PAINESVILLE, Ohio — America is the land of opportunity.
Ohio is currently home to more than half a million Hispanics. That’s 4.2% of the state’s total population, according to the Ohio Department of Development.
“I think [the Hispanic population has] a lot of potential, but they feel very held back because they don't have that support,” Hola Ohio Workforce Development Committee member Jessie Toy said.
Toy has been volunteering her time at Hola Ohio since May.
“I think supporting that community is vital because it is growing, and we want to make sure they know they do have opportunities to grow as well," she said.
Hola Ohio has been in the making for three decades and its Painesville location is about two and a half years old.
“After so many years of basically not having two pennies as an organization to now have this beautiful community center that is full five days a week and even weekends, it means everything to me,” Hola Ohio Executive Director Veronica Isabel Dahlberg told News 5.
Dahlberg said the organization started as a grassroots project led by Latinas. The group would meet in a local park under a canopy with phone flashlights for lighting.
“That just wasn't cutting it,” she added.
Dahlberg said there was a lot of pushback from the community when the organization initially started, but she didn’t want to give up.
Now, Hola Ohio serves “countless families” through educational, workforce development, medical and mental healthcare, and legal services.
“Without Hola, I wouldn’t be here. They’re the ones that brought me back after I was sent back to Mexico and now, I’m here with my family. This. This right here is my joy – being able to be with my granddaughters,” Wendy stated.
Wendy said not only has Hola Ohio kept her with her family, but also helped her in a time of need when a tree fell on her home, forcing her to move into a hotel.
“I had nowhere to go,” said Wendy. “I turned to Hola and they were able to help me pay for a hotel to stay in while I was getting everything situated with my home. They also helped with my work permit.”
Dahlberg told News 5 Hola Ohio is currently working through 16 immigration cases. In an average month, she said the organization sees as many as 50 cases.
“[It] starts with a consultation with an immigration attorney at no charge. And then we will have a strategy from there and we'll try to help the family go through whatever they need to do to succeed,” Dahlberg explained. “It humbles me every day. I feel immense gratitude for this opportunity to be here. And I take it very seriously. I try to make sure that I can be a good role model for my community.”
Hola Ohio has also recently opened classes to immigrant adults looking to learn English.
The class started last week and has 130 students so far.
“I’m excited. I really am. My sort of test for whether a class has gone well is: do you feel more energized coming out of the class than you were going into it? And I find that I’m always energized more by the end of the class,” Hola Ohio Lead Teacher John McBratney said.
McBratney is a retired teacher and also taught English in Thailand for over three years.
“I've always had a soft spot in my heart for immigrants,” he said.
McBratney stated that the average age of his students is 37 years. He added two-thirds of his students are women.
“At some point, people of color are going to outnumber white people in this country. If we want to have good citizens, I think we need to reach out to all those citizens, including immigrants. They want to assimilate. They want to be part of this country,” said McBratney. “Don't believe all those stupid stories that some so-called political leaders are circulating about immigrants.”
Dahlberg said there’s still so much work to be done regarding Hola Ohio, but she’s excited to see where it goes. She gives credit to her immigrant parents for paving the path for her.
“My mom, an immigrant from Mexico came to the Cleveland area with my dad, who was also an immigrant from Hungary. When they first got here, they didn't speak English. They struggled so much. And myself and my four brothers struggled a lot. We didn't have a lot of money. We had to translate for our parents all the time. That's how I got sensitized to the issues that immigrants face and Latinos face. And I guess my mom always supported me through this. I kind of almost graduated from helping my family to helping community members somewhere along the line,” she explained.
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Dahlberg says she will continue honoring her family and helping those in her community.
On Sept. 21, Hola Ohio will host a “Deer Songs” cultural program. It’ll go from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Hola Ohio is inviting the Pascua Yaqui tribe to educate those in attendance of their history, food, music, and culture.
“We'll have tamales, red chili beef, and the Sonoran flat enchiladas,” Dahlberg said.
Tickets to the event are $60. CLICK HERE to purchase.
“Hispanic Heritage Month is one of my favorite months of the year because we could really use our creativity for all of the Latino community – figuring out what kind of programs we could do, what we want showcase about ourselves to the greater community and how could we get people to participate with us and learn about our culture, our history, our contributions,” Dahlberg added.
News 5 will continue showcasing how the Hispanic community is impacting Northeast Ohio through Oct. 15 in our Hispanic Heritage Month Special.
