The need Conexión Américas is addressing in our community is best understood in the context of the remarkable demographic changes taking place in Nashville.  The 2000 Census showed a 446 percent growth of the Hispanic population in Nashville from 1990. By 2000, public agencies and nonprofit organizations were dramatically challenged by this wave of newcomers. Although a few programs in large nonprofit organizations were addressing particular and isolated areas of these newcomers’ needs by 2000, no organization was fully focused on Latino families in a comprehensive way. Furthermore, no organization had full cultural competence to work effectively with our community’s newest neighbors coming from Mexico and other Latin American countries.

The founders of Conexión Américas -María Clara Mejía, José González and Renata Soto-understood that void and its challenges. In 2002, they teamed up with an existing small nonprofit group, the Hispanic Family Resource Center (HFRC), that was exclusively dedicated to providing information-and-referral services on health-related matters. The merger allowed for the implementation of a holistic approach to help Latino families.

Since then, the original information-and-referral service of the HFRC has evolved into the Spanish Help Line for Middle Tennessee and Conexión Américas’ programs serve over 2,500 families per year. In addition, new programs in the social, civic and economic integration areas have been developed and implemented successfully. The organization’s funding base has been also greatly diversified. Today Conexión Américas is recognized as a leading Hispanic force in the Middle Tennessee region and in the entire state.

In 2005, Conexión Américas was named the recipient of the Best Innovative Partnership Award from NeighborWorks America for our Puertas Abiertas homeownership program.  In 2007, Conexión Américas received both the national Strengthening Families Award presented by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the Bank of America Neighborhood Builder Award.