DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) – A new initiative is aiming to foster positive relationships between the city of Danville and the Hispanic community, with a focus on supporting Hispanic-owned businesses.
Project Hispanic Horizons is run by three college interns with Danville’s Office of Economic Development & Tourism.
Tyrese Perkins, a Martinsville native and VCU student, says the goal is to improve inclusivity, as many minority-run businesses aren’t aware of the opportunities available to them.
“We can’t control everything that’s going on in the world in today’s times,” said Tyrese Perkins, Danville Economic Development & Tourism intern. “Those are barriers that have been put up and sadly won’t be shut down any time soon. At our office, our initiative is to just start it up. We have to be the ones to actually put the pin down and say we have to go out there and actually talk to these businesses.”
So far, they’ve reached out to about 30 local Hispanic and minority-owned businesses across the city. They then work with them to identify their challenges and find solutions.
They also connect them to local resources like healthcare, education, employment, and more.
“If we’re not engaging more with these newer startups, especially in our area, we cannot grow as a business on our end and we cannot help them expand on their end, as well. So, it’s all about dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s so they can also benefit in the long run,” added Perkins.
Perkins says they have noticed some are hesitant to accept help due to a lack of trust.
But they plan to stay consistent and actively engage with the community through events and meetings to improve those relationships.
“You can build up trust real fast, but if you don’t keep it consistent, you will crash down. So, we want to make sure the people are heard and make it more inclusive to where they feel welcomed to our city of Danville,” explained Perkins.
Perkins says they want to see the program continue to evolve over time. To keep up with Project Hispanic Horizons, visit the Office of Economic Development & Tourism Facebook page.
View the original article here (WDBJ7, Makayla Shelton)
