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Latino Adult
Institute (Instituto Latino De Adultos)
P.O.
Box
569
1813
Old Sonoma Road
Napa, CA 94559-0569
Telephone: (707) 255-4244
Email: latinapa@napanet.net
Founded: 1998
Director &
CEO: Br. Armando Garcia, FSC
The
Latino Adult Institute is a non-profit,
public benefit, community-based
organization committed to providing
services, either directly or by
referrals, to the Latino Community
of the City of Napa separated by language, economic,
and social factors from the larger
community. It is dedicated to the
promotion of the personal, material,
and community life of Latinos through
cultural and educational programs.
All services are offered gratuitously.
In
July 1999, the Latino Adult Institute
celebrated the blessing of the site
it now calls home in Napa. Directed by Brother Armando Garcia,
assisted by volunteers, the Institute
provides Latino adults in Napa a place to develop a cultural and
religious community, offering its
services at no cost to participants.
Current programs include classes
in parenting, English as a Second
Language (ESL), psychology, basic
health, and leadership. Prayer groups
and retreats offer participants
a spiritual dimension to their personal,
family, and communal lives. In the
spirit of the mission of Saint John
Baptist de La Salle, the LAI brings
basic education to the Latino community
separated by language and cultural
barriers. The school has served
well over two thousand adults since
opening.
At the heart of the LAI's
mission is the assistance of Latino
youth and their families through
parent education. Students at LAI
receive instruction about various
government and social agencies,
as well as referrals to other area
organizations with programs not
available at the Institute. The
center's founding resulted from
a 1997 study by Brother Armando
to determine the needs of Napa's Latino community and the prospects
for educational programs sponsored
by the Christian Brothers to meet
those needs. The isolation experienced
by the Latino community because
of language and cultural differences
is greatly diminished through the
work of the LAI, offering Latinos
a sense of unity and pride within
the Napa community.
Supplemental
articles from Signs
of Faith magazine:
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