Vecinos’ week-long program raises funds for children’s dental program | Local

The annual block party staged by this service group of young professionals is now a free weeklong event, all to benefit El Rio Children’s Dental Program.

“Throughout the pandemic, the community has been so giving in so many ways. As Vecinos, we feel it is our turn to give back to the community, so we figured out how to make everything free at this event thanks to the generous support of our sponsors,” said Daniella Siqueiros, co-chair with Jessica Palato and Emily Evert of the seventh annual Vecinos Block Party Virtual Week.

The event kicks off with The Vecinos Havana Nights Virtual Concert featuring Zona Libre and Crystal Starks at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28, and continues with daily events throughout the week, culminating in The Vecinos Virtual Game Night at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 6.

The agenda is the first of its kind — for both fundraising and fun-raising, according to Siqueiros.

“In giving back to the community, safety of the community has always been uppermost in our minds. Once we saw COVID-19 cases going up and vaccines rolling out, we realized the best thing we could do was to keep the event virtual and make it an experience that was truly engaging while providing awareness about El Rio and fundraising for the Children’s Dental Program,” said Siqueiros, 34, the associate director of advertising and marketing at Tucson Lifestyle and one of 40 members of the Vecinos, the Spanish word for “neighbors.”