More than 100 families celebrated the holidays with festive sweets, music and gifts during a holiday event hosted by Hispanic Little Angels.
The December event was hosted in collaboration with the Family Care Enhancement Project at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, the Nebraska Lifespan Respite Network and United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska. Hispanic Little Angels is a support group for Spanish-speaking families of children with disabilities.
This year’s holiday celebration was the first time the event, which started in 2017, has been held in person since the COVID-19 pandemic.
MMI’s Kim Falk said, “MMI’s Family Care Enhancement Project has coordinated the Hispanic Little Angels holiday event with wonderful community partners for the last eight years. It is amazing to see how this event has grown, the additional families we have been able to include each year, and the added partnership and support from other community organizations.”
At the event, held at Our Lady of Gaudalupe Hall, families enjoyed tres leches cakes and steaming mugs of hot chocolate and champurrado. Families danced to music provided by the Heartland Workers Center (Centro Laboral), and traditional dancers from Raíces de México drew smiles and cheers from the audience.
MMI and UCP staff, UNMC medical students and participants from Monarkia Modeling donated their time, wrapping presents from Toys for Tots for every child as well as assisting with activity stations. Santa Claus was there to chat in Spanish with families about their holiday wishes, as well.
Georgia Ryba, respite care associate, said events such as Hispanic Little Angels show that “language and culture will never be a barrier when it comes to care and support from the Munroe-Meyer Institute and the Nebraska Lifespan Respite Network.”