Servicios de La Raza’s Fiesta Cookout open for all in the Denver community

By Kelsey Lindsey

Along with free food, music and entertainment, this year’s Servicios de La Raza’s Fiesta Cookout will provide free HIV testing. With help from HeyDenver and the Youth HIV Advocacy Coalition (YHAC), Servicios de La Raza hopes to expand their desire for an all-inclusive community of Denver, reaching out to the LGBT  community and providing a safe and free setting for everyone to get tested.

Starting in 1972, Servicios de La Raza was developed to address the unmet needs of the Latino community of Denver. Offering HIV/AIDS case management, mental health therapy, a food bank, youth programming and many more services, Servicios de La Raza’s mission is to provide basic human services for all Colorado residents, no matter their race, gender or sexual orientation. Their fourth annual Fiesta Cookout communicates this mission perfectly, offering all the opportunity to come out August 25 and enjoy a night of fun.

From 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Fiesta Cookout will be held at Servicios de La Raza’s office at 41st and Tejon in Denver. A variety of entertainments will be offered, including various musical acts and speakers, family activities and free food from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.. One of the biggest events at the Fiesta Cookout will be the Custom Car and Lowrider Show, which will award trophies for the best rides in a variety of categories.

Estimated to bring in around 10,000 to 12,000 attendees, Servicios de La Raza hopes that their Fiesta Cookout will be a great opportunity for those who have never been tested for HIV to do so. Collaborating heavily with Denver Colorado AIDS Project, HeyDenver, and various other AIDS Service Organizations, clinics, and hospitals throughout the year, Servicios de La Raza helps contribute to the spirit of community health through their goal to provide HIV testing to all.