Latin American Association looks to help the community
Mar. 31—The Latin American Association (LAA) will celebrate its fourth anniversary in Dalton in May. But the association has been making a difference in the lives of Latinos and others in Georgia for more than five decades.
It was founded in 1972 in the metro Atlanta area by Latino residents who saw the increasing number of Latinos there. They realized there was a need for an organization that could provide services specific to Latinos. The association now has offices in Atlanta, Lawrenceville and Dalton.
"In 2017, Mohawk Industries was looking for a Latino organization that could bring resources and programs to serve this area's Latino community," said Rafael Huerta, Northwest Georgia outreach manager for the association. "That started a conversation between Mohawk and the LAA. It took a while, but they came up with a plan to bring the LAA to Dalton."
The association now has two offices in Dalton, its original location at 508 E. Morris St. and its new headquarters in the Mack Gaston Community Center.
"We just moved (to the community center) in January," said Huerta. "We call this the Dalton expansion. It has really raised our profile, helped make people more aware."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 36.3% of Whitfield County's estimated 104,628 residents are Latino. The Census Bureau reports 46.3% of Dalton's 33,665 residents are Latino.
The association focuses on five areas: civic engagement and advocacy, economic empowerment, education and youth services, family stabilization and well-being, and immigration services. Its family stabilization and well-being efforts are handled by certified bilingual social workers.
"When the LAA first came here it focused on serving basic needs," said Huerta. "Rental assistance. Mortgage assistance. Power bills. Water bills. Food. But over time, it began to do outreach and to expand its services."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the association helped thousands of people get the vaccine for the disease or to get tested after they were exposed to the disease.
One of the main initiatives of the education and youth services focus today is vision testing.
"This is a collaboration with Prevent Blindness Georgia and Dalton State College," Huerta said. "We are going into 19 elementary schools in Dalton and Whitfield (County)."
Students get a brief free vision test. If an issue is spotted, the groups send a letter to the student's parents alerting them to that fact and telling them they can take the child to their own optometrist or bring them to the Mack Gaston Community Center on Saturday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a free eye exam. After the optometrist writes a prescription, Prevent Blindness Georgia will pay for two pairs of glasses for each child.
"Unfortunately, we have already identified three students with huge vision problems," Huerta said. "Prevent Blindness Georgia is going to pay for the surgery they need."
The association has a number of initiatives aimed at economic empowerment.
The association also helps its immigrant clients with legal services on immigration-related issues, such as citizenship and deportation proceedings.
"Our motto is 'Opportunity for all,'" said Huerta. "Yes, our programs are aimed at Latinos. But we try to help anyone in need. I don't have the exact numbers, but I would estimate that 95% of our clients are Latino and the other 5% are non-Latinos."
To find out more about the Latin American Association, go to thelaa.org.
