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It also represents the dedication of staff, volunteers, board members, donors, advocates, businesses, and community partners who share a common belief: that our Latino community deserves not only access to resources, but opportunities to thrive, lead, celebrate our culture, and help shape the future of Minnesota.
Today, CLUES serves more than 30,000 individuals and families each year, but numbers tell only part of our story. For me, this anniversary is deeply personal.
My relationship with CLUES began long before I had the privilege of becoming its President and CEO. CLUES taught me the transformative power of serving people with dignity, cultural understanding, and trust. Returning to lead this organization during its 45th anniversary feels like a full-circle moment, one I carry with tremendous gratitude and a profound sense of responsibility for what comes next.
As I began this chapter, one of my most important priorities was to listen. Through listening sessions and conversations with community members, staff, partners, and leaders, we have asked: What does our community need from CLUES today? What challenges are families facing? Where are the opportunities? And what should the next chapter of CLUES look like?
What we have heard reinforces something CLUES has understood throughout its history: our community knows what it needs, and our responsibility is to listen, respond, and act.
That responsibility has been especially important this year. Latino and immigrant families have faced uncertainty and fear while demonstrating extraordinary resilience. CLUES has responded with emergency assistance and essential resources while continuing the long-term work that helps families build stability and opportunity, from behavioral health and youth services to economic advancement and culturally responsive family support.
Our impact has never been defined by one program or one moment. It is built through relationships, trust, and our commitment to be present as our community’s needs evolve.
But our 45th anniversary is also about celebrating who we are, honoring our history, and creating spaces where our culture can thrive.
This Latine Heritage Month, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Fiesta Latina, bringing thousands of community members together at CHS Field for a day of culture, family, resources, music, food, arts, and connection.
We are also proud to open a new art exhibition celebrating Latine voices and experiences, creating space for our community to tell its stories and explore identity and belonging. And later this year, Gala Latina will bring us together to commemorate CLUES’ 45th anniversary, honoring those who helped build this organization while imagining what we can accomplish together in the years ahead.
These celebrations remind us that culture is not separate from our work. Culture is one of our greatest sources of strength. It connects generations, creates belonging, preserves our stories, and reminds our young people that their identities, traditions, and dreams are worthy of celebration.
As I reflect on 45 years of CLUES, I feel tremendous gratitude for those who came before us, those who dreamed, opened doors, advocated for our families, and believed in the potential of our community.
We stand on the foundation they built. Now, it is our responsibility to build an even stronger foundation for those who will follow.
Our next chapter must be built with our community, not simply for our community. We will continue listening, responding, and creating opportunities so future generations can dream bigger, lead boldly, and thrive.
Forty-five years is more than an anniversary. It is a reminder of where we came from and an invitation to imagine where we can go together.
Thank you for walking alongside CLUES as we begin our next chapter.
CLUES is our people. CLUES is community. CLUES is belonging. And CLUES is hope.
Con gratitud y esperanza,
Liliana Letrán-García
CLUES President and CEO
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