CARE: Community Ambassador Real Equality

about the program:

Community Ambassador Real Equality, also known as the CARE Team, is a group of bilingual and bicultural ambassadors focused on supporting and advocating for the needs of their communities in Yancey and Mitchell counties. Additionally, they work to foster unity and understanding within the larger local community.

The group, which Partners Aligned Toward Health supports, started during COVID-19 to help share crucial health information and resources with the Hispanic/Latino community. Over the past five years, the CARE Team has expanded its mission to focus on community engagement and organizing, promoting mental health and wellness, and educating parents, youth, and families on important health and safety practices. More and more individuals and organizations are leaning on CARE ambassadors to share information, plan culturally-responsive events, and ensure that Hispanic/Latino voices are at the forefront of decision-making.

The CARE Team encourages ambassadors to develop their leadership skills as they work to increase representation, equity, and access to resources in the community. Moving forward, CARE hopes to continue to be a network of advocates supporting the Hispanic/Latino community through culturally-responsive and collaborative approaches.

CARE Team’s Helene Response

The CARE Team provided essential support to the Hispanic/Latino community during Hurricane Helene and during recovery afterward. They utilized their roles as community ambassadors to share essential information, work at distribution sites, collect resources, and facilitate a community conversation about Helene resources between the Hispanic/Latino community and Yancey County officials.