MADISON — Over 10 years ago, the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC), a social service agency serving Madison’s south side since 1946, was closed down by its parent organization due to tough economic times.
Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish stepped up to the plate to take on stewardship of the center, reopening its doors two months later.
The CMC is celebrating 10 years of growth and expanding services to people in need by hosting its eighth annual Radiothon fundraiser and community celebration with La Movida Spanish Radio, an event which will take place at the CMC on Friday, Dec. 13, from 12 noon to 7 p.m.“It’s good to celebrate success. We have come from having no resources [when the center was shut down] to 10 years later, celebrating how our programs have grown so much and all the accomplishments we have done. The community really got involved, which is what has kept us alive,” said CMC Services Coordinator Antonio Quintanilla.
Parish steps in
When Msgr. Ken Fiedler, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, found out about the CMC closing, right away he knew he and his parish had to do something about it. So they requested to take on the CMC as a ministry of the parish.
“I wanted to not only help facilitate the reopening but to run it,” said Monsignor Fiedler. “CMC started as a grassroots effort, and I wanted to keep it grassroots, where all [parts of the community] had some responsibility in running it.”
This grassroots effort paid off. In the 10 years since closing and reopening, the CMC grew its staff from four to 16 permanent positions, tripled the amount of programming offered to people in need, and greatly expanded its budget to better meet the needs of the community.
Radiothon involves the community
“Queen of Peace has been the main reason we are still here, but they couldn’t do it alone. It takes the whole community,” said Quintanilla. “The Radiothon is special because it started as an idea from the Latino perspective, trying to involve the Latino community [in supporting the center].”
Each year, La Movida (1480 AM/94.5 FM) broadcasts live from the CMC and encourages listeners to get involved with the mission of the CMC by offering their financial support.
“Radiothon is a celebration of the community, where we recognize what we do and we gather as a family: the volunteers, the staff, the guests . . . everybody is welcome,” explained CMC volunteer Jeliel Peña de First.
A festive array of activities at the CMC will coincide with the radio broadcast: entertainment by singer/songwriters Angela Puerta and Clare Norelle; a performance by dance group Ballet Folklórico Carlos y Sonia Avila; delicious Latin American food donated by volunteers and local restaurants such as Pan y Pan, Habaneros, and A La Brasa; face painting by MetamorFaces; prizes; and a Guadalupe Mass at 12 noon.
A donation jar will collect contributions for all who wish to give towards the center’s services, such as English as a second language classes, daily free meal, low-cost immigration legal services, food pantry, and much more. CMC staff emphasize that everyone is welcome at this event regardless of their ability to donate.
“The people should come and celebrate . . . even if they are not able to donate at this time; they can donate at another time when they can afford it,” said Quintanilla, adding, “We want the people to continue to be part of this organization, because really, this organization belongs to the people.”
Expanded beyond Latinos
The Radiothon’s roots go back to a group of Latino leaders who got together to see how they could generate support for the center to ensure that its doors would never close to the community again.
Now, the Radiothon idea has expanded beyond the Latino community as a day for people from many different facets of the community to learn more about CMC’s programs and offer their support.
For more information about this event and how to contribute, visit https://cmcmadison.org/Radiothon-2019/ or call the CMC at 608-661-3512.