Manuel Cortez and Oscar Molina
There is always a need. There is always a family that is afraid to come out and ask for help. There is always a family that is struggling. That’s why we jumped in, because we want to help those who don’t have a voice. (Oscar Molina, publisher of the bilingual newspaper I Am / Yo Soy 574 and general manager of Radio Horizonte 104.3fm Oficial)
We are not just playing music. We know what happened with COVID-19. There was a request for food because everything was closed. We said, ‘We are part of our community. We need to do our part.’ (Manuel Cortez, president of Radio Horizonte 104.3 FM)
The big impact that Radio Horizonte and the newspaper have had has been the food pantries that we did for four months, every single Saturday from March through the end of June. We did this with the Community Foundation and United Way. That was Phase One of the food pantries. At the end of June, we decided to stop doing it because it was too hot. We couldn’t handle the milk, the eggs, the chicken. (Oscar)
Phase Two was families in need calling the radio station to a number that we had, and we took the pantries to their houses. They couldn’t get out of their homes. They were in quarantine. We’ve started Phase Three of the food pantries. The next distributions are on Oct. 31 and Nov. 21. (Oscar)
In 2013, we applied for a radio frequency in Goshen. In April 2016, we were approved. Our mission is to promote education. We believe a community with a high level of education has a better future. (Manuel)
We are working really, really closely with the CDC to provide information about how to protect our families. We have information from the Elkhart County Health Department. (Manuel)
This radio station is run by volunteers. Everybody shares their time, they share their talent. We are happy to do this. We like it. (Manuel). Manuel works for Lippert Components in the morning, and I work for Benteler Automotive in the morning. In the afternoons we do this. (Oscar)
We felt there was a need in the community, so we decided to fill that gap. I Am / Yo Soy 574 is a monthly bilingual newspaper. It comes out on the third Friday of each month and covers most of the cities in the 574 area code. The first edition came out on March 19, the same day the economy shut down. We’re hanging in there. We’re doing good. This is news that benefits the community for each of the cities it reaches. (Oscar)
Goshen has a beautiful community. We always help each other. It’s a good place to raise our kids. (Oscar)
This is a small town, but this is a beautiful town. No matter who you are, people can see you like a brother or sister. You ask me about Goshen, I say, ‘I don’t want to leave Goshen.’ I want to live here maybe the rest of my life.
Do you have a story you want to tell?
Do you have a story to tell about someone who contributes to Goshen’s greater GOOD?
We invite you to share!