MONROE — As the Hispanic population continues to rise and cultures spread in Green County, there’s at least one group making sure those new to the area have the support, tools and even fun to welcome them. 

Although MultiCultural Outreach Programs exist in neighboring counties including Iowa, Grant, Lafayette and Richland, Green County hadn’t officially had one. But thanks to vested volunteers and those wanting to “pay it forward” — as of August, it does. 

Green County is becoming more diverse racially, according to Victoria Solomon, associate professor, community resource development for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension — Green County. There is also diversity in ethnicity, language and culture. She feels that for community vibrancy, it’s essential that Green County is inclusive and welcoming to everyone. 

UW-Madison’s Applied Population Lab maps counties and shows population by race and ethnicity between 2013 and 2017. Green County shows 3% Hispanic or Latino. The lab also breaks down the population rates and maps it out more for specific increases, showing that the City of Monroe is 5% Latino and the City of Brodhead is 4% Latino. 

Natasha Morgan serves as the bilingual advocate at Green Haven and MultiCultural Outreach Program and getting Green County on board has been one of her goals as she watches local needs increase. 

“We want to make sure that while diversity is growing, so is the peaceful, togetherness, wellness, wellbeing and safety,” Morgan said.

She said that while Green County is robust economically and offers great jobs and communities, she hopes that it will also be a place that welcomes diversity. MCOP is meant to see that happens by connecting people to resources and having a coordinated group of volunteers to help families with the services they may need.

The importance of community celebration is also a large part of it, Morgan said, because it can be a way to strengthen the community. 

When the group began meeting just over a year ago to talk about creating a Green County branch for the MCOP, one of the signs showing how much it was needed came in the form of a festival. 

A Posada is a traditional Christmas gathering in Mexico meant to bring together those with different backgrounds, and when held in Green County was a way bring together people from different backgrounds. 

The event was also meant to bring happiness in the winter months. The event was the first of its kind in Monroe and brought in hundreds of people to the Green County YMCA to share a meal, play games and visit. It also made clear the importance of MCOP.

“We realized the importance of community celebration because of connections made there,” Morgan said. 

In about a month’s time, Morgan said they held the momentum from that event to reach out even more and eventually were able to fund a position for MCOP. The group is privately funded, with no governmental assistance. 

Cynthia Villavicencio has been a Monroe resident for years but is originally from Ecuador. She was hired as the bilingual MCOP Direct Service Consultant for the group, but had already been doing parts of the job as a volunteer.

“I’m passionate about helping others,” Villavicencio said. 

As new people move to town, she finds herself helping with their needs including, but not limited to, jobs, schooling, transportation and even court support. She said one of her biggest challenges is housing, which is also a challenge in other counties. She’s working diligently to have a strong support system of volunteers. 

“At the end of the day it’s an immeasurable satisfaction to help people,” she said. “It fills my heart.”

One person also often stepping in to help is Maribel Lobato, who owns Veracruz Mexican Market in Monroe. When she moved here 18 years ago, she felt the loneliness that often comes with moving away from family.

“I was so sad,” she said. “No one spoke Spanish.”

She and her family moved to Monroe to be closer to her husband’s work at a local cheese factory. They had been living in Galena, Illinois, but are originally from Mexico. She was the main organizer of last year’s Posada. 

When she and her family came as one of the first Latino families in the area at that time, she felt glad to connect with the Literacy Council of Green County, where she was able to learn English, and her then 4-year-old son could get assistance with homework. They also helped connect her with schools and a church. 

“It helped us a lot,” she said.

With three boys now in their teens and older, Lobato often finds herself volunteering to help others who are walking a similar path. 

The MCOP is slowly growing, Morgan said, and its biggest challenge now is to continue fundraising and creating annual events that grow. They are planning to continue the tradition of the Posada, and this year’s is planned for Dec. 14. 

Anyone interested in volunteering, or in need of services, should contact Villavicencio at 608-642-1753 or email tillo0823cyn@gmail.com. To get involved with local events, email natasha.m@

greenhaven4help.com. 

ANOTHER CELEBRATION

Although Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, isn’t a MultiCultural Outreach Program event, the group supports the first-of-its-kind celebration that will be held in Brodhead as part of its Autumn Fest. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Hispanic tradition popular in the Mexican culture, and others, celebrated as a holiday. The event involves family and friends gathering to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. 

The addition came as an idea from Magali Jimenez Hernandez, of Brodhead, now a college student commuting from home, who attended the Posada and wanted to be involved. 

She approached the Brodhead Chamber of Commerce about adding the Day of the Dead celebration as part of its Autumn Fest, which falls over the same days of the traditional celebration, and they agreed. 

She’s been thrilled at the response from the community and its volunteers who have stepped up to help. 

“People I didn’t even know are willing to help with this event,” Jimenez Hernandez said. Since she knows almost all of the Hispanic families in Brodhead, Jimenez Hernandez was looking to bring some of her culture to the town.

 “We believe they’re not gone and they’re still with us,” Jimenez Hernandez said of loved ones who have died. “We see it as a celebration.”

Jimenez Hernandez is from Oaxaca, Mexico, and said the main days in the monthlong celebration are Nov. 1 and 2. Often altars are decorated with things that symbolize loved ones who have passed. A community altar will be part of the celebration. They also go from home to home and dance with a traditional band, something that will also be brought to Brodhead. There will also be a small representation of the traditional parade with cut paper, decorated streets, Halloween cosutmes and face painting. 

“We want to try and bring as much tradition to Brodhead as possible,” Jimenez Hernandez said.