ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
This Sunday, businesses in the party and celebration industry will have the perfect opportunity to showcase their services, attract new customers and network with others.
Seward County Community College’s Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO) invites everyone to the Celebrate & Connect Fest happening from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Seward County Activity Center.
HALO Sponsor Kathleen Alonso said the event is an expo put on by the SCCC group.
“The purpose of it is to give businesses and groups an opportunity to expand their services and reach and connect with other clients in the community and to showcase all the businesses and services we offer locally, in the area or surrounding areas,” she said.
HALO Treasurer Yolette Soto said the group is also looking to bring the community together and fundraise for the future of the organization. She and Alonso both said Celebrate & Connect Fest, like most events, started with an idea and took off from there.
“The group was brainstorming what kind of projects they wanted to do for the semester for their remaining time in HALO,” Alonso said. “We have a lot of students for whom this will be the last year with HALO. Yolette will be returning for next year. It is a way to invest into the club, fundraise and also make it a fun event for the community as well.”
Alonso said each year, HALO raises funds throughout the year, and throughout the semester, funds are used for college trips, college fitness, leadership conferences and other projects.
“It is a way to continue to invest into the leaders,” she said. “The HALO organization is an organization that focuses on developing the young leaders of our community and making sure they have the tools and foundation to then be successful in their careers and their life.”
HALO President Nubia Rodriguez said the group has not undertaken this big of a project, nor has any organization at SCCC, on their own.
“We ourselves as HALO are going to be organizing it and leaving a legacy behind,” she said. “I’m very excited. It’s going to set HALO up for a while.”
Soto and Rodriguez both hope the Celebrate & Connect Fest will become a yearly tradition for HALO.
“This can be a yearly event that the vendors can contribute to and the community comes to every year,” Rodriguez said.
For those who come to Sunday’s event, Soto and Rodriguez too hope they will notice the vendors in both Liberal and the surrounding area.
“For the businesses, they are allowed to sell their items and merchandise,” Rodriguez said. “They get a profit from it if they go. That helps their business, and even connecting with any business gives us great connections for HALO and further opportunities to connect with others.”
Soto said HALO also benefits from the Celebrate & Connect Fest.
“HALO gets a lot of it too because it is a fundraising effort for the club to spread the word for being Hispanic, cultural pride,” she said.
With much going into planning a party such as entertainment and security, Alonso said vendors play a large part in that planning.
“Specifically within the Hispanic culture, I don’t think we have a place or an avenue in this area where it’s a one-stop shop,” she said.
Alonso said the Celebrate & Connect Fest will help party planners find a place to start and people to contact when putting a celebration together.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to have that one-stop shop for folks who are hoping to start planning any festivities in the future,” she said.
With parties being a large part of the Hispanic culture and with Sunday’s event falling just before Monday’s Cinco de Mayo holiday, it makes a great connection to the culture.
“There’s not any big fiestas or festivities that weekend, so it’ll be a great way to incorporate a lot of that too and make it like a celebration,” Alonso said. “Even if you’re not planning a party in the next year, it’s a great opportunity to connect with vendors and have a good time. Bring your family out to celebrate.”
Rodriguez said having college students run the event is more inspiring, and she and Soto want to leave a good memory and legacy for future HALO students.
“This is my first semester being president, so it’s really nice to leave behind a big project for others to also have the opportunity to do that,” Rodriguez said. “It’s also gives me experience for what I want to do with leadership and community. It sets myself up with experience of connecting with others.”
Alonso agreed with her students, saying the Celebrate & Connect Fest is a big project.
“Those skills they learn are going to really equip them with being able to be productive and effective leaders in the community,” she said.
“It’s been really fun but also a big responsibility,” Soto said.
“It’s important for people our age to know this is a club,” Rodriguez said. “It’s fun, but it’s good to have some responsibility and contributing to these events.”
Soto said planning Sunday’s event has been a learning experience, and with her returning for next year at SCCC, Alonso said Soto will be able to plan next year’s Celebrate & Connect Fest a little easier.
“It’ll be her first year with this event, but she’ll get to see hopefully what that looks like next year again,” Alonso said.
Alonso likewise said the event fits in well with Liberal’s entrepreneural spirit with many people starting and running new businesses.
“It’s a really big opportunity for them to showcase those businesses that are a little newer in the community to let people know they exist,” she said. “The biggest thing is having a celebration, having a one-stop shop where they connect with vendors or suppliers in the area.”
For those needing more information about the Celebrate & Connect Fest, there are several places to find it.
“We do have an event page on Facebook called Celebrate & Connect Fest: An Expo Hosted by SCCC HALO,” Soto said. “Everything there is about the event. You can find more information. We do make flyers for each individual vendor.”
“On the Web site, there is a registration link,” Alonso said. “If people, businesses or organizations want to register, they can use that direct link as well.”
Soto and Rodriguez are both excited for Sunday at the Activity Center.
“It’s a pleasure to be in this group,” Soto said. “Not all folks do this kind of stuff. We travel to different colleges. We open doors for each student. It’s really nice.”
“Ever since I joined HALO, I have learned so much,” Rodriguez said. “I am not the person I am today without HALO. I’m more present in conversations. I am more of a leader. I get told when I enter a room, they know I’m in the leadership role, which is amazing. I have a presence now because of HALO and all of this experience. I’m so excited. I feel like it’s that reward from everything I’ve done for the club and everything we’ve done as a team. It’s acknowledging what we’ve been doing.”
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