What we do at Casa de Amistad?
 Casa de Amistad works with the Hispanic immigrant population in Athens, Georgia and surrounding counties. We provide social services, referrals, translations education and advocacy. We are also interested helping people help themselves. To that end we provide English classes, GED tutoring and computer classes. We also offer a women's craft group where moms with small children can come and learn how to make pottery. It is also an opportunity to have some social interaction with others.
For the youth we have karate and guitar classes to help foster self discipline and provide positive role models. For the past five years we have been able to provide scholarships for 8 to 12 Latino children to go to Clarke County summer camps through a special fund from First Presbyterian Church.
For these children, it was their first summer camp experience. In 2006 we also had a summer reading program for children and a summer art camp done in conjunction with the Lyndon House. In 2008 we held a Family Literacy Program to help parents and children improve their literacy skills. We started a Latino women’s craft co-op, where Latino women are taught to make beautiful, functional pieces of pottery. They can sell these to help offset household expenses.
Over the years we have helped people with a variety of problems including consumer fraud issues, workman’s compensation, non-payment for labor rendered, landlord /tenant communication, We’ve helped moms getting child support, and helped parents fill out forms so their children can get health care, as well as referrals to clinics, doctors and lawyers and to other agencies. And sometimes have provided translators for these visits. In the past, we’ve also had an emergency family fund which offered limited financial help for a variety of needs.
Casa de Amistad opened its doors in September 2004; it was begun as an outreach ministry of the Presbyterian Church. We are now striving to obtain our own 501© (3) and become an independent organization. As one of the few organizations doing this work in the Athens-Clarke County area for the Hispanic community, we hope to keep the doors open and continue to provide these important services and community programs that touch so many lives and are important to the well being of these families and individuals. We welcome involvement and participation by other faith communities and civic organizations. We serve all clients without regard to religious affiliation. | 
