Hola Carolina gives a critical voice to the diversity of the WNC community. Through its flagship publication, Hola Carolina magazine, the organization shares critical information and news for Spanish-speaking communities in ten WNC counties. Hola also operates programs that celebrate cultural diversity with educational and outreach activities through Hola Community Arts, which brings people together to build stronger and more economically vibrant communities.
Hola also helps with small business development and operates the Hola Cultural Center at Jackson Park in Henderson County. When COVID-19 began to shut down Hola’s in-person programs, this nimble organization immediately shifted its role to meet community needs. For Dogwood, Hola has been a true partner, playing the role of both strategic grantee for community outreach and savvy contractor.
Our first grant supported translation and dissemination of COVID-19 information and safety messages. From there, Hola produced Spanish-language print and video “stay home” and “wear a mask” campaigns for advertising around COVID-19 and then the 2020 Census. In addition to sharing messages about masks, Hola also partnered with Dogwood to distribute more than 25,000 masks and 2,000 gallons of hand sanitizer.
For the Census, Hola was one of the first organizations to step up as an umbrella partner, coordinating with 30 other grassroots organizations to deliver more than 27,000 completions, the vast majority of which were from historically undercounted communities. The organization adeptly combined its Census outreach with its COVID supply distribution events, reaching and counting hundreds of families at multiple weekly events (Hola’s team wore masks and maintained social distance for safety).
While Hola’s grassroots muscle did a great deal to further Dogwood’s goals, the ability to earn money in exchange for Census work was a key means of support for Hola and the grassroots organizations it led.
For this organization, there is no deadline too tight or challenge too big when it comes to promoting health and well-being.
