From Staff Reports

Members of Ashevilleís Hispanic community have a new resource for getting information, services and workshops. Nuestro Centro (Our Center) opened its doors June 23 at Calvary Baptist Church in West Asheville.

The community center, which is operated by the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council, is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday at 531 Haywood Road.

The centerís mission is to provide resources for the Hispanic community, as well as links to the greater Asheville community.

It was organized by seven women ó Althea Gonzalez, Ada Volkmer, MarÌa Fore, Mesha Maren-Hogan, Andrea Golden, Megan Jackson and MarÌa Rodarte. They will continue to serve on its advisory board.
Volkmer, coordinator of CoaliciÛn de Organizaciones Latinoamericanas, says the center has been a dream of hers for many years.

Organizers say they plan to continue to create partnerships with other agencies. Though Nuestro Centro rents space from the church, it is not affiliated with any denomination.

It receives funding from groups including Hispanics in Philanthropy, Jubilee! Community, the Center for Participatory Change and ARP Phoenix.

According to the centerís promotional materials, its intention is to organize:

ï Workshops on the rights of Hispanics in the U.S. ó including new laws regarding immigration and driverís licenses.