OLA Announces Hiring Of New Civic Engagement Coordinator

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — The Organización Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island continues its mission to enhance community relations, announcing the hiring of Gaby Cabrera for OLA’s newly created civic engagement coordinator post.

Cabrera, said OLA's Executive Director Minerva Perez, was born and raised in the South Bronx, the daughter of immigrant Ecuadorian parents. She is the first in her family to graduate from college, earning her her Bachelor of Arts from Stony Brook University.

In 2007, Cabrera moved out to the East End; she has two children, Jaiden and Emily, and has served for the past five years as a family advocate for the Bridgehampton Head Start program.

"She is very compassionate and dedicated to helping families reach self-sufficiency by guiding them and helping them set realistic goals which they can accomplish. Prior to being an advocate Gabriela worked in the classroom where she saw the need of the Latino parents who at times felt lost because they could not communicate with their children’s teacher it was then that she decided to become an advocate," Perez said.

She added, "Gaby is a natural advocate and will help OLA to expand on important non-partisan civic work that will educate, energize and activate our East End Latino voters in a way not previously seen. OLA will focus efforts on hyper local elections starting with school board, village board, town justice, town board and up to congressional level."

The part-time position was privately funded, Perez said.

OLA is a member of the New York Civic Engagement Table and is an advocacy organization that promotes the social, economic, cultural and educational development of the Latino community on the East End of Long Island, a release said.

Patch courtesy photo.