By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360]
Casa Círculo Cultural (CCC) took a big leap forward and is now even closer to the community it has served for over 12 years in San Mateo County.
On Wednesday, July 14, amidst applause, Mariachi music and cheers, CCC opened its new facility in the heart of North Fair Oaks at 3090 Middlefield Rd. in Redwood City, CA. 94063.
Casa Círculo Cultural is a community organization that, through art and culture, painstakingly provides tools for a better life to families in San Mateo County's most disadvantaged communities, including Redwood City, North Fair Oaks, Belle Haven and East Palo Alto.
San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos G. Bolaños cut the ribbon during the inauguration of the new headquarters.
"We are proud to serve the community that lives and works in these areas by offering cultural programs and working closely with volunteers, community leaders and experts," said Sheriff Bolaños.
For her part, the Consul of Mexico in San Francisco, Remedios Gomez Arnau, one of the great guests at the ceremony, noted that CCC has become the center of the Mexican community in San Mateo County.
"It is not only a house where you can find educational, cultural and artistic programs; it is very important because the community can be educated and feel comfortable learning new things, but above all, where Mexican culture is preserved," said Gomez Arnau.
"It is important as Mexicans living abroad, not to forget our roots and our origins, and the way not to do that is to continue learning about our culture, whether through cooking, dancing, music or art. That is going to enrich us, and it is very important that we can pass it on to our children so that they feel very sure of themselves and the identity they have," she said.
East Palo Alto Mayor Carlos Romero said that venues like CCC are very important because they complement formal education, which often does not delve deeply into cultural issues.
"This venue, to me, is almost sacred, in the sense that there are few places where people can come to see artwork, to see art, to work in the arts and dance. To have this community resource in Redwood City is fabulous, I wish someday we could have some of the CCC events in East Palo Alto to try to spread Latino culture and culture in general," she said.
CCC offers multiple bilingual programs, including technology, martial arts, cultural arts, youth and women's empowerment.
Importantly, CCC will expand its service to the community by sharing its programs with community organizations such as CARON Community Partnership and Sheriff's Activities League.
Diane Howard, Mayor of Redwood City, applauded the new facility's location in the heart of the community and close proximity to public transportation, and said she was happy for the community CCC will serve, as the accessibility will allow it to reach more children and youth.
Redwood City Vice Mayor Giselle Hale highlighted the importance of the location of CCC's new headquarters, noting that the new facility is very accessible to the public, which helps people get involved in the project and new cultural endeavors.
In addition to those mentioned, happy Bay Area personalities such as businesswoman Florence Fang; Parks and Recreation Department Director Chris Beth; as well as Redwood City Councilmembers Alicia Aguirre, Michael Smith and Jeff Gee, a member of the CCC Board of Directors along with Christina Corpus, Connie Guerrero, Adam Alberti, Chris Blom; as well as the CCC Executive Board attended the event.
Some highlights of activities at Casa Círculo Cultural include:
● Technology Lab. With school modules and extracurricular technology and communication activities that provide educational support to low-income and underserved families to help them achieve academic success, especially during distance learning due to COVID-19.
● Economics and Business Program, which organizes an annual children's fair, where students learn the principles of a business plan, including marketing, product development and sales.
● Social and cultural initiative, which promotes personal and community enrichment through art, theater, music, poetry and the organization of the Day of the Dead celebration in downtown Redwood City.
● The award-winning martial arts program, which seeks to teach discipline and personal strength to disadvantaged youth while preparing them to compete in tournaments that will give them skills to meet school and work challenges in their future lives.
● Women 's Social Lab. A collaborative and supportive workspace that benefits local girls and women by sharing collective experiences.
In addition, the CCC publishes books in Spanish and English, organizes a scholarship program each year, and presents a variety of family and community activities to reinforce the concept of "family" in the community.
To check the new class schedules for children from 5 years old to 100 years old, please go to the Casa Círculo Cultural website: www.casacirculocultural.org
