As we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, the American Red Cross South Florida Region is proud to celebrate the strength, resilience and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities across our region—and the partnerships helping make our communities stronger every day.

One example of that impact can be found on Florida’s Gulf Coast, where the Red Cross has partnered with the Women’s Resource Center to bring preparedness education and lifesaving skills directly to local Latina women.

For more than 30 years, the Women’s Resource Center has been a trusted source of support, empowerment and opportunity for women across the community. Its Latinas Group has grown to three locations in Sarasota, Manatee and Venice, providing spaces where women can connect, learn and support one another.

Through the Latino Micro-Investment Grant, Red Cross Community Adaptation Program team member Emilie Campos visited all three groups to provide Be Red Cross Ready training. Nearly 100 women received preparedness education, tools and practical guidance to help protect themselves, their families and their communities before disaster strikes.

For many participants, the training was personal. Women shared experiences of facing disasters without knowing how to prepare or how to help their loved ones. The training helped turn some of that uncertainty into confidence by giving participants practical steps they could take before an emergency.

The impact extended beyond disaster preparedness. Through the grant, the Women’s Resource Center Latinas Group also received a bilingual Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and 13 participants completed CPR certification training—putting lifesaving skills directly into the hands of community members.

The women are now equipped not only to better prepare their own households, but also to share what they learned with their children, families, friends and neighbors—creating a ripple effect of preparedness throughout the community.

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, this partnership is a reminder of what is possible when we work alongside trusted community organizations and provide resources that are culturally and linguistically relevant. By meeting people where they are, we can help make preparedness more accessible, strengthen community connections and empower individuals to become part of the solution.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the people and partnerships helping build stronger, more prepared and more resilient communities across South Florida.