C.H.A.T Addresses Needs of Hispanic Community

C.H.A.T. por Summit was created to address the need to have Hispanic parents and community members actively engage in the development of ways to communicate, integrate and educate the rest of the Hispanic community. The core team is representative of the diversity of the Hispanic community with members from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru, representing 4 of our elementary schools, the middle school, and the high school. Celine Benet,
a teacher and bilingual liaison in the Summit Public School District, has been the major force behind this effort.

As an active group, C.H.A.T. members have attended the Mayor's Diversity Forum, hosted an event on Sunday, June 12 to share summer program information with the Hispanic community, met with city officials such as the chief of police and several members of his
department, as well as Mr. Romankow, Head Prosecutor for Union County, in regards to city safety, bi-laws and norms, and the advantages of living in Summit in comparison to other
towns. Most recently on Wednesday, June 29, C.H.A.T. hosted an event where 48 members of the Hispanic community met with the Fire and Housing Departments to learn about fire safety and adequate and safe living environments for families. In addition the committee has created a Facebook "professional" page to provide a vehicle to inform families of events taking place in Summit, neighboring towns, and NYC. A "hotline" has also been created where event information is updated weekly. C.H.A.T. works closely with other city agencies and organizations to provide pertinent and meaningful information to community members. Shaping Summit Together, among others, has been very supportive of the initiatives and events that have already taken place. Mayor Glatt has also been a driving force behind all these efforts and has been committed to the unification of the community as a whole.

The next C.H.A.T. event will be to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Day on Wednesday, October 5, where all of the Summit community will be welcome.

Board Member, Gloria Ron-Fornes, has encouraged the C.H.A.T. core team to attend the BOE meetings. She has shared the scheduled meetings for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year. The committee has agreed to be an active participant.

C.H.A.T. (Community of Hispanics in AcTion) for Summit's Mission is
To promote the integration and unity of Hispanic families and  individuals who reside in Summit, in order to further develop a sense of belonging and commitment to the rest of the Summit community.

C.H.A.T (Comunidad Hispana en Acción Trabajando) por Summit
Promueve la integración y unificación de esfuerzos de la Comunidad Hispana que vive en Summit, a fin de desarrollar un sentido de pertenencia y compromiso con la Comunidad de Summit en general.