TULSA, Okla. — For Hispanic Heritage Month, 2 News Oklahoma focuses on the community's contributions to Green Country.
A non-profit, Mita's Foundation, is helping Green Country and beyond.
"Little by little, I brought my parents and my family," Tina Peña, President and CEO of Mita's Foundation said. "Now we're all giving back. And we are all in our community."
Peña is originally from Peru but has lived in Oklahoma for quite some time.
"I've been here for 41 years, been working at TCC for 32," Peña said.
The organization she started, Mita's Foundation, is in remembrance of her mother and her compassion for others.
Peña said one of the most important things they do in Oklahoma is interpretation and translation.
"I believe that not speaking English in this country should not be a sentence, it should not be a death sentence. Let's not care about what you are saying or what we are saying to you, everybody should understand what everybody is saying in the room," Peña said.
Peña focuses on translation and interpretation so that no one is left behind.
"We interpret because we care," Peña said. "We care that limited English proficient people should have the same services as you and I have."
The foundation has many volunteers who do this.
They were recently at "Food on the Move's" event in Chamberlain Park for that very thing, helping those in the Spanish-speaking community get the help they need.
"Tina is an icon in Tulsa," Betsy Lewallen, Mita's Foundation volunteer, said.
She worked the desk at the line for food on the move, helping those who had difficulty communicating.
"We just saw the need that some of our families don't, cannot go there," Lewallen said. "They are afraid to do it just because of the language barrier. And we just saw the need, and we just stepped in there and started helping."
Mita's Foundation's impact reaches outside of Tulsa, as well.
It even reaches outside of the country.
Being from Peru, Tina wanted to help the people there.
They do that in many ways, from clinics, parks, and schools to prefab homes.
"During the COVID, we saw a lot of people who were in need of homes," Peña said. "They had dilapidated homes the rain would go through, and we realized that with 1500 US dollars we could make a family of seven; you know, no kidding, a family of seven could live in a prefab home. Usually, we choose the elderly who's taking care of grandchildren."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than half of Hispanics in the U.S. live in states like California, Texas, and Florida.
Peña said Oklahoma should be a place immigrants consider.
"I am so thankful for the city of Tulsa, resilient Tulsa," Peña said. "In all our organizations that provide a welcoming heart to this community. So that's why I know that they're here, and they're here to stay just like me for 41 years."
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