On October 20th, the Club invited members, their families, and neighbors to celebrate and honor the heritage and cultures of our Latino and Hispanic community with activities and a potluck dinner.
Families and local businesses donated food, supplies, and raffle prizes to the celebration. We had over 320 people in attendance. During the earlier part of the afternoon, we did the following activities with our afterschool Fun Club members:
- Bocadillos – Director of Healthy Lifestyles, Nethmi DeSilva directed members in making a healthy, culturally inspired snack (bocadillo) using Ritz crackers, queso fresco, and guava paste. Members had the opportunity to test their spice tolerance by adding Tajin or jalapeno.
- Lotería – Club members competed against each other in a friendly game of Mexican Bingo
- Banderas – Using strips of colored paper, paint, markers, and printed emblems members got to decorate flags (banderas) from their families country(ies) of origin. Non-Latino members got to choose to decorate a flag using their favorite colors or the flag of their favorite Latino athlete or celebrity.
When parents arrived, they were given a tour of the building to observe their children participating in activities and were invited to a dance (baile) in the gym before the meal was served. A great time was had by all.