ORLANDO, Fla. — Margie Viera, a Latina mother of two and a businesswoman, uses her skillset to empower other Latinos and is dedicated to advocating for her people.

“So I am very proud to be a Latina,” she said. 

“[We need to] continue to integrate our