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Westbrook Hosts First Ever Cultural Connections May 11

In an effort to connect more with Westbrook’s diverse population, Westbrook Youth and Family Services (WYFS), in conjuncture with the Middlesex United Way, is throwing a free event featuring food, family activities, and resource introductions from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, behind the Riggio Building located at 1163-1167 Boston Post Road.

The event, dubbed the Cultural Connection, is a collaboration between be held rain or shine, according to WYFS director Sara Zaientz.

“If it rains, we will have the event inside the Riggio building,” Zaientz said.

According to Zaientz, the day will feature food trucks with cuisine from South and Central America, dancers from the River Valley Dance Project performing salsa dances, Colombian dances, and the capoeira. Additionally, Zaientz said that representatives from different services will be present to help spread the word to attendees about the resources available to them.

Cindy Pascale, the office administrator at WYFS, said that the school system and library have been helpful in getting in touch with the population, but this event will hopefully be a chance to introduce attendees to more people and services in the town.

While it’s not a secret that Westbrook, like most neighboring towns along the shoreline, is a majority-white town, it’s more diverse than one might think. Zaientz said that about 25% of students at Daisy Elementary school have a primary language other than English.

“Part of why we’re holding this event is we want to ensure that all members of the community feel welcome and feel seen,” Zaientz said.

About a year ago, Zaientz said, the department began brainstorming inanities to reach out to the town’s immigrant population.

“We saw such a positive response from the community, so we thought we should do a bigger event to highlight the diversity in Westbrook and the surrounding towns,” Zaientz said.

Thanks to a “generous” gift from the Middlesex United Way, Zaientz said the Cultural Connections event was able to be organized and hopefully become an annual event.

“We’re really so excited for this. We think it’ll give us a peak at what needs are being met and which ones need more attention and generate ideas was for what can do better for the future,” Zaientz said.