Neighbors helping neighbors, helping neighbors.
East Dallas Greater Good partnered with Dallas County Commissioner Dr. Theresa Daniel and Casa View Christian Church to register 360 neighbors during two drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine registration events in February.
East Dallas Greater Good, a community group that first joined together last year to oppose a concrete batch plant in a residential neighborhood of East Dallas, has turned its community organizing focus to vaccine education and registration outreach. These efforts target the predominantly Spanish-speaking community in some of the hardest- hit areas of East Dallas. Registration assistance was provided in both Spanish and English.
Latino community members often face numerous obstacles in receiving timely and accurate information about the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine distribution, including language and technology barriers. Traditional media platforms that English- speaking residents use are not adequately serving Spanish-speakers, and more must be done to ensure that all members of the community are aware of the registration requirement and can make an informed decision about receiving the vaccine.
“Our goal is to emphasize to neighbors and their families the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Maricela Martinez, a community organizer with East Dallas Greater Good. “We’ve partnered with Dallas County to be on-site to answer any questions about the vaccine or the vaccination process.”
East Dallas Greater Good also coordinated two community block walks to distribute registration event information to residents without access to phones or internet. “It’s important to meet these community members where they are and on the level of technology that they have access to,” said Kathryn Bazan, a community organizer with East Dallas Greater Good.
Casa View Christian’s pastor, Jayme Harvey, enthusiastically agreed to host the registration events in the parking lot of her church. Casa View Christian already hosts twice-monthly food and diaper distribution events, which have grown to serve hundreds of families in the surrounding neighborhoods during the pandemic. Volunteers routinely process hundreds of vehicles through the parking lot in under three hours.
For more information, visit eastdallasgreatergood.org/vaccine.
