Northeast News
May 5, 2011

Mattie Rhodes Center is switching things up this year and will host its annual Día de la Familia (“Day of the Family”) celebration in Kansas City, Kan., Saturday, May 7. For the past three years, Mattie Rhodes has hosted its Day of the Family event at its facility in Historic Northeast. The celebration for Historic Northeast will be held June 2.

Día de la Familia is a free outdoor event that encourages parents and children to spend time together as a family. Throughout the day, games, kid friendly activities, arts and crafts will be available. There will also be a cake walk, face painting, a community art project, a moonwalk and inflatable obstacle course. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in zumba lessons.

As well as being a fun, recreational event for parents and children, Día de la Familia is an opportunity to provide educational information and highlight community services.  Free health screenings will be provided by Truman Medical Center and Donnelly College and Brotherhood Bank plan to provide educational materials. Mattie Rhodes Center will offer mental health screenings and provide information about its mental health services in Kansas. While the organization primarily serves Latinos and information will be available in Spanish, all community members are invited to attend.

Día de la Familia will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. May 7 at Emerson Park, 2800 Strong Ave., Kansas City, Kan. This year, Mattie Rhodes Center has partnered with Emerson Elementary and Argentine Library to provide this event.

“This event will really give us an opportunity to develop a relationship with the Argentine neighborhood,” said John Fierro, president and chief executive officer of Mattie Rhodes.  “Mattie Rhodes Center has always been responsive to community needs and we look forward to community members coming to this event. Our goal is to educate people about the benefits of mental health care and demonstrate the link between good mental health and family stability.”