By Pamela Cruz with information by Gerardo Herrera and Enrique Esparza
After years of being discontinued, the North Fair Oaks Festival has once again become a gathering place to celebrate a resilient community that is looking to the future and the vitality of a neighborhood that has become home to a large Latino community.
The meeting was at ten o'clock in the morning at 2510 Middlefield Road, in front of the North Fair Oaks Library, where the cities of Redwood City, Menlo Park and Atherton come together to accommodate a large Latino community that once again celebrated its space for five hours.
With music, colors and lots of excitement on the part of the attendees, organizations that provide services in the area took on the task of informing and advising everyone who approached their stands.
That was the case of Family Connections, a non-profit organization that offers programs to support students by involving parents, as well as Star Vista, another participant in the festival.
"We focus on supporting parents of children ages 0 to 5 years old. We offer resources, support groups and activities for parents, because many times they need someone to talk to or a person who can offer support. We are here for them," said Diana Hernandez of Star Vista.
For her part, Isabel González of Family Connectios highlighted the importance of parents in the development of their children.
"We believe that parents can affect a lot of a child's development. And through classes we can offer children how to play with others and also teach parents a little bit about child development," she said.
In the field of education, information was varied, as the festival was attended by several associations and schools, including Cañada College and Casa Circulo Cultural.
The topic of housing could not be left out and the Legal Aid Society provided legal guidance for all those interested and who had a problem between tenants and tenants.
"On March 31 the protections ended and we have seen an increase in evictions due to lack of rent, people are still going through a lot of problems due to lack of work because of the pandemic and we are here to help tenants when they have eviction problems, they can call us and we will help them with their legal papers," said Mary C. of Legal Aid Society.
Among the most visited booths during the event were the Redwood City Police and Sheriff's Office booths, which featured all kinds of activities, including a lottery, decorative button making and even the Midway dunker, where some officers were thrown into the water with the aim of the attendees.
"I grew up here in North Fair Oaks, went to public schools here and made my first communion at St. Anthony's Church. I am from here and we do our job with a lot of heart and we want to give you the best service possible," said Sergeant Salvador Zuno of the Sheriff's Office.
"Many people who come to this country come from countries where their experience with the police is not trustworthy or is negative and that is understood. Here the first thing we try to explain to them is that here we have a very high standard and all people have rights, whether they are citizens or not, here it doesn't matter. If a person needs our help, for us everyone has rights. We work to pass on the message that we are here for you," he added.
The event, which was enlivened by a mariachi and traditional dance groups, was attended by around 500 people who were able to enjoy an unforgettable evening.
You may be interested in: Redwood City Mandarin students demonstrate their language skills on a national level
