Dia de la Familia Celebration

Click on a picture for a closer look. Read article

The Eastfield College campus was the place to be Saturday, April 15 during the Dallas County Community College District's (DCCCD's) tenth annual celebration promoting higher education in the Hispanic community.

Dia de la Familia (Family Day) welcomed over 2,300 guests to the Eastfield College for a carnival that included food, carnival games, and music.

Music lovers were serenaded by Mariachi Los Rayos de Guanajuato as they entered the colorfully decorated upper and lower courtyards of Eastfield's campus. In the lower courtyard, visitors enjoyed the hot sounds of Latin Express, a Fort Worth based band well known for their diverse music: Tejano, rhythm and blues, Latin and jazz. Performing arts enthusiasts were overjoyed by the El Kinder Bilingual Academy's toddler ballet folklorico group, Lakeview Centennial High School's ballet folklorico group, and John W. Runyon Elementary School's spirit team. The little ones enjoyed free balloons, face painting, a piņata party, arts and crafts, a visit by Tin Cup the Clown, and more. Several businesses from the community got involved by setting up exhibit booths during the event. The companies that participated were the Dallas County Community College District campuses, DARR/Caterpillar, State Farm Insurance, Univision/Channel 23, United Parcel Service and Wallace's College Bookstores. A live broadcast by KICK-FM's Tejano Joe, salsa dance instruction, and door prizes were other attractions of the day. The first 900 people to visit the exhibit booths received a free T-shirt commemorating the day.

Not only did visitors rock to the rhythms and soar to the sights presented during this four-hour carnival, but they also received valuable information about the instructional programs offered through the DCCCD as well as admission requirements.

Information about the DCCCD's Rising Star Scholarship program was available. This project provides a two-year college education to qualifying seniors through the Dallas County Community Colleges. Guests also visited booths set up by Baylor Medical Centers of Dallas and Mesquite, City of Mesquite Fire Department, Mesquite Community Hospital, Medical Center of Mesquite, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.

The goal of this annual festival is to increase community participation in education at all levels through fun, informative activities that are free and family focused. Studies show that when the seed is planted early, most children can be influenced to stay in school, and to go on to college especially with the support of family members.

Seeing this need for outreach, Eastfield College first introduced Dia de la Familia in 1989 welcoming over 300 guests. In 1990 the DCCCD made the event district-wide, rotating it from each of the seven community colleges. With this year's festival, the event has come full circle. Eastfield College was very proud to welcome home the Dia de la Familia celebration.