Pillar in the Latino community looks back on 10 years of service

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Nebraska (KCAU) — Ten years ago many folks in the Latino Community were unaware of the resources in South Sioux City.

“There was a lot of misinformation, a lot of questions about where to go for help. Whether it was for interpretation and translation services, Immigration Legal Counsel. And so there were certain issues in the community that our Latino and immigrant community needed guidance on,” said Olga Guevera, the executive director of Unity in Action.

It wasn’t until 2014 that a group of community organizers saw this need and formed a non-profit.

“Unity in Action has done a great job and really reaching out to community members and connecting them to area resources, and that’s really what our focus has been. And along with also providing direct services like citizenship classes and education around worker health and safety,” said Guevera.

Alongside helping folks connect with the right resources, Unity in Action also celebrates Hispanic culture through events like Celebrando Siouxland.

“We wanna create activities that promote a sense of belonging, and so with this, we hope to build our community and just really celebrate Siouxland, right, our diversity,” said Guevera.

With these resources, Unity in Action has become a pillar for the Latino Community.

“I think over the last decade we’ve built a reputation of the agency that can connect the community to these resources. But also we are known for just really paying attention to what’s needed and continuing to evaluate and reassess so that we can continue to be that support for the community,” said Guevera.

This year marked 10 years since the organization was first started, and officials have big plans for the future.

“We definitely want to expand our programs. We want to add more staff, and we hope to have a cultural center someday where we can just really connect and engage with more folks,” said Guevera.

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