From sister site The B-Town Blog comes word that El Tianguis, the first Latino-themed street market in the region, is set to open this Sunday, May 30th, in the Town Square Park of downtown Burien (which is less than four miles south of White Center).

The weekly market will feature goods and services that are traditionally found in open-air markets in Latino countries, including food and drink, fresh fruits and vegetables, clothing, arts and crafts, and much more.

The market is open not only to Latinos, but to anyone who appreciates Latino culture, products and amenities.

Not to be confused with a swap meet or a flea market, El Tianguis Latino Market will offer up a fun, family atmosphere that is a fusion between a Farmer’s Market and a street fair. Vendors are encouraged to offer their products at competitive prices so that clients feel welcome to do their regular shopping at the market as well as to indulge in exotic, specialty items.

According to their website, shoppers can expect:

Products will include Latino food and beverages, arts and crafts, home and garden, clothing, electronics, and many other items that are traditionally available in markets in Latino countries.

This weekly market is being put on by El Mercado, PC, a not-for-profit group that is:

…dedicated to the cultural and economic development of the Latino community, and has chosen Burien to launch the market because of the city’s earnest desire to integrate its growing Latino population with the general public. By reaching out to Latinos and offering them a stake in the community, the city of Burien has proven to be a shining example of how to tear down the walls that divide us rather than build them up, of how to embrace our differences rather than to reject them.

The market will be held on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Burien Town Square Park on 5th Place SW between SW 150th & 152nd Streets – at the same location where the current Discover Burien Farmers Market is held.

For more information, or to apply to be a vendor, contact El Mercado, PC, at info@elmercado.org or at 206-334-2285. You can also get more details at their website here: http://elmercado.org/

Here’s a map to the market:

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A group of local middle and high school students from Camp Fire USA have received a $1,000 grant from UnitedHealth HEROES for a new service-learning project focusing on Latino obesity called “Estamos Bien de Salud.”

The grant will give this 15+ member youth group the opportunity to learn about important local Latino health issues by meeting with nutrition experts, physical education instructors and public health officials. From there, the youth will be tasked with creating effective programs as well as developing bilingual educational materials to address important health issues that directly affect their communities, including White Center.

The students will kick-off their campaign at this Saturday’s Grand Opening of the Educare Center in White Center (625 SW 100th St. Seattle, WA 98146), and their project will be implemented during spring semester.

Here’s a press release:

SEATTLE ORGANIZATION RECEIVES GRANT TO HELP PREVENT CHILDHOOD OBESITY

UnitedHealth HEROES grants supports innovative Washington program to help children get and stay healthy

Washington grant part of national effort to help fund schools and community organizations

HEROES program is a community-based, service-learning initiative in collaboration with Youth Service America

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has awarded a $1,000 grant to a Seattle nonprofit seeking to develop a creative program aimed at preventing childhood obesity in the state. Camp Fire USA, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit youth development organizations, received a $1,000 grant for its “Estamos Bien de Salud” program in the Seattle area.

The program will work with more than a dozen Seattle-area Latino middle and high school to create an interactive program that raises awareness about obesity and eating disorders among Spanish-speaking family members and classmates. The participating students will first assess the health of the local Latino community, meeting with nutrition experts, physical education instructors and public health officials. The students will then create an interactive presentation and perform it for their families and their peers in Seattle and South King County on April 23, which is Global Youth Service Day.

The HEROES program is especially important in Washington, where approximately 30 percent of Washington children ages 10‐17 years are considered overweight or obese, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“With UnitedHealthcare HEROES, young people in Washington have the wonderful opportunity to not only improve their overall health and quality of life, but the health of their peers as well,” said David Hansen, CEO for UnitedHealthcare’s Northwest Region. “This program gives youth in our community the opportunity to learn about important health issues and create effective, engaging programs that address these issues.”

The HEROES service-learning projects are implemented during the spring semester and will culminate on YSA’s 21st Annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), April 23-25, 2010. GYSD provides an opportunity for students to include their projects in a larger, global youth service movement that seeks to improve communities in all 50 states and more than 100 countries.

