About MCOP
Our Mission
Southwest Wisconsin’s immigrant population has risen sharply in the last decade as our dairy farms, cheese factories and small manufacturing plants have turned to immigrant workers to meet their unmet employee needs. These new neighbors work hard and are important to our rural communities. Their small businesses fill empty storefronts on Main Streets.Their children bring revenue to our school districts. At the same time they struggle with challenges such as accessing health care and social services, finding legal or financial counsel, communicating with their children’s schools and other concerns.
MCOP’s mission is to provide needed support to our new neighbors, who are enriching our communities with multicultural experiences.
What We Do
Bilingual (English/Spanish) MCOP staff and volunteers provide direct services to clients who have specific concerns about accessing health care and social services, legal and financial counsel as well as communicating with their children’s schools and other issues.
Free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for adults eager to improve their English skills is an important service. MCOP trains English speaking volunteers to become ESL tutors.
MCOP hosts Informational Workshops to address emerging issues. Recent forums addressed immigration law and the US tax system.
Our Directories of Community Services, for each county, are helpful tools for our immigrant clients and the organizations who serve them.
How We Do It: Donors & Volunteers
MCOP Advisory Council: a committed group of volunteers meets monthly to facilitate ongoing initiatives,
develop new programs and plan events to address emerging needs.
- Shirley Barnes, Chair
- Mayra Angel, Educator
- Martha Boyer, Long-time Advocate for Hispanic Community
- Mary Michal, Community Connections Free Clinic Volunteer
- Wally Orzechowski, SWCAP Executive Director
- Monica Sella, Bilingual Liaison to Farmers
- Ruth Schriefer, UW Extension
- Ann Wolfe, Ridgeway Business Owner
- Karen Rundell, Grant County Educator
- Cynthia Villavicencio, Direct Services Bilingual Consultant
- Daisy Colin, Bilingual Community Resources Consultant
- Becky Gomez, Neighborhood Housing Services of Southwest Wisconsin
- Kathy Chase, Tutor Coordinator, Lafayette Co.
- Natasha Morgan, Green Haven Family Advocates of Green County
- Kathy Warpinski, Retired Spanish Teacher
- Jacki Thomas, Retired Center Director
What Happens
As a presence within the immigrant community, MCOP links our Hispanic neighbors with the help they need, whether legal or tax advice, interpretation/translation, information or advocacy. Here are some of the ways we’ve been able to help (names have been changed to maintain privacy):
- Susana was rushed to a local hospital following an accident, later receiving a bill for more than $30,000. Working with the hospital, MCOP was able to negotiate a discount and payment plan within Susana’s budget It was a win-win for all since the hospital billing department now knows MCOP is an important resource for such situations in the future. We also looked into whether the accident was work related. If so, we would have contacted an attorney experienced in this area of the law.
- Maria and Juan were worried about their child being bullied on the school bus. The school administrator was grateful when MCOP inquired. As a result, the principal has instituted protections and additional educational measures, with the goal of being more inclusive and welcoming to all.
- Jorge and Lupe didn’t understand how cold Wisconsin winters could be. Their landlord had warned them to watch their gas gauge but they had no idea how fast it could drop. It was Friday afternoon, the temps were below zero and the tank was at 5%. MCOP was able to arrange for an emergency re-fill and a payment arrangement.
- Soledad was worried about a legal-looking form she received in English. She texted a photo of it to MCOP so we could walk her through the next steps she needed to take.
- Ana got a letter from the IRS in English, indicating that she owed back taxes. MCOP put her in touch with a Spanish-speaking tax expert, who helped her sort out her obligations.
How You Can Help: Volunteer
MCOP continuously recruits interpreters or translators (for pay or as volunteers) and welcomes volunteer help with event planning, fundraising, transportation, public relations and educational programming.
Many of our adult immigrant friends lack English language proficiency, and therefore, find it difficult to assimilate into the greater community. Because of demanding working hours, they are often not able to attend traditional English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. MCOP’s ESL program takes the learning experience to the students – at their farms, in local libraries and in their homes. Our trained volunteer tutors work one-on-one or in small groups with their students. We are always in need of tutors to match with English language learners. Although the majority of our learners are native Spanish speakers, tutors are NOT expected to know Spanish or have teaching experience. During our free tutor training, volunteers learn how to overcome language barriers. Our ESL program not only addresses the isolation many of our students feel, it enriches the tutors’ lives through cultural exchanges and friendships.
To Get Involved: Call MCOP (608) 642-1753 or email mcopwi.org.
How You Can Help: Donate
Please join us by supporting the MultiCultural Outreach Program (MCOP) to ensure the economic health and cultural diversity of our southwest Wisconsin communities. Under the umbrella of SWCAP, our parent organization, the MCOP is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Your contributions are tax deductible.
To contribute by mail, please print a Donation Form and mail it along with your check made out to MCOP/SWCAP to:
MultiCultural Outreach Program
P.O. Box 414
Dodgeville, Wisconsin 53533-0414
To contribute online, use the button below.
Please be sure to enter
– “MultiCultural Outreach Program (MCOP)” –
in the purpose field.
Southwest Wisconsin Community Action Program/MultiCultural Outreach Program.
Our tax ID number is: 39-1053511
Direct Services
MCOP Direct Services Bilingual Consultants work with individuals & families to ensure that Spanish speaking members of communities in Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, and Richland County have the support they need to access:
- English Language Instruction
- Transportation
- Employment
- Housing
- Financial Advice
- Legal Advice
- Health Insurance
- Social Services
- K-12 School Staff & Communications
- Translation Services
- & other needs as they arise
Cynthia Villavicencio
Direct Service Bilingual Consultant
Cynthia Villavicencio lives with her two children, Santiago and Samantha, in Monroe, is originally from Ecuador and lived briefly in the Chicago area before moving to Wisconsin. Prior to joining MCOP, she was with SARP (the Sexual Assault Recovery Program), where she worked with the Hispanic community in several counties, interpreting at the court houses and police stations and translating documentation into Spanish. She also worked with Early Head Start where she served with social workers during home visits with Hispanic families.
According to Cynthia, “Working with MCOP is a blessing for me. It is something I’m very passionate about, and helping others is an immeasurable satisfaction. At the end of the day just hearing a simple ‘thank you’ and seeing the smiles on people’s faces is an invaluable moment. Being part of this program has made me grow as an individual, not only in my personal life but as a professional. Living in a community with such diversity is wonderful because I have the pleasure of knowing a little more about others’ cultures and that is fascinating.”
Daisy Colin
Bilingual Community Resources Consultant
Daisy Colin was born in Kenosha, WI. Both of her parents were born in Mexico and moved to the United States to give Daisy and her siblings a better life. She received her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Spanish from UW-Platteville and completed an internship in Criminal Justice with the Darlington Police Department, where she was able to work with Sergeant Antonio Ruesga and meet the Darlington community.
Daisy currently works as a bilingual consumer protection investigator for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. She is Daisy states: “I am very thankful to be part of MCOP, I love being able to help the Hispanic community. My purpose in MCOP is to let the Hispanic community know that they are not alone.”
Our culture is rich, yet so is the culture of our new friends. It is such a joy to share and learn from each other.
To learn about our MCOP friends' culture and food and traditions has been fun for me. It enriches everyone's life.
