COPAL
Latino Center for Community Engagement Coming Soon
Photography by Bruce Silcox
Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Accion Latina (COPAL) is building a new Latino Center for Community Engagement (LCCE) at 2905 E Lake St. at the former O'Reilly Auto Parts location.
COPAL was established in 2018 to improve the quality of life for Latines in Minnesota. Their main office is located just a few blocks away from the future Latino Center for Community Engagement, at 3702 E Lake St.
In May of 2021, on International Workers’ Day, COPAL also opened their Primero De Mayo Workers’ Center at 3521 E Lake St to organize with immigrant workers and build generational wealth among Latine families. COPAL’s workers’ center seeks to elevate the voice and leadership in the Latine community.
The 24,000-square-foot building they seek to construct as the LCCE will include community space for events and meetings, an art gallery, resource center, café, greenhouse, and COPAL administrative offices. It’ll also make available leasable space, giving preference to organizations or businesses that support Latine communities.
The community center will be a wonderful addition to Lake Street. It will revive a currently vacant space, bringing more beauty and energy to the area, while boosting nearby businesses. It also means the property will be locally owned and help support our local economy.
“Lake Street Council has been essential to COPAL's ability to move closer to making the Latino Center for Community Engagement a reality. We are so happy to be in community with them."
Moriah O’Malley, Development Director for COPAL
COPAL recently launched a capital campaign to raise funding for this exciting new space. The Lake Street Council is proud to be an early supporter of the project through a $50,000 pre-development grant and a $100,000 acquisition loan. Moriah O’Malley, Development Director for COPAL states, “Lake Street Council has been an amazing partner since the very start of this project. With an initial investment through the ‘We Love Lake Street’ fund that supported COPAL to purchase the property, and sustained support to bring this project to the attention of other funders.”
Learn more about this exciting project and capital campaign at latinocentermn.com
ABOUT COPAL
Communidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL) is a member-based organization established in 2018 to improve the quality of life of Latine families.
They do this by building collective power, transforming systems, and creating opportunities for a dignified life.
Over the past six years, COPAL has evolved to become a well-known, grass-roots power-building, and visionary transnational organization.