Minerva Perez is named Executive Director of OLA of Eastern Long Island

Minerva Perez is named Executive Director of OLA of Eastern Long Island

OLA (Organización Latino-Americana) was founded in 2002 as a nonprofit agency committed to promoting social, economic, cultural, and educational development within Long Island’s East End Latino and Hispanic communities.
Through its own programming initiatives and ongoing local collaborations, OLA strives to empower, inform and celebrate our varied Latino and Hispanic communities while building bridges within the larger East End community that help to foster understanding and harmony.
Programs and events have included:
• The Annual OLA Film Festival, in partnership with the Parrish Museum, now in its 13th year • English as a Second Language and Computer Classes for Spanish Speakers
• Arts Education for children
• Leadership workshops for adults
• Educational Forums focused on safety, health, fiscal and legal interests

Ms. Perez most recently served as the Retreat’s Director of Residential and Transitional Services for six years where she ran a 24 hour domestic violence crises shelter for singles and families fleeing domestic abuse.
Board of Directors: Isabel Sepúlveda, President; Anthony Hitchcock, Treasurer; Julio Correa; Jorge Kusanovic; Joaquín Méndez
OLA of Eastern Long Island, Inc. is a 501.c.3 charitable corporation and all sponsorship contributions to OLA are tax-exempt to the full extent provided by IRS regulations. Our Federal Tax ID # is 43-1997489. A copy of our latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, by writing OLA at the address above or from the Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

In 2008, Ms. Perez volunteered her time with OLA, helping to curate the film festival, directing and producing the only Spanish language Vagina Monologues on the east end, and appearing regularly before the Suffolk County Legislature to combat anti-immigrant initiatives coming from the prior County Executive.
Going forward:
By having a dedicated full time Executive Director, OLA will develop new innovative programs and partnerships throughout townships on the East End of Long Island while maintaining and strengthening its current programs.
Ms. Perez offers that “as OLA moves forward in its mission, we hope to raise the level of discourse as it relates to the Latino and Hispanic communities of the East End furthering our belief that in embracing our diversities and sharing our human experiences, we can create a healthier and more vibrant community”.