Olalla Center was awarded $100,000 in funds from Inter-Community Health
Network - Coordinated Care Organization’s Delivery System Transformation Committee (IHN-CCO) for Arcoíris Cultural. The name is inspired by the rainbow of many diverse cultures within Lincoln County. This pilot project aims to create a cultural center focused on celebrating and supporting underserved Latina/o/x, Guatemalan, and Indigenous populations of Lincoln County. Championed by a close-knit team of bilingual, bicultural staff including Alex Llumiquinga, Martha Varo, and Alex Guevara, Arcoíris Cultural will serve as a conduit for community building, sharing traditional arts and culture, and providing culturally specific social support services.
Arcoíris Cultural will strive to foster whole-person wellness through a hybrid of resource
navigation, arts, culture, and community building. Cultural programming will include music and dance performances, art exhibits and art classes, traditional cooking classes, artisan markets, and much more. Additionally, staff will be able to assist with health care system navigation, Oregon Health Plan (OHP) applications, and language accessibility and development. All of this will take place with the help of community partnerships. There are many reasons why someone might leave their home and embark on a journey to another country, all of them complex and unique.
Whether the catalyst is hardship or hope, peril or promise, violence or vision, each experience holds its own range of emotions. Every journey, and the person or family who undertakes it, carries a story. Those stories and experiences should be heard, rather than lost. As a pilot project, Arcoíris Cultural will connect to vibrant communities that represent nearly a quarter of
Lincoln County’s population, while uniting our community as a whole. The Olalla Center and the Arcoiris Cultural team are thankful for IHN-CCO’s generous grant to expand its work within this community.
Arcoiris Cultural is located at 324 SW 7 th Street, Suite A, Newport. Olalla Center is currently
accepting donations for Arcoíris Cultural. To support this project for Lincoln County’s Latina/o/x, Guatemalan, and Indigenous populations, contact Development Director Diana Russo Teem at (541) 336-2254 or donations@olallacenter.org. To learn more about Olalla Center go to: www.olallacenter.org.
