Free neighborhood festival includes a petting zoo, a variety of educational events and games for both children and adults, and the distribution of flowerpots to help beautify the neighborhood
May 2, 2016 - The second annual Celebra Floreciente event, spearheaded by the Palomares Social Justice Center along with Global Communities, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley, and Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities will take place on Saturday, May 7th with activities at the Palomares Social Justice Center at 133 4th Avenue and at the Boys & Girls Clubs Administrative office at 338 6th Street in Moline. The day’s events will feature a variety of activities for children, ranging from a petting zoo to arts and crafts, and also feature games and music for adults. In addition, flower pots will be distributed to Floreciente residents to beautify the neighborhood and provide a piece of art for their front porches. The event is free and all community residents are welcome to participate.
“The purpose of Celebra Floreciente is to bring neighbors and families together for a fun annual event, to educate children about their heritage, and to create pride in the Floreciente neighborhood of Moline,” says Adrian Wille, Vice President of the Palomares Social Justice Center.
“We are extremely excited to be able to take part in this year’s Celebra Floreciente and are thankful for all the work Palomares took in spearheading this event,” said Annisa Wanat, Program Director for Global Communities – Moline. “The day’s events, plus the efforts to distribute flower plots to help beautify the neighborhood are great ways to help forge community pride and strengthen the feeling of togetherness.”
“Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley has been a part of the neighborhood for 22 years and is thrilled to be a part of this Celebra Floreciente event. The Clubs understand the importance of working with each of the neighborhood youth and their families to help provide more opportunities and experiences for them to become responsible, caring and productive citizens,” says Jennifer Garlach, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley.
“We look forward to participating in the second annual Celebra Floreciente event,” says Mary Chappell, Neighborhood Revitalization Director for Habitat Quad Cities. “From playing fun games to creating art, this event offers something for people of all ages. It will also provide an opportunity to relax and enjoy the good company of friends and neighbors.”
Celebra Floreciente will feature a petting zoo and a variety of events for children to help them identify, explore, and discuss their heritage and community, including a scavenger hunt and Molinopoly – Monopoly with streets names from Floreciente. The event will also include other arts and crafts activities, a yard decorating contest, and a discussion of what children like about their neighborhood. Stations for adults include chess and other games, as well as live music. Authentic Mexican food and drinks will be served all day long. Please visit www.palomaresqc.org/celebra2016/ for more information.
In addition, approximately 100 flowerpots will be distributed to Floreciente residents signed up to receive one. The idea of having a common piece of artwork to display on porches emerged from community meetings organized by Global Communities, where community members expressed that this would help strengthen the sense of community. Several Floreciente residents, The Boys and Girls Club, and Habitat for Humanity have been working with Global Communities to sign up people for flower pots, and organize volunteers for their painting and distribution. Global Communities is also working with local businesses to “adopt” flower pots for their storefronts to increase their profile as active Floreciente residents as well.
Carmen Fuentes, of Carmen’s Jewelry at 925 4th Ave in Moline, is on the organizing committees for both the neighborhood flowerpots and the effort to get local businesses on board. “I went door-to-door with both neighbors and businesses and asked them to sign up for the flower pots because I think it’s important to make the Floreciente mas bonito and build a sense of community between residents and businesses.”
General Schedule of Events:
9 am – noon: Painting / Planting Flower Pots for Floreciente neighbors at the Boys and Girls Club at 338 6th Street in Moline.
10am – 5pm: Educational and cultural events for adults and children at the Palomares Social Justice Center at 133 4th Avenue in Moline.
ABOUT PALOMRES SOCIAL JUSTICE CENTER Run completely by volunteers, Palomares exists to help address the socio-economic needs and interests of Floreciente and other less empowered communities. We recognize the history of the Floreciente neighborhood and its people, of those who arrived here and those who are no longer with us. In addition to organizing cultural events that celebrate the cultural heritage of Floreciente, Palomares offers consultation and referral in a variety of areas: access to social services, translation and interpretation, inquiries regarding migration status, situations tied to home rental/or home ownership, family services, etc. Learn more about Palomares at www.palomaresqc.org and www.facebook.com/PalomaresSJC/.
ABOUT GLOBAL COMMUNITIES Global Communities is an international non-profit organization founded in 1952 that works closely with communities worldwide to bring about sustainable changes that improve the lives and livelihoods of the vulnerable. Global Communities began working in Floreciente in September 2015 to create long-lasting, community-led change by organizing and educating residents and business owners to participate in community and economic development decisions affecting their neighborhood. Learn more at www.globalfloreciente.com or attend a community meeting, held the second Tuesday of every month at 406 7th Street in Moline.
ABOUT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY QUAD CITIES Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities (HFHQC) is a nonprofit Christian housing organization dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. Through safe and affordable shelter, Habitat assists families to achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to shape a better tomorrow for themselves and their families. In March of 2015, the Floreciente Neighborhood was selected to be the first focus neighborhood to start a new Habitat program called Neighborhood Revitalization. Through this new program, HFHQC will be able to serve more families with an expanded array of products and services.
ABOUT BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley has been providing a safe and structured environment for Quad City community youth for 22 years. The organization offers after school and summer programming currently in 3 separate facilities for ages 6-18 years of age. Our trained staff guide the youth through curriculum, structured activities and work with other community providers to bring opportunities and knowledge to those typically underserved. BGCMV focuses on 5 core areas: The Arts – Character & Leadership Development – Sports, Fitness & Recreation – Education & Career Development – Health & Life Skills. Each youth member is also provided a snack and dinner nightly and the cost per member is $15.00 per school year for grade school and $30.00 per school year for middle and high school age youth. We are consistently collaborating with other organizations such as Red Cross, Living Lands & Waters, Boys Scouts, Girl Scouts and the school districts serving the youth to maximize our efforts to reach the youth who need us most.
