Thanks to a grant from the Ashland Food Coop Unete’s community garden is providing healthy foods for our Latino Community and also teaching Latino youth important agriculture skills passed down from generations of farmers.

“Its always fun to watch children discover the earth through gardening, tasting the fresh tomatoes straight off the vine,” says Dagoberto Morales. “Many of us, as children, spent hours in the fields with our parents growing food for our family and also to sell.

“We lived off the earth and we were taught to respect it and be thankful for what it provided for us. We want to pass this tradition down to our children here, far from our homeland.”

Voces Unidas Parent Group is actively working to improve their children’s educations. Last August 29th the group addressed the Medford 549C School Board and expressed their needs and concerns about the education of Latino youth.

Due to the delay in the Rogue Valley pear harvest, Unete has cancelled its Fiesta Campesina, scheduled for September 4th. The harvest which is very late this year, is scheduled to begin after September 1o, nearly a full week after the event to honor farm workers was originally scheduled.

Join us for our annual gathering to honor our valley’s farm workers and their families. Fiesta Campesina will take place on September 4th at Fichtner Mainwaring park in Medford. Come share a taste of traditional Mexican food, fun raffles and local entertainment. Bring the kids and enjoy an afternoon in the park.

The air was filled with anticipation as hundreds of Jackson County youth participated in Kidspree, a shopping spree for needy elementary school children. The event, a collaborative effort by JC Penneys and several community agencies, including Soroptomists, provided new school clothing for over 230 children, plus school supplies and backpacks.

Unete has participated in the event for the past 9 years offering interpretation and shopper services for Spanish speaking families.
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Unete was among social justice friends at the Peace and Pie in the Park celebration of McKenzie River Gathering foundation. Held in Alton Baker park in Eugene, groups and individuals working for social and environmental justice gathered to celebrate MRG’s 35 years of funding programs that make a difference in our communities. The celebration also welcomed new director, Sharon Gary-Smith.

Even though the sun was out in full force, Unete assisted staff from the Mexican Consulate located in Portland OR in processing over 400 documents for Mexican nationals here in Medford this past weekend.

The Mexican Mobile Consulate joined Unete on Saturday and Sunday to offer valuable services for the Mexican community in the Rogue Valley. Mexican Nationals were able to obtain Mexican passports and consular identification cards here locally, avoiding a long a costly trip to Portland. Several children also obtained dual citizenship.

The education of our youth is a priority at Unete. We work towards achieving this goal through all of our programs including Voces Unidas Parent group. Voces Unidas Parent group is made up of parents and educators in Medford and the Rogue Valley. Participating parents receive intensive training related to reducing the achievement gap for Latino youth and learning how to become more involved in their children’s education.

Even though Mother Nature was looking pretty ominous, the weather held and the Razas Unidas Car Wash was a GREAT success. The youth held their car wash to bring attention to the need for DREAM Act. The event was part of a national action.

The streets of Ashland came alive on July 4th and the sounds and sites of Mexico livened up the festivities. Unete participated in a brilliant representation of Mexican culture here in our valley. Sponsored by El Tapatio restaurant, the group consisted of charros on horseback, folkloric dancers, Mexican music, low rider bikers and immigrants rights supporters. It was a perfect representation of the population of our valley… a little of the old… and a little of the new….