| PO Box 1902 Melrose Park IL 60160 Phone 708 296-7006 |
Promoting the Advancement of the Hispanic Community
Through Educational and Leadership Development
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In 1989, in an effort to bring attention to National Hispanic / Latino Heritage Month, four individuals working on Broadway Avenue in Melrose Park, IL joined together to sponsor an Art and Essay Contents for Hispanic grade school students.
One hundred fifty elementary school children responded with funny, serious, poignant and penetrating essays and/or drawings of their perceptions on what it meant to be Hispanic. From conversations with parents and the students' art work, it became evident that the majority of Hispanics in the area lacked a sense of cultural identity and unity. As a result, HispanoFest was born.
HispanoFest consists of a three day festival. The street fair consists of music, arts, and crafts and the cuisine of Latin America. Attendance has gone up from approximately 10,000 people in 1994 to 250,000 in 2006
In 1990, HispanoFest allowed us to offer two full scholarships to be granted to two local students. About 118 scholarships have been awarded to date.
HispanoFest promotes to the general community as well as the Hispanic community an understanding of the rich and varied cultures, which compose Latin America. HispanoFest has now become one of the largest and most important Hispanic festivals in the Western Chicago suburbs.
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| Location: 1000 N 25th Ave - Melrose Park,IL 60160 (25th & Lake St) |
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