[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 9 (Thursday, January 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E34]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING JOSE ALVARADO AS IOWAN OF THE WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CYNTHIA AXNE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 13, 2022

  Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Jose Alvarado as Iowan of 
the Week. Jose has lived in Iowa for over two decades and over this 
time he has shown a clear commitment to improving the Latino community 
and Iowa as a whole. With a clear understanding of the issues facing 
the Latino community in Iowa, Jose has successfully implemented 
community-oriented solutions.
  Jose founded the LatinX Immigrants of Iowa organization in 2016 to 
help people. With the Latino population of Iowa continuing to grow, 
organizations such as Jose's have taken on increased importance. LatinX 
Immigrants of Iowa has been able to provide legal, financial, and civic 
programs. Lawsuits and mortgages/leases can be quite technical ordeals, 
and any language barrier only makes for a more complicated situation. 
Jose recognized this issue, and the organization he founded ensures 
that no Latino individual is left behind.
  Over the past 2 years, the organization has been on the front lines 
in COVID-19 response. Jose and his organization recognized the need for 
more Spanish-specific COVID-19 information and community vaccination 
clinics. Leveraging the organization's resources and connections, 
LatinX Immigrants of Iowa was able to vaccinate approximately 1,600 
individuals in the Des Moines area from COVID-19 in a comfortable and 
familiar setting. While this is already an impressive accomplishment, 
Jose plans to put on another vaccine clinic event in January as well. 
Ensuring that COVID-19 information is shared with all people is a 
crucial part of how we can effectively curtail COVID-19 transmission, 
and I'm thankful for Jose and LatinX Immigrants of Iowa's efforts to 
cover the Latino community in this critical time.
  Jose and LatinX Immigrants of Iowa also organize large community 
gathering events. These events promote Latino heritage and community-
building in Central Iowa. This year, the organization put on a 
successful Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in Des 
Moines with the goal to make it as authentic as possible. As Jose turns 
towards 2022, they will kick off the new year with a Dia de los Reyes 
Magos (3 King's Day) celebration, which is a popular holiday for the 
Latino community. These events, in addition to regularly scheduled 
education classes, help ensure that Latinos know that there is a place 
for them in Iowa.
  Jose strengthens Iowa's community through his dedicated public 
service. I look forward to following him and his organization as they 
continue to move forward serving the community, and I am proud to name 
Jose Alvarado as Iowan of the Week.

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