December COHO Meeting

The Coalition of Hispanic Organizations will hold its general membership meeting on Friday, December 5, 2008. The meeting will be held at El Centro Administrative offices, 650 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas, at 8 a.m. Parking is available on Minnesota Avenue.

If you would like to make an announcement please plan to arrive early, as a sign up sheet will be available. Eight two-minute announcements will be allotted at the end of the meeting agenda.

September meeting / Change in leadership

¡Hola!

Don’t forget COHO meeting this Friday, September 5^th at Penn Valley Community College , Campus Center , room 503 at 8:00a.m. To view the agenda, haz una click aqui

Also, as some of you may know since August 18, 2008 , I have been immersed in orientation and training for my new position as a Conciliation Specialist with the Community Relations Service, U.S. Department of Justice. Accordingly, due to concerns regarding the potential for conflict of interest, I have resigned as President of the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations and as Chair of the Civil Rights Committee.

Christina Esteban, who was elected COHO Vice President earlier this year, has assumed the role of President of the Board of Directors of The Coalition of Hispanic Organizations. Christina has a wealth of experience, knowledge and expertise, having served as COHO coordinator from 2002 - ­2004. I have been very impressed with her abilities and potential over the years and believe that she will be an exceptional and capable leader in our local metropolitan Hispanic community. She and I are working on a smooth transition and will soon have her email address set up at with the COHO email account so that, in the near future, you will begin receiving COHO updates and information directly from her.

I will send out a separate email regarding the new Chair of the COHO Civil Rights Committee.

Finally, I want to personally thank those of you who have supported me in my efforts during the past few years as COHO president. I am honored to have participated in the development of COHO as Past President and as an ex-oficio member of the board during this transition period.

¡Mil gracias! Thank you.

Rita &:)

August COHO meeting

Please click on link for August meeting agenda. The general meeting will be held at El Centro, Inc 650 Minnesota Avenue KCK at 8am, August 1 2008.

Main presenters include::

KC Convention and Visitors Bureau - Ruth Batts Terrell, Director of Strategic Partnerships

Kansas Hispanic and Latino Affairs Commission – Steve Cisneros, Executive Director

Announcements will be made by:

ACLU (Voter Protection Program);American Heart Association, (smoke free legislative efforts in KCK); Health Care Foundation,(Safety Net Request for Proposal);HUD, ( free Grant Writing training);Kansas City MO School District, (positions available);MANA de KC, (upcoming Semillas event);Metropolitan Community College - Penn Valley, Carrie Pickerel-Brooks, Ed.D., Chair - Education/Child Growth and Development -(Call Me MISTER program); UMKC Hispanic Law Students Association, (scholarship program for minority students to attend UMKC Law School entitled "Pipeline to the Future Scholarship");US Census Bureau, (employment opportunities); YouthFriends (services offered)

June COHO Meeting at El Centro, KCK

¡Hola!
Just want to remind you that the June meeting of the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations will be held at El Centro, Inc, 650 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS tomorrow morning Friday, June 6, 2008 at 8:00a.m..

Our guest presenter will be Brenda Sharpe, President and CEO of the REACH Foundation, she will be accompanied by foundation staff.

The REACH Healthcare Foundation was established in 2003 with proceeds from the sale of Health Midwest, a regional nonprofit healthcare organization purchased by Hospital Corporation of America. The Foundation, incorporated in Kansas, received 20 percent of the net proceeds of the Health Midwest assets through Health Midwest’s successor organization, the Community Health Group (CHG).

The REACH Foundation was approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in May 2004, and the following month received nearly $100 million in initial assets. The Foundation later received an additional $10 million in assets from CHG. These assets have since grown to $142.5 million.

Over the past four years, the Foundation has awarded more than $8.3 million in grants. Grant and program support has increased from $1.7 million in 2005 to $4.8 million in 2007.

Since its establishment, the Foundation has focused its investments in three areas – safety-net health services, oral health and mental health. In addition, the Foundation has funded and/or helped launch several initiatives in the areas of
children's oral health, the nursing workforce, the HPV vaccine, medical homes, strengthened safety-net care, healthcare reform analysis and a regional health journalism fellowship program.

Our second presenter will be Amy Mulligan Kennedy, Greater Kansas City Council of Philanthropy, Education and Members Services Manager. Amy will speak on the Council's efforts to provide board training to candidates who are new to serving on non profit boards or who would like to brush up on their skills. The Council is encouraging members of the Latino, African American and other communities of people of color to consider non profit board membership.

Lastly, if you are interested in making a two minute announcement at the meeting, you may sign up before the meeting. We allow up to eight announcements at the COHO meeting. The agenda can be accessed by clicking here. Look forward to seeing you at our COHO meeting tomorrow morning. ¡Mil gracias! - Rita

COHO Meeting this morning at LINC offices

Hola!
Reminder: LINC (Local Investment Commission) is hosting the COHO meeting this morning, Friday, May 2nd at 8a.m.. To view the agenda, haz una clique aqui.

The meeting location will be at LINC offices at 3100 Broadway, Room 109. Penntower building, just east of PVCC. To view minutes of the last meeting haz una clique aqui.

Free visitor parking on first floor of attached parking garage - enter on Broadway.

Thank you -- Rita

COHO April Meeting at El Centro, Inc.

Hola!

Tomorrow, April 4th, the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations will hold their April meeting at El Centro, Inc. , 650 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS at 8:00a.m.

Main presenters will be Armando Diaz, past president of KCHACE, Kansas City Hispanic Association of Contractor's Enterprises - they will update us on Minority Business issues in regard to KCMO downtown development - KCHACE filed a lawsuit with regard to minority goal achievement at the H & R Block World Center; and El Centro, Inc. – Patricia Pereyra, Homeownership Counselor/Loan Processor, El Centro, Inc. will give info about the NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center

Other community announcements include:

1. April is National Child Abuse Prevention month, the blue ribbon is the symbol for the awareness campaign. Patty will speak about the campaign and pass out ribbons.
2. 3/8 cents renewal sales tax for the “keep the busses rolling” campaign.
3. Hispanic Day at Jefferson City on April 22, 2008
4. LULAC National Educational Service Centers Mentoring Program
5. WECAN coalition’s pro-affirmative action work and to ask organizations to join the effort.,
6. Metropolitan Community College Library/ESL Open House, MCC - Longview - April 19th
7. Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) Bi-lingual Therapist position (Spanish-speaking) currently opens at MOCSA.
8. Update on legislative issues in Kansas regarding immigration.
   

To print and download the agenda for tomorrow's meeting haz una clique aqui

March 2008 COHO meetingu

Hola!
On Friday, March 7, 2008, the March meeting of the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations will be held at Penn Valley Community College in the Rm 503 located in the Campus Center, 3201Southwest Trafficway, KCMO at 8:00a.m..

Main presenter, Metropolitan Community Colleges Chancellor Jackie Snyder, will be accompanied by representatives of all campuses of the MCC system in the Greater KC area . Chancellor Snyder will begin the COHO presentation no later than 8:30a.m. Haz una click aqui to see the agenda will be posted on the blog later today.

Elections of board members will also occur at the meeting. COHO members (who have paid in advance or made arrangement to pay prior to the meeting) will be eligible to vote and/or be elected.

We allow up to 8 community announcements(2 minutes maximum) at the meeting. Arrangements must be made in advance of the meeting.