It’s been said that if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.
But what do you do if the man in question doesn’t own a fishing pole, or has no means to access a well-stocked stream or lake?
The Latino community in Estes Park, comprising more than ten percent of the town’s population, has a long and deep history of serving the community as essential members of its workforce and successful entrepreneurs, and of enriching the life of the Estes Valley via its cultures.
Despite that record of community engagement, however, Latinos are almost nonexistent in terms of leadership positions in the town, whether in business, politics or community organizations.
“The Estes Chamber of Commerce Latino Alliance was formed to change that,” said Chamber President Colleen DePasquale. “Its purpose is to provide educational, business, and leadership development opportunities for the members of the Estes Latino community; to provide the tools and access for them to become successful ‘fishermen,’ so to speak.”
The Estes Latino Alliance was established to raise awareness of the contributions and efforts of the Latino community, to foster connections between the Latino community and town leaders and institutions, to develop economic, educational and societal opportunities for Estes’ Latino community, and to develop leaders and pride from within the Estes’ Latino community.
“We have been collaborating with partners from the Latino community and from Estes Valley businesses, public entities and nonprofits,” said Latino Alliance member Jorge Perez. “Our initial efforts have been focused on identifying areas of need and potential linkages between our partners that will help to accomplish our goals.”
“The Estes Chamber of Commerce and members of the Latino Alliance believe that our initiatives will help to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of the Estes Latino community and lead to future generations of young leaders,” said DePasquale. “These results support the continuing economic health of Estes and the vitality of the community as a whole.”
One of the Latino Alliance’s first initiatives is the promotion of Hispanic Heritage Month in Estes Park, from September 15 to October 15, 2026.
Hispanic Heritage Week was first proclaimed in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson, and then was expanded to National Hispanic Heritage Month and enacted into law in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the heritage, history, traditions, and cultural diversity of Hispanic Americans whose heritage is rooted in Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.
This heritage month is celebrated from mid-September to mid-October in order to highlight the independence of several countries: September 15 is the day that Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras celebrate their independence from Spain. Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16, and Chile on September 18.
The theme of National Hispanic Heritage Month in 2026 is “Unidos, somos mas,” or “Together, We Are More,” and honors the diverse stories that strengthen our nation.
“We invite Estes Park residents to support our Latino Alliance by joining us at the various Hispanic Heritage Month events in the coming weeks,” said Perez. “They include a Family Fiesta event at the Cleave Street Commons on September 19, a month-long Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) inspired Art Crawl at various locations downtown that kicks off during the First Friday Art Groove on October 2, and the return of Estes Park’s official Dia de los Muertos event, at the Estes Park Event Center on November 4.
“Unidos, somos mas!”
