Editor’s note: Somos offers opportunity to give back to Puerto Rico

The annual Somos conference kicks off Wednesday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and City & State will be there as the four-day event welcomes a newly elected New York City mayor and a bevy of New York City Council speaker candidates. It’s sure to be a “who’s who” of top city and state elected officials. Several groups and organizations, including City & State, will be hosting events throughout the conference as well.

Somos can easily turn into a whirlwind of meetings, networking, poolside fun and late-night partying. That’s why Bronx Assembly Member Karines Reyes, chair of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, which runs Somos, told City & State that she hopes attendees will be so busy with more than 60 legislative workshops scheduled that they will have little time for fun. At a minimum, attendees shouldn’t miss the day of service on Friday. That’s when they can volunteer a few hours to work with nonprofits and give back to the community. The service fulfills the Somos mission of strengthening the bond between New York and Puerto Rico. “I think it’s important for people to participate in the day of service, so that they can see another side of the island beyond just being in the El Condado (neighborhood) or going to Old San Juan and seeing the touristy parts of Puerto Rico,” Reyes said in a telephone interview. I wrote about volunteers stuffing care packages, cooking hot meals and singing songs with residents at a struggling nonprofit assisted living residence in Carolina, Puerto Rico, last year. It was a welcome distraction from the party side of the conference, and a reminder of where attendees should be putting their priorities.