UnitedHealth Group collaborated with Youth Service America (YSA) to develop the UnitedHealth HEROES program. To date, UnitedHealth Group and YSA have awarded more than $250,000 in grants. A list of all the 2009-2010 grant winners will be available online at www.ysa.org.

Obesity is a critical problem in America. According to the 2009 America’s Health Rankings™, if left unchecked or untreated, obesity will affect 43 percent of adults by 2018 and will add nearly $344 billion in that year alone to the nation’s annual direct health care costs, accounting for more than 21 percent of health care spending. America’s Health Rankings is an annual comprehensive assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by-state analysis. It is published jointly by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention.

More information about the UnitedHealth HEROES program and service-learning is available at www.ysa.org.

About Youth Service America
Youth Service America seeks to improve communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in important roles. Founded in 1986, YSA is an international nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries to expand the impact of the youth service movement with families, communities, schools, corporations and governments. For more information: www.ysa.org.

About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, OptumHealth, Ingenix, and Prescription Solutions. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 70 million individuals nationwide.

King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, along with other public safety officials, will be giving a special presentation on Tuesday, March 9th from 6pm – 8pm at the South Park Community Center, just down the hill from White Center.

The purpose of this meeting is to address area safety issues, especially gang activity.

Sheriff Rahr will be joined by Jaime Mendez from Univision Seattle TV and La Voz de Washington radio, along with other local gang prevention specialists to talk to Latino families in the community about keeping their kids out of gangs. King County Deputy and Burien Police Officer Joe Gagliardi, a regional expert on gangs and gang activity, will give a visual presentation that will be simultaneously translated for the audience by Mendez.

Mendez, a local Latino radio and television news personality, is also the voice and face of a series of Spanish language radio and television commercials that the Sheriff’s Office has been running which identify the signs of gang involvement that families need to look for.

“We have to make an effort to talk to every community – and language and culture cannot be our excuse not to reach out and do something,” notes Sheriff Rahr.

The Sheriff’s Office E-911 Communications Center can answer many foreign language calls and refer callers to available translators who can help. The Latino community effort is made possible by federal gang prevention funding generated by Washington State congressional delegation members, including Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Jim McDermott. The Sheriff intends to expand this project to other communities where English is a second language for adults in the family home.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Sheriff Sue Rahr and other public safety officials will discuss gang activity in South Park.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 9th from 6pm – 8pm.

WHERE: South Park Community Center, located at 8319 8th Ave South.

INFO: From a press release:

Keep Your Family and Community Safe!

The King County Sheriff’s Office invites residents of South Park to an important event at the South Park Community Center. Gang activity is increasing and dangerous to your family, and especially to your children. Come to this special event to learn how to keep your kids from becoming involved in gangs. Meet police officers who are here to help your family in the community. Experts will be presenting information and knowledge about how gangs operate and what you can do to keep them away from your neighborhood.

Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: South Park Community Center

King County Sheriff Sue Rahr and other public safety officials ask that you attend this special presentation to learn from experts on gangs and listen to answers to these questions:

• How serious is the gang problem in South Park?
• What can parents do to keep children away from the influence and pressure of gang involvement?
• What are the signs that tell you when gangs are active in your community?
• What can the residents of South Park do to help the Sheriff’s deputies to keep gangs out of their neighborhood?

The King County Sheriff understands your concerns about persons being asked to show documentation of their immigration status. This gang awareness and prevention event is only about keeping your family and community safe. No questions about personal identification will be asked of those who attend this special presentation. Your participation is essential to making this occasion successful, so these amenities will be provided at no cost:

• Food and beverages
• Games and care for small children.
• Fun activities for teenagers.

King County Councilmember Julia Patterson donated a “retired” eight-passenger van to Sea Mar Community Health Centers Wednesday (Jan. 20th), in an effort to help South King County’s growing Latino community.

There are 50 non-profit, community Sea Mar locations in King County, with two in White Center, including a medical clinic at 9650 15th Ave. SW and a dental clinic at 9650 15th Ave SW. There are also clinics in Burien, and a recover clinic in Des Moines.

