A nonprofit serving members of Central Arkansas’ Hispanic community has opened a new building in North Little Rock. On Wednesday, representatives of Seis Puentes cut the ribbon at the nonprofit's new home on MacArthur Drive.
Seis Puentes, which translates to ‘six bridges,’ provides resources and support for newcomers to Arkansas’ Spanish-speaking community. The organization's roots date back to 1998, and Executive Director Raúl Fernández says he wants more people to understand that Hispanic immigrant communities in Arkansas are not new.
“I think that one thing that people don't realize is that the Hispanic and immigrant community— we're everywhere. You know? We're part of your community already, and we have been already. Not for the last four or five years, but for the last 20 or 30 years.”
Fernández says the nonprofit provides a wide array of services.
“We've got adult art programming, children's art programming, we do outreach with our backpacks every year, we do English classes, we do sewing classes, we do internet classes, we do financial literacy. I mean, there is so much that we have here.”
With the expanded space, Fernández says they can establish even more workshops and support. Mexican Consul Carlos Ignacio Giralt Cabrales spoke at the ribbon cutting, highlighting the contributions of the immigrant Hispanic community.
“It's so important to have a city that embraces the newcomers. Because the newcomers are here looking for a better way of life, but also they are here bringing effort, ingenuity, and are hard-working," said Giralt Cabrales. "Whenever you have an institution that helps the Hispanic community, you are not only helping the Hispanic community, you are helping the community.”
Seis Puentes' mission is to “build a bridge between Hispanic communities and general life in Arkansas through education, information, and resources.”
Find more information and volunteer opportunities at SeisPuentes.org.
