SpringfieldNewsSun.com

NEW CARLISLE — A $10,000 grant scheduled to be announced later this month will help a local organization provide translation and other services for the local Latino population.

Casa Amiga, an outreach organization in New Carlisle that provides several services for area Latinos, will be one of eight organizations to receive a grant from the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission. The grant will be announced officially on Aug. 13 at a ceremony in Dayton.

The grant will be used to support a bilingual information and referral center at Casa Amiga.

Marisol Pina, an informational referral coordinator at Casa Amiga, said staff at the center provide several services. Latino residents can ask for help translating a legal notice, ask questions about an organization or business or even get assistance finding medical care, Pina said. English classes will also eventually be offered for those who are interested.

"If we don't have the answers, we look for the answers for them," Pina said.

Locally, Central State University will also receive a $10,000 grant to educate Hispanic high school students on the importance of higher education. The East End Community Center in Dayton also received $9,448 to support a Latino Youth Initiative program that will encourage students to explore their culture.

In all, about $80,000 in grants were awarded to organizations across the state.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0355 or msanctis@coxohio.com.