LAUP celebrates first permanent home for Holland’s Latino community

Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP) is celebrating having a permanent home to call its own after six decades of serving the Holland area.

Founded in 1964 to advocate for Latino families and promote education, cultural pride, and leadership, the nonprofit has purchased its first building. Leaders describe the milestone as a “dream come true” and a “new beginning.”

The two-story building is at 512 S. Waverly Road in front of the GQT Holland 7 theater. Once a church and later an office space, it will house LAUP’s programs, celebrations, and community training. The second floor will house a new small business center to help Latino entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.

The building’s past as a place of worship carries special meaning for Lupita Reyes, LAUP’s co-founder. 

“It’s ironic that LAUP should end up in its own building, and it just happened to have been a church and maybe still is,” says Reyes. “To me, that’s a good sign. It says God’s still walking with us, and he’s making it possible.”

‘Bigger and better’ after six decades

Reyes, now in her 80s, was part of a small group of local Latino families who gathered in the 1960s to address discrimination in housing, schools and jobs.

“When I arrived in Holland in 1964, there were maybe five Latino families,” she says. “We struggled to find homes, jobs, and acceptance. People were even afraid to attend our first Fiesta because they’d heard that Mexicans carried knives and guns. But we proved them wrong. We celebrated, we grew, and soon we were hosting Cinco de Mayo at the City Center.”

LAUP became a cornerstone of the community over the years, offering cultural events, scholarships, leadership development, and youth programming.

“To see this building now, it’s a dream come true,” Reyes says. “We started with nothing but borrowed tables. And now, with this younger generation, their strength and persistence, LAUP has become bigger and better. That was always the dream.”

That new generation is led by Alejandra Guillén, LAUP’s executive director, who joined the organization in August. 

“Today is a testament to what LAUP is and has been for the past 60 years,” Guillén said during the building’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Yesterday, Alejandra shared a newspaper clipping from 50 years ago, when the founders of LAUP first imagined what a center for Latino culture would look like in Holland. It’s an honor to see that vision come to life.”

Finding her place

Guillén was born in Tijuana and raised in Jalisco, Mexico. She moved to West Michigan in 2018 and decided to stay after her divorce, finding strength and purpose in her adopted community.

“My entire family is still in Mexico, but the reason I stayed was because of the community and the family that I found here,” she says. “I didn’t have friends or connections at first, so I had to decide whether to return to Mexico or start from scratch. I stayed, and that’s when I started finding my place.”

Guillén became active on several local boards, including the Latina Network of West Michigan and Somos Comunidad Fund with the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. That work led her to LAUP.

“As an immigrant myself, I saw the need for change and representation,” she says. “The Latino community is large here, and I wanted to be part of that change. Being part of an organization that helps people the same way I was helped. That’s what drives me.”

She adds, “We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. This home is the result of decades of passion, trust, and belief. It belongs to everyone.”

Alfredo Gonzales, the organization’s founding board president, was among those who attended and who remains involved with the organization. 

“Holland was new to me after I returned from the Army,” says Gonzales, now associate provost emeritus at Hope College.  Although my family was already in town, I was new to the community. I did not know anyone, until I met some of early Latino residents in Holland. People like Lupita and others in our community opened their arms to a stranger. Out of those conversations came the idea: why are we all meeting separately? Why don’t we join forces?”

‘Together as one’

Gonzales recalls that in 1974, the LAUP board of directors proposed establishing a center to provide its services. That dream has taken five decades to become real, and today, it is possible because of the vision and energy of so many. 

“Dreams do come true, and the establishment of a new building is truly a remarkable collaboration between the (West Michigan) Hispanic Chamber, with (President and CEO) Guillermo (Cisneros) as its visionary leader, (former LAUP President and CEO) Johnny Rodriquez, and the LAUP board, the funding support of local individuals and businesses who believe there is a critical need to have such a center serving the Latino community. We owe these folks a debt of gratitude,” Gonzales says. 

Five organizations — Latin American Society, La Raza Unida, the U.S. GI Forum, the Mexican American Youth Organization, and the Bilingual Bicultural Committee, among them — united to form what became LAUP.

“I was impressed,” Gonzales says. “We were all doing different things, but united in the idea that Latin Americans encapsulated the spirit of being together as one. This space is remarkable and long overdue. It’s a dream come true. There’s such a need for visibility, for a place where people feel they belong. I believe LAUP will continue to provide for the betterment of our Latino community.”

The grand opening event drew many community members who celebrated the milestone.

“This is such an incredible asset for the community,” says Holland Mayor Nathan Bocks. “The Hispanic community makes up an incredible percentage of Holland, and to have a resource like this to provide training and opportunities for people to grow here is wonderful. 

“I’ve always wanted the Hispanic community to be more involved in the city of Holland. I keep reaching out to LAUP, asking them to bring people to serve on boards, committees and commissions. LAUP has been wonderful at that. I see this as just one more pipeline for people to become more involved in the city that is their community.”

Asset to West Michigan

Business leaders see LAUP’s new home as part of a broader regional movement to strengthen Latino-led institutions.

“This is an amazing asset, not just for the Latino community, but for the entire community of Holland and West Michigan,” says Guillermo Cisneros, president and CEO of the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Cisneros recalls how partnerships among minority-led organizations across West Michigan have brought resources and visibility to underserved communities.

“In 2023, we came together, Black and Brown organizations from Grand Rapids, Holland, and Kalamazoo to pursue state funding,” he says. “We applied for $5 million and received $2.5 million, which we distributed evenly among five organizations. The goal was to help each community have its own space and resources.”

He adds, “Our communities need their own places where they can work for their people. I don’t need to be the one meeting with the mayor; it should be LAUP’s executive director doing that. That’s why we build strong organizations so leaders can lead with the resources we fought for.”

Guillén says she was gratified by the turnout.

“Seeing people from all kinds of backgrounds and industries come together to celebrate, that’s the essence of our mission. This is a reflection of who we are as a community, and I’m excited to keep building on that legacy.”

Reyes calls it a moment of gratitude and hope.

“My husband and I always hoped LAUP would have a home before we left this world,” she says. “And today, that dream has come true.”

Photos by Shandra Martinez