Michael Toledo’s parents taught him the value of giving back from a young age. He started volunteering at Centro Hispano in Reading to give back to his community and has since been able to turn his passion for helping others into a fulfilling career.
How did Centro Hispano get its start? The center has origins going back to WWII. When everyone left to fight in the war, the agricultural industry here in Berks was left in a pickle, so they chartered airplanes from Puerto Rico and offered temporary work with fair wages to the men on the island. Many of them realized that Reading is a great place to live, work and raise a family, and decided to stay. Those who were bilingual realized that if we were going to have more Spanish-speaking people coming from the island, they were going to need support, and so the Hispanic Center was born.
What kind of services do you offer? All of our programs revolve around the foundation of providing safety net services. Anyone can come through our doors, and, depending on what their needs are, we can either help them here at the center or we can refer them to one of our many partner agencies to meet the need that they have. We do have one of the largest senior centers in the state, and we also support families with financial literacy and through our tax assistance program. We work in the education space as well, specifically on parental engagement. We’re also expanding into new areas, specifically workforce development. There is a huge underemployed segment of the Latino community, and with the proper training and certification they can earn a family-sustaining wage.
How do you accomplish so much? We are a nonprofit here in the city and are able to provide the programming we have thanks to support we receive from organizations like the United Way of Berks County and the Agency on Aging, and through different supporters in the community. Berks County is a beautiful place; we have so many individuals who are very giving and very supportive of organizations that have a mission of helping improve the quality of life here.
How did you get involved with Centro Hispano? Growing up in Reading, my family experienced the American dream firsthand. My parents taught me the value of hard work and sacrifice, and the importance of giving back. I started out by volunteering here at the Hispanic Center. I then was provided the opportunity to join the board, so I got to learn a little more about the programming from a different perspective, and then back in 2010 after a national search, I was selected as Executive Director.
Do you ever have any spare time? You have to! Family is very important to me, so though I give 110 percent when I’m on the job, I always have time for family. I love spending time with my wife and my three children. Outside of work and family, I do serve on the Board of Trustees at RACC and on the National Board of Directors for Unidos U.S., which is the largest Latino rights organization in the country.
Centro Hispano is a primary vendor for Meals on Wheels in the city. They have partnered with Berks Encore to provide close to 500 meals every day to be delivered to homebound seniors.
The entire staff at Centro Hispano is bilingual and bicultural and stands ready to help anyone who comes through their doors. For more information visit centrohispano.org.
