Auburn Valley YMCA celebrates Latino Cultural Night

Most people know the Auburn Valley YMCA as a place to go to get a work out in, to participate in an exercise class, play some hoops, take a dip in the pool. But for many, the Y is so much more than that: it's a community gathering point, a central hub where you can take a class or plug into as a learning resource.

By Shawn Skager • July 1, 2015 7:15 pm
Attendees fill their plates with traditional Latino food during the Auburn Valley YMCA's Latino Festival.
Attendees fill their plates with traditional Latino food during the Auburn Valley YMCA's Latino Festival.

Most people know the Auburn Valley YMCA as a place to go to get a work out in, to participate in an exercise class, play some hoops, take a dip in the pool.

But for many, the Y is so much more than that: it’s a community gathering point, a central hub where you can take a class or plug into as a learning resource.

This past Friday, with the launching of its Family Fun Festivals featuring Latino culture, the Auburn Valley Y was also a place where you could learn about a different culture. Attendees were treated to traditional Latino food, music, dancing, a flag ceremony and a bit of soccer.

According to Kela Hall, the YMCA’s South King County Marketing and Communications Director, the event is part of a planned series at the Auburn Valley Y.

“We’re doing different family fun nights at the Y, and every month we are having a festival, and this is the first of our series,” Hall said. “For this one, we wanted to celebrate the Latino culture and food. Especially in Auburn, there is a pretty high Latino population demographically.”

Sandra Villarreal is part of that demographic. A program coordinator at the Y, she teaches an all-Spanish PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support) class.

She was among those eager to share her culture with festival goers.

“The purpose is really to get the community to enjoy and learn a little bit more about the Latino community, what we are, what we represent. It’s really to see a little about what we do and get together and enjoy. At places like the Y, we see the Latino community and how large it is, but I don’t think everybody realizes how big it is; they don’t see us when we get together.”

Leadership Development Director Eddie Joseph added:

“We looked at all the different cultures at the Y, and we figured, people get to work out together and next to each other, but they don’t get to learn much about each other, so we thought we’d change that,” Joseph said. “We picked the Latino community, which is usually pretty engaged, and in my experience really open to sharing their culture. They like presenting it.”

For more information on the Auburn Valley YMCA and its programs, visit www.seattleymca.org/locations/Auburn, or visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuburnValleyYMCA