Leading With Passion and Purpose

Michael Toledo is the President and CEO of Centro Hispano.

Centro's mission is to support and enhance the acculturation of the Latino population in the Greater Reading, Pennsylvania area through collaborative initiatives designed to enable individuals and families to improve their quality of life and the quality of life in their communities.

I spoke with Michael on a recent episode of the Fulcrum Democracy Forum (FDF). The program engages citizens in evolving government to better meet all people's needs. Consistent with the Fulcrum's mission, FDF strives to share many perspectives to widen our audience's viewpoints.

I met him while recording the first episode of The 50, a four-year multimedia project that visits the public where they live across all 50 states to learn what motivated them to vote in the 2024 presidential election and see how the Donald Trump administration is meeting those concerns and hopes.

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Reading is a majority Latino city that inched a win for Vice President Kamala Harris. Still, ultimately Donald Trump easily won Berks County (home to Reading) by 12 points and the state by more than 50% of the vote.

Michael shared how Centro Hispano supports social services for newcomers and lifelong residents. "We can connect them to programs and services to help improve their quality of life," he said. "Whether it's in healthcare, whether it's in housing, whether it's food insecurity, workforce development, anything that we can do to help lift up our constituents."

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Born and raised in Reading, Michael shared what inspired him to first volunteer with Centro and then to lead the organization. "The Centro Hispano was here for my family." His parents and grandfather were among the first Puerto Ricans to migrate to Reading, "when there was a need in the agricultural industry" during World War II.

In volunteering his time, Michael got closer to the organization and its mission. When an opportunity came for him to step up, he didn't miss the chance. "I saw this as an opportunity to not only give back to the community that I felt gave me so much, but to take the Centro's mission to the next level.

Among the initiatives Centro Hispano collaborates with are voter registration drives.

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Editor's Notes: Hugo Balta is the executive editor of the Fulcrum and a board member of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, the parent organization of The Fulcrum. He is the publisher of the Latino News Network and a trainer with the Solutions Journalism Network.