Youth Alliance put on its first ever Festival de la Familia at Dunne Park in Hollister on Sunday, May 20 with all proceeds raised going to the youth-focused group.
With about 500 people in attendance throughout the day, participants were able to watch performances from local dance groups, listen to live music, and purchase food from one of multiple booths. Participants at Sunday’s event were also able to engage in family activities such as carnival games and face paintings.
“We wanted to do something for families and the youth we served,” said Eddy Navarro, development and community engagement specialist for the Youth Alliance. “[The festival is] a celebration of our community and the beauty of la familia. It’s a beautiful thing to mix art, culture, and food.”
Part of the art found at Sunday’s event included Aztec dancers from Calaveras Elementary School, cheerleaders from R.O. Hardin Elementary School, and a dance troop called Charisma Mexicano from Marguerite Maze Middle School. Llocal businesses sold food and beverages with the commitment of donating part of the proceeds back to the Youth Alliance.
“My mom wanted to give back to her community to help out the youth and kids,” Dana Benancio said. Benancio and her family own and run Lily’s Fresh Fruit. “It was all very nice and very beautiful,”
Lilian Zequeira, Benancio’s mother, said, “It was good to see all the kids out and socializing.”
Zequeira was not the only one who enjoyed being part of a family oriented event. Marco Trejo, who has been part of the Youth Alliance for five years, volunteered in the game area on Sunday.
“My favorite part has been overseeing the games and seeing kids having fun,” Trejo said. “Events like this are important for the community because it’s a way for people to get out of the house, to walk around, engage in the community, get fresh air, and enjoy the day’s festivities.”
Another volunteer at Sunday’s event was Arely Navarro, Eddy’s sister. Arely has been involved in the Youth Alliance off and on for two years and volunteered May 20 to support her brother and the community.
“Events like this bring the community together,” Arely said. “Seeing the community get together having fun and enjoying Sunday [was part of the fun of the event].”
Youth Alliance was not the only organization represented at Sunday’s event. San Benito County’s YMCA was also in attendance to promote the services they provide for the county. Stephanie Villalobos, a program leader for the YMCA, said that events such as Festival de la Familia are important to let the community know what services are there to help them.
Isabel Guevara, also a program leader for the YMCA explained, “The Youth Alliance and YMCA are there to promote healthy living.”
Guevara also stated that she enjoyed seeing the positive effect the event had on the community.
“Because we are a small community it’s important to have events like this,” Benancio said. “Hollister is very diverse and it would be nice for us to all get along and come together.”
As Navarro said, “It promotes togetherness in the time we are in now.”
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