Earlier this year, the Geneva Neighborhood Resource Center hired a new bilingual engagement coordinator. Jessica Avila provides support to the city’s eleven neighborhood associations in a variety of areas, but especially in outreach to the City’s Spanish-speaking population. It’s a need that Avila herself has seen become apparent.
So far, Avila has worked to make sure that information that has already been available about Geneva’s neighborhoods is available in Spanish. Over time, she expects those efforts to encourage more people to be involved in their neighborhoods.
Avila is not alone in her work. Mornings, Erica Collins is typically on the City’s north side working as the site coordinator for the Geneva Enterprise Development Center, but many afternoons she’s at the counter at City Hall where she serves as the City’s bilingual translator. In the past, City residents who primarily speak Spanish might struggle with everyday transactions or have to rely on a young family member.
