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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2019)
PAGE B2, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 15, 2019 Latino Club becomes ‘second family’ for students Pho Keizer hosts BY MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes The Latino Club at Mc- Nary High School meets in portable 58 on Thursday after- noons from 2:30-3:30 p.m. But what started as a small after-school gathering has turned into so much more. “We started off as a small group, but we grew so fast. We consider this to be a second family,” McNary sophomore Jazmin Orta said. The club was started by Ana Solorio Diaz and Loreli Estra- da, who both work in special education at the school and both were part of McNary’s initial Latino club — Solorio Diaz graduated in 2011 and Estrada graduated in 2006. When the club fi rst re- formed in Fall of 2017, only six students showed up. Now, there are consistently more than 30 kids that come each and every week. “It all came together natu- rally,” Solorio Diaz said. “Kids started coming back week af- ter week. That was my biggest motivation to keep this going.” While Thursday afternoons in portable 58 consists of games, food, laughter and fun conversation, this crew takes great pride in being involved in the Keizer community in a number of different ways. “Our main goal is to bring them up as leaders so they learn how to serve their com- munity and do nice things for our neighbors,” said club advi- sor Mary Barfknecht. Community service is a big point-of-emphasis for the Latino Club as they have contributed to a number of projects in Keizer throughout the school year — including cleaning mobile-home parks as well as doing yard work and helping put in a playground at Country Glen Park. “I feel like it’s my responsi- bility to help the community,” McNary student Brian Her- nandez said. “I’m really pas- sionate about helping cleaning up the environment and mak- ing it a better place so that ev- eryone can enjoy it.” However, what gained this group the most notoriety was what they organized at the Keizer Chamber of Com- merce Award Banquet back in January. KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald TOP: Members of the McNary High School Latino Club performed at the Keizer Chamber of Commerce First Citizen Banquet in January. ABOVE: Most of the current members of the club. Several members of the club organized and performed a series of traditional Latino dances, which got a rousing ovation from everyone in at- tendance. “I just wanted to get my- self out there. It was challeng- ing, but it was awesome when people started clapping for us,” ATTN: Investment Property Owners Right now is a crucial time to take advantage of a 1031-Exchange to optimize capital gains tax reduction, increase your base, and optimize your cash fl ow. of upcoming performances in May, including at a school assembly and at Latino Parent Night. “We want to show people that we still keep in touch with our roots,” Orta said. “I love being able to do the danc- es that my parents and grand- parents did.” Earlier this month, the crew, along with Barfknecht, has even started a Latino Dance Club at McNary, which meets Mondays at 2:30 p.m. in the aerobics room. “Being able to show our culture to the rest of the school is really important to us,” Orta said. Estrada added: “We want kids not to be afraid of having a voice.” But the involvement doesn’t stop there. The Latino Club is plan- ning on making on fl oat for the Iris Festival — which will be Saturday, May 18 — and has multiple other cleanup projects on their calendar in the Keizer community. “It’s amazing to see them keep coming back to do self- less work,” Solorio Diaz said. “Every volunteer sheet is fi lled no matter what event we do.” “You really feel the vibe when you’re apart of this club.” Tapia added: “My favorite part of this club is serving in the community.” Night Off After a long day, the thought of cooking dinner and cleaning up the kitchen can be daunting. The Keiz- er Chamber of Commerce is hoping to restore some peace of mind to home chefs. A new initiative aims to support both home cooks and local restaurants. The cham- ber calls it Cook’s Night Off. By participating, you could win a $100 restaurant gift card. Cook’s Night Off this month will be held at Keizer Pho, 3400 River Road N., and is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20. Keizer cooks and their families are invited to dine at Keizer Pho and be en- tered to win a $100 gift card. You are encouraged to post a picture of your dinner at Keizer Pho tagging both the restaurant and the Keiz- er Chamber of Commerce on Facebook. Additionally, entries into the drawing can made at the restaurant with an entry form. Cooks use both methods for double the chance to win. For more information about Cook’s Night Off or other Chamber programs, vis- it keizerchamber.com or call (503) 393-9111. McNary student Jesse Tapia said. “It got people excited.” Because of the populari- ty of their show, the Latino Club has scheduled a number Act before investment tax laws change Krisstine Jacobsen Principal Broker / Owner Call me at 503.504.7330 for a FREE market analysis of your investment property W E N L L M A E O H C T . T S I S E VI M I RT E Z I KE a r o f e t i s w e n e r h t o f e k p a u T g n i n g i s . y L b A I n i R T sp Y A D - 0 3 E D E E R T I F M I a L N U t e g l l ’ e h t l You l a o t S S — ACCE r e z i e K n i ! s e r o f new e b r e v e n a h t More W O N P U N SIG