Terry Morse, president of the MVMC board, believes the center is addressing a rapidly emerging need.
"The workforce is already strained, and, quite frankly, the Hispanic people want to work," Morse said. "Moab is just at the beginning of what it's going to become, and it's critical that we in the community are aware. The valley will hold 30,000 people, and there are 77 million baby boomers who are going to retire in the next 10 years. They're not all going to Arizona or Florida."
In her 22 years in Moab, MVMC's de facto director Leticia Bentley has seen that trend accelerate firsthand. The former English as a Second Language/Spanish teacher has volunteered her language skills to help new residents with the translations needed to seek employment or social services. Through her volunteer translation work, she has become intimately familiar with many of the hardships facing immigrants and other underserved populations.
Bentley's husband, Scott, says the workload was staggering. "Our phone was ringing off the hook every night," he said. "She had to take a year off school to organize the center just to keep up."
Looking back, the formation of a central organization seems inevitable; there are just too many needs for one person, with no facility, to juggle.
"We have fundraisers, we have a monthly food drop, we have translations," Bentley said. "So we have many volunteer needs, including volunteers to translate or to teach English. It's a great opportunity for people who want to practice their Spanish."
That sort of interaction provides the cross-cultural exchange which really seems to excite Morse.
"When you participate in something like that, you really see how rich the American society is," he said, endorsing a broad definition of American society. That definition includes maintaining a variety of cultural traditions under a larger banner.
He said the MVMC will help by sharing these traditions with the larger community. "They can participate in events like Cinco de Mayo, or come out and participate in other little events," he said. "Right now we're talking about the Hispanic population, but we also want to serve the Native Americans, and even underserved Caucasians. I'd love to see a pow-wow in Moab."
The Cinco de Mayo celebration in Swanny City Park began last year (for the three previous years it was organized by Bentley's high school club, The Amigos Club, and held at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center), and the tradition continues this year. If people need to ask the date, that's further evidence of a lack of cultural diversity‒Cinco de Mayo translates to "The fifth of May." This year's event is expanded, including performances of the classic baile folklórico (ballet folklore) dances which record the history of the celebration, which is a remembrance of Mexico's defeat of French occupational forces in 1862.
The MVMC is also sponsoring a more literal taste of Mexico on a monthly basis, by taking orders for tamales, to be produced in the Youth Garden Project's community kitchen on the last Thursday of each month. They'll take orders at 259-5444 (leave a message if necessary), and proceeds will benefit the center.
That's a common theme with the MVMC. Events and programs are often structured to build community at the same time they build the center. "The Hispanic community has been very involved in trying to help themselves," Morse said.
This desire to improve is a key component in Morse's concept of underserved.
"It's an individual who is capable of being a productive member of society, but because of social constraints he doesn't have the tools to succeed," Morse said. "Whether it's that they don't know the language, don't know the laws, or didn't arrive with the financial resources, they are capable of lifting themselves up by the bootstraps."
There are a number of organizations in Moab which offer social programs to help people thrive in the community, and many of them are partners with WabiSabi, which acts as a sort of clearinghouse for non-profit initiative, providing both networking and financial support. WabiSabi co-founder Sarah Bauman will take over from Morse as board president soon, and Jeff Cohen, WabiSabi's executive director, continues to work with the MVMC, which is just across the parking lot from WabiSabi's thrift store warehouse.
"They're going after a niche that needed to be filled; there are a lot of needs that aren't being met," Cohen said. WabiSabi has already helped the MVMC with money as well as office supplies, computer parts, and furniture, and Cohen said the warehouse is open to the center. "Whatever comes in that they can use, we're more than happy to donate."
As part of the close circle of non-profit organizations in town, the MVMC will use those resources. "We want to be very careful and conscious of not repeating work that's done by other non-profits," Morse said. "If, for instance, someone needs the services of Seekhaven, we'll refer her right away."
Of course, employment issues are at the forefront of the needs of the underserved, so the MVMC will also work with local businesses to raise awareness and money. "We're hoping that some businesses, the employers, are going to step up," Morse said. "From employee housing, to medical care, to legal help, the whole picture, the employers are the beneficiaries, in some ways even more than our constituency. So hopefully they'll have the foresight to see that we're probably serving the people they'll be hiring."
Norma Banuelos, president of the MVMC volunteer board, echoed that sentiment with a plea translated by Leticia Bentley. "I'd like to invite all the business owners to help us," Banuelos said. "The more support we get from businesses, the better it will function, and the better the workers can do their jobs."
With that support and the continued efforts of MVMC volunteers, the board hopes to hire its first paid employee, an executive director, as soon as possible. "We're in the process of laying the groundwork to hire an executive director," Morse said. "There is a real need to have the center open five days a week, but we do need a director to bring into reality the vision of the board."
That vision will ultimately include a range of programs to promote two-way cultural exchange, with the center offering classes all things cultural, from language to cooking to dance. "We're really hoping to present ourselves to the community through these classes and programs," Bentley said. "It's a way of saying, "we're here, and we'd like to celebrate diversity, together."'
While the MVMC doesn't have a full-time staff, it is open every Monday and Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for general business, which is when Bentley is usually there. The center also offers space for things like teen mentoring, Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; a women's group, Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and English as a Second Language classes Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The MVMC has a phone, 259-5444, though it may be necessary to leave a message until the board can find an executive director to manage the center's daily affairs.
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are held at the center every evening at 7 p.m.