Las Casitas Association

The "Las Casitas Association" is an established non-profit group, now in it's sixteenth year. Our main objective is to continue the "Las Casitas" tradition, which is to preserve and maintain our "Barrios" or neighborhoods for future generations to come. Our goals are to help educate the Hispanic youth of today on the history and to help improve "La Colonia", which is the oldest Hispanic community in Emporia and to improve and/or provide better relations within our Hispanic community, Emporia State University and the Emporia community as well and to preserve an important part of the Emporia Hispanic community which is Las Casitas Park.

Since the formation of the group, they have established a fund thru the Emporia Community Foundation and the City of Emporia entitled the "Las Casitas Fund".

This fund will be used for improvements to "Las Casitas Park" as well as to help educate the Hispanic youth about their culture, their family history and to teach them how to respect the area that their forefathers worked hard for.

One of the main focal points of this improvement fund will include "Las Casitas Park" which is the most utilized park by Hispanic youths today in Emporia.

Las Casitas Park is located right in the middle of what was known as "Little Mexico" by the Anglos. But if you were to ask an elderly Hispanic, they would say "In our day it was called La Colonia."

Las Casitas Park has been a very important part of the Hispanic community in Emporia, Kansas. The history behind the park began with the Santa Fe Railroad. With documentation dating back to 1907, Santa Fe brought in over 200 workers from Old Mexico to work the yards. In return, they lived in little brick houses called "Las Casitas" which were owned by the Santa Fe railroad.

During the depression, many workers were laid off from Santa Fe and were forced to look elsewhere for jobs. Many were transported back to Mexico courtesy of Santa Fe, while others decided to stay here with their families and stick it out.

Some of the migrant workers that stayed, relied on odd jobs and gardening to survive. Santa Fe allowed all the unemployed Mexicans to live in Las Casitas rent free, until they went back to work.

Since then, the families began to expand and little by little La Colonia started to grow and blossom into a strong and thriving Hispanic community. That is why Las Casitas Park is an important landmark for the Hispanic community today.

Over the years Las Casitas Park has served as the main location for Fiestas, concerts, car shows, quinceneras and basketball tournaments. Also, many people in the area use the facilities for things such as meetings, birthday parties, reunions and rehearsals for various dance groups rain or shine. Not to mention the everyday use of the playground equipment and the basketball court.

The city of Emporia along with members of the Mexican-American Culture Awareness Club, Los Mestizos and the Mexican-American Club have worked very hard in creating what is now known as Las Casitas Park. These four organizations have contributed in so many ways, that even though they are now inactive, additions such as the Bandshell/Restrooms done back in 1981, and in 1989 the building of the Shelter House and the installation of the new playground equipment are still being used today.

Our overall goal is to improve the area where the Hispanic community live, especially Las Casitas Park, and to provide better relations within our own Hispanic community and the Emporia community as well.

Here is a list of some of the new improvements to Las Casitas Park that we would like to address;

1. Putting together a history book about "La Colonia"

2. Make it handicapped accessible. Especially from the parking lot to the bathrooms.

3. Install a bigger and better park sign, currently there is a small wooden sign hanging on the fence.

4. Install a Memorial Wall to honor the Hispanic people who have contributed to the Emporia
community.

5. Install a memorial walkway with the names of the deceased engraved on bricks.

6. Build a Community Center - For meetings, celebrations, dinners and a gym area for boxing, wrestling,
karate and basketball.

7. Install new playground equipment approved by the ADA..

8. Enlarge the shelter house.

9. Improve and create more parking.

10. General upkeep and maintenance for the park.

Some of the park improvements that we have completed include; installing two permanent flag poles, replacing the cement slab under the shelter house, adding three new sidewalks around the shelter house, replaced sidewalk area in front of bandstand, repaired and repainted the bandstand, added baricades around the park and adding more and better sidewalks along South Ave. that lead to the park.

As you can see, the need for these improvements are very important in improving the area. We understand that this cannot happen overnight. With this in mind, we have listed a few ideas to help raise money for the fund and to help achieve some of these goals.

Different ways of raising money for the fund would be thru;

1. Annual Cinco De Mayo Celebrations as the main fund raiser for the Fund.

2. An annual Car Show featuring Lowriders, Antique, Vintage, Classic, Hot Rod, Euros, Customized, etc.

3. Three on Three basketball tournaments.

4. Softball tournaments

5. Private donations

6. Memorial Funds

7. Various fund raiser throughout the year such as taco sales, pop sales and bake sales.


These are just some of the ideas and long term goals that the Las Casitas Association has set forth to help improve Las Casitas Park and the surrounding area as well as uniting the Hispanic community in a positive way.

Recently, the Las Casitas Association had teamed up with Emporia State University and was represented in their Multi-Cultural Studies Program as advisory board members in H.A.C.E.(Hispanic/Latino Americans Commitment to Excellence) and H.A.L.O.(Hispanic American Leadership Organization). As well as on the advisory board for the Catholic Community Services, Emporia's Chamber of Commerce A.C.E.S. committee and the Empora Jaycees (Emporia's Junior Chamber of Commerce) and various city and community improvement advisory boards.

The Las Casitas Association understands the importance of higher education. That is why their input in these committees are important. Issues such as; instate tuition for undocumented Kansas high school graduates who have attended at least 3 years in a accredited high school, voter registration for students and the Hispanic community and the recruitment and retention of Hispanic students at Emporia State University have been addressed.

The Las Casitas Association along with ESU have been working together to provide a positive and supportive learning environment, while creating more opportunities for Hispanic students to excel and succeed. And in 2008, the Las Casitas Association established a new scholarship at Emporia State University.

Other activities or groups that the Las Casitas Association had sponsored in past years include; the Annual Kid's Fishing Derby which was held in Peter Pan Park. The event brought in kids from Emporia and the surrounding communities including Wichita, Ks. and Kansas City, Mo.

The Las Casitas Invitational, which was a fastpitch softball tournament held at Santa Fe Park Sports Complex, formally Lions Diamonds, in August.

Emporia High School's student organization, Latinos Unidos, received a donation to purchase a tombstone in memory of a fellow student, and donations to help in their efforts to raise funds for class trips. We also sponsored a trip for the Emporia Middle School Students Mariachi group to Kansas City, Mo. for a Mariachi Festival Workshop and Performance.

We've also gave donations to Emporia State University's HALO group, Emporia Girl Scouts Troop #52, various families with medical needs, the Emporia Jaycees and St. Catherine's Church.

These were just some of the accomplishments over the past years. Our activities will vary from year to year depending on the needs of the Hispanic community. The key to our success comes from the generous support and contributions from our fund raisers and the Cinco De Mayo celebration as well as all the sponsors that help out throughout the whole year.

The Emporia Community Foundation has established the "Las Casitas Fund". Any donations or memorial contributions will be tax deductible and can be made to the "Las Casitas Fund" in care of the Emporia Community Foundation at;

The Las Casitas Fund
c/o The Emporia Community Foundation
501 Commercial Street
P.O. Box 1337
Emporia, Ks. 66801

We believe that this association can be a powerful and positive force in the effort to improve the quality of life in the Hispanic community of Emporia, Ks. and the surrounding area.

With a lot of hard work and perseverance, the goals set by this association can become a reality.

We always welcome new ideas or comments, if you think you could contribute some new ideas for the group please let us know.

We appreciate your interest, if there are any questions please feel free to call the Las Casitas Association at (620) 344-5431 or (620) 342-2682 or by email at; jalapenoproductions@yahoo.com

Muchisimas gracias,
Victor Rodriguez Jr.
Las Casitas Association