In reviewing what was a year of significant growth and expansion in 2025, Kansas Spanish Speakers Founder and CEO Lelan Dains wanted to say the last 12 months exceeded all expectations; however, he says the organization accomplished “Precisely what we wanted to.”
This included finding a permanent home inside the Emporia Humanitarian Center early in the year, a development that overcame a significant challenge with Dains noting it can be hard to properly serve the community when you have no physical base of operations.
Another sign of expansion was the agency’s addition of new staff and its name change from Emporia Spanish Speakers to Kansas Spanish Speakers, which brought with it a broadened mission to serve not only the local community but the entire region, a mission that has gained significant traction as of late.
Dains credited his team for the success in broadening this reach, adding that this will continue to be a major focus for the organization throughout 2026. This commitment to continued expansion and reach comes at a time when the political climate regarding non-English speaking residents and immigration continues to be unsteady at times.
Specifically, the topic of illegal immigration and deportation continues to divide citizens across the nation. Dains says when it comes to Kansas Spanish Speakers, they “want what everyone else wants,” especially immigrant citizens and that is for them to be here.
Acknowledging that some have “broken laws” to be here, Dains says that rather than simply resorting to deportation as a punishment, it is more productive to explore the pathways, which he admits can be complicated, to ensure they are here “the right way.”
Dains believes this education is “critical” as the US is highly dependent on immigrant contributions.
Kansas Spanish Speakers was founded in 2017 as a resource for native English speakers to learn and improve speaking the Spanish language. In the years since, the group’s offerings have grown to include community engagement activities, bilingual resources, workshops, community events and more.
More information on the organization and its mission is available at Ksspanishspeakers.com.
