Five Questions With: Mario Bueno

AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PROGRESO LATINO, Mario Bueno has overseen growth in the nonprofit's services, designed to help the Latino community gain access to health care, work and housing as well as integrate into the mainstream. / COURTESY MARIO BUENO
AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PROGRESO LATINO, Mario Bueno has overseen growth in the nonprofit's services, designed to help the Latino community gain access to health care, work and housing as well as integrate into the mainstream. / COURTESY MARIO BUENO

Mario Bueno is executive director of Progreso Latino, a nonprofit that serves as a resource for Latinos and immigrants in Rhode Island. The nonprofit works to support individual and community goals in citizenship, health care, work, housing and other aspects of community life as it empowers its constituency. On Friday, Sept. 18, Progreso Latino celebrates its 38th annual gala at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston. Here, Bueno discusses that event and how the nonprofit fulfills its mission.

PBN: Your 38th annual gala is entitled, “Invigorating a Diverse Workforce through Adult Education.” How does the nonprofit use diversity to advantage in its everyday operations?
BUENO:
Progreso Latino has developed an international team representing different nationalities. Our agency is Latino-led and most employees speak Spanish in addition to English and other languages. This enables us to better serve our diverse community. Our goal is to help individuals in our community to achieve their professional and life goals, and this means also working with employers, government agencies, and other stakeholders so that they can keep in mind the needs and assets that the diverse community has to offer.

PBN: How many different nationalities does the Latino label cover, and which immigrant communities in Rhode Island make the most use of your services?
BUENO:
Over 40 nationalities are represented in Latin America, and this does not include a variety of immigrants that we serve from other countries such as Africa and Cape Verde. Latinos tend to make the most use of our services because they comprise the largest percentage of people that we serve. However, we serve everyone in the community.

PBN: Your organization addresses both adult and early education. How many people do you serve in each category and which is most in demand?
BUENO:
We serve over 80 children in our bilingual pre-school and our before- and after-school program, and we serve between 400 and 500 adults each year in our adult education programs. Both are in great demand, and we are preparing to expand services beyond our current locations.
We are in the planning phases of locating and opening a satellite pre-school because of the need. We do not have a location yet. And for adult education services, we’re providing Spanish language GED services in Providence. We started with one class and now we’re offering two. Over time, that will increase.

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PBN: With the national controversy over immigration in the news, how has your citizenship program helped immigrants attain citizenship status here and how popular are these services?
BUENO:
Citizenship preparation programs are in great demand at Progreso Latino and at partner agencies. The path to citizenship is not easy. It requires developing foundational English communication and reading and writing skills and a strong grasp of U.S. history and civics among other things. Our process involves assessing adults for their English language competencies and literacy skills. If they are not at an intermediate English level, we encourage them to enter English as a Second Language classes first. Witnessing the strong dedication and pride of students when they have achieved their citizenship is worth more than anything in the world.

PBN: Your mission tackles a wide array of needs, including services for addressing violence and hunger. Tell us how you are combating these issues.
BUENO:
Most of the issues encountered in urban communities such as Central Falls and Providence are directly related to poverty. The most relevant equalizer for people living in poverty is the power of education. Poverty expresses itself in many ways, including domestic violence, homelessness, and addiction to substances, poor health and poor educational success. This requires us to become familiar with these pressing issues and to work in collaboration with other institutions and stakeholders in order make an impact.
For example, we connect with neighboring food pantries in order to have a unified strategy to help people in hunger for Thanksgiving. Our domestic violence prevention specialist works hand in hand with other agencies and enforcement to help victims overcome abuse. Our wellness program also partners with various organizations and hospitals to ensure that underinsured and non-insured individuals can access education and treatment.
We can make a greater impact by working together. For us, it starts by giving people the tools they need to further grasp the issues they face and helping them to make the right connections on their pathway to achieving their life goals.

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