By Victoria Villaseñor

The Guadalupe Centers Incorporated is a non-profit community development corporation (CDC) located on the Westside of Kansas City, Missouri. The Guadalupe Center was established in 1919 as an extension of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, a branch of the Kansas City Catholic Diocese to assist Mexican immigrants in their relocation to Kansas City. The Guadalupe Centers has since evolved from a relief organization to an independent institution of social and economic services. The Guadalupe Centers have created comprehensive educational, health, and financial assistance programs as a means of advancing the Westside. This approach to community development has proven to be successful as these contemporary programs have endured and strengthened for more than three decades. It has a been an uphill battle for this Latino-based organization to achieve the esteem and influence they currently hold. The Guadalupe Centers have faced several internal and external challenges such as systemic racism, conservatism, and economic setbacks. However, each difficult moment proved to be pivotal in the Guadalupe Centers’ development as a community powerhouse.