center by reading about some of the badass, transformative organizing and community building that we’ve undertaken in the last year!
The vision behind the dream
The mission of the Center is to uplift and amplify the voices of Latinos, immigrants, farmworkers, and all those who find themselves at the intersections of underrepresentation.
In the last year, we:
- Helped over 1300 community members who either made appointments or dropped by with everything from registering to vote, navigating workers’ and tenants’ rights, filling out Oregon Paid Leave, US citizenship applications, and more;
- Had an immigration attorney available in the office monthly;
- Participated in and hosted at least ten cultural community events, including most recently, a march for the Day without Immigrants #DiaSinInmigrantes;
- Helped 25 new or first-time voters register to vote between August and November 2024 and provided support for filling out ballots and understanding the state-wide and local measures;
- Filled out 45 US citizenship applications, leading to 25 people becoming US citizens so far;
- Had our first two of what we hope will be many interns;
- Had staff trained as navigators for the Oregon Worker Relief Fund (following the lead of our Community Building Center in Cottage Grove);
- Produced and shared hundreds of videos in Spanish with resources and regional community updates (check out our Facebook page to see more);
- And last but certainly not least, we moved into a new office building and also expanded our impact by adding a mobile office!
How does the Center meet the community’s needs?
The core of our work is helping Latinos, immigrants, farmworkers, and all community members access resources and solutions. To build an inclusive, people-centered movement for justice, everyone must have the opportunity to participate fully and effectively in our local economy.
In addition to helping folks navigate the complicated challenges of accessing public services, we come together with local leaders to identify community solutions that defend the rights of Latinos and immigrants and advance social justice for all. We’ve hosted many community events, including the annual Hood River Latino Fest, which brought over 1000 attendees together last August!
The Immigrant Help Center is the vehicle to address immigration injustice that disproportionately affects our community, especially given the unique challenges immigrants face in a rural setting. We are excited to take on more bold ideas that meet the needs of rural communities across the state, and we need your support to make that happen.
Here are a few ways you can support the Immigrant Help Center and ROP in this moment:
- Donate dollars! Even better, donate dollars on a recurring, monthly basis!
- Become a sponsor or ask your organization, company, family foundation, and/or network to sponsor Hood River Latino Fest.
- Volunteer at the Latino Fest! Interested in volunteering throughout the year? Reach out to Amber at amber@rop.org about volunteering at the Help Center or about volunteering elsewhere at ROP.
- Leave your legacy. Consider ROP when donating non-cash gifts and through planned giving!
Warmly,
Amber, Martha, Sam, and the ROP team
