Moab Valley Multicultural Center

To say that the MVMC is vital would be an understatement. For some people, we offer the only place where their voices can be heard. For others, we teach life skills or facilitate cultural understanding. Our scope of service is broad but our staff is small, proving that a tight-knit family is often all a person needs to grow and prosper.

The Moab Valley Multicultural Center (MVMC) began in 2006 as a completely voluntary agency with an unpaid, on-site outreach director, Leticia Bentley, assisted by other volunteers to faciliate various services. It was later established as a tax-exempt, non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization in the early winter of 2007. The original purpose was to provide advocacy and fill gaps in the service system for low-income, primarily non-English speaking people in the Moab area.

In the MVMC's first year of operation, the Center provided a Spanish-speaking pediatrician from Price to visit once a month for two days, and a monthly perishable food drop brought down from the Utah Food Bank in Salt Lake City. Volunteers also ran a small tutor club once a week for about 8 Spanish-speaking children, and a number of other classes and workshops were offered as provided by various volunteers. In collaboration with a “Cultural Connections” grant from the Eccles Foundation, the center was able to provide frequent cultural events that celebrated diversity and also raised awareness about Moab's changing demographic.

Since 2007, we have grown and evolved based on the needs of our community. The Center has seen different directors and staff, but its purpose and role has remained the same. We continue to build bridges of understanding and appreciation within the community, and our small but powerful group of staff members, founders, board members, and supporters is honored to serve this mission every day.

Currently, The MVMC focuses on five main programs: Crisis Resource & Referral, Interpretation & Translation, Cultural Outreach & Education, Language & Life Skills Classes and Youth Education & Outreach. On an average day, we make referrals for people in the community who don't know where else to go, provide mentoring and tutoring to children of immigrants, and interpret conversations or translate documents. We also faciliate Amigos Club at the high school, provide adult driving exam preparation, and offer Spanish classes for adults as well as children.

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