Patterson was greeted by a crowd of grateful volunteers and staff who were eager to take a look inside the shiny, blue, van and welcome her to Sea Mar (see pic below).

“I am very touched by the work of Sea Mar Community Health Centers and their commitment to providing quality, comprehensive care to individuals and families across King County,” said Councilmember Patterson. “Their Des Moines location serves an incredibly diverse, low-income population, which will benefit greatly from having this new mode of transportation to and from much-needed medical and dental appointments.”

Sea Mar Community Health Centers was established in 1978 with a single medical clinic serving Seattle’s South Park neighborhood. Today, Sea Mar, a private, non-profit community health center, operates nearly 50 medical, dental and behavioral health clinics and centers in 10 western Washington counties. Sea Mar is committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive health and human services to diverse communities, including low income, underserved and uninsured populations. Sea Mar specializes in services to Latinos and is an innovative leader in the delivery of bilingual and culturally appropriate healthcare and social services. For more information, visit Sea Mar’s website here.

”We are pleased that the County has selected our inpatient, long-term treatment program as a beneficiary of its van distribution program,” said Rogelio Riojas, Sea Mar’s Chief Executive Officer. “We intend to make the van available to any resident or person who comes to the treatment center for care and services. It will be a great resource for our program.”

Since 1995, the King County Council has donated vans to nonprofit groups to help meet the transportation needs of low-income, elderly, youth, or people with disabilities in King County. The vans are part of a fleet of county vehicles that have been ‘retired’ after accruing a certain number of miles. This is the eighth year that each member of the council has been able to donate vans.

The vans were donated through an annual application process.

For more information about applying for a van, contact Councilmember Patterson’s Office at (206) 296-1005.

The Dub-C is known for its latino culture, and this Thursday night you can experience some of the same about three miles to the south at Burien’s Cafe Mundi (located at 447 SW 152nd) as they host their free Open Mic night, with lots of poetry, music and comedy.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Open Mic Night at Cafe Mundi

WHEN: Thurs., April 23rd (every 2nd and 4th Thursday), with sign-ups starting at 6pm and open mic at 6:30pm

WHERE: 447 SW 152nd, just over 3 miles south in downtown Burien (map below)

COST: No cover charge!

INFO: 16 and over please, under 16 with Guardian.

Café Mundi opened in January and serves espresso drinks, tropical shakes, Latin American fast food such as empanadas, arepas and Spanish tortillas.

We also have desserts.

Everything is made locally, using organic ingredients whenever possible.

Café Mundi also offers Internet access and will soon offer free Wi-Fi. Currently we have computers that people can use (1/2 hour free with purchase of a coffee drink) or they can bring in laptops and be connected via ethernet.

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The House of Writers/Casa de Escritores is sponsoring a special literary and cultural event this Friday, Dec 5, from 6-9pm at the White Center Taqueria del Rio, located at 10230 16th Ave SW (map below).

There you’ll enjoy a variety of readings, music and food.

This is a FREE event for the community, so please spread the word!

For more on House of Writers/Casa de Escritores, visit their blog:

http://houseofwriters.blogspot.com/

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Far as we know, no other local neighborhood blog in the Seattle area is utilizing this feature, which is now active and available on our right sidebar, directly underneath the “Local Weather” section – we at the White Center Blog proudly announce:

AUTOMATIC LANGUAGE TRANSLATION!

To see it in action, just click on either the Korean, Chinese or Spanish flag under the “Translator” heading on the right sidebar; the page should automatically translate to whichever language you chose.

Give it a try:

• In Korean
• In Chinese
• In Spanish

We hope to add additional languages soon, but for now these three languages should help us appeal to approximately 33% more of our potential White Center audience.

We know these stats have changed in eight years, but from our personal experience in the ‘hood, we’ve decided to go with Korean, Chinese and Spanish for now, with hopes of expanding to other languages soon.

So…spread the word and let’s keep the diversity of the Dub-C flowing on the internet!

Please email us if you have any problems or suggestions – we’re always trying to improve the White Center Blog, as well as helping to serve this wonderfully diverse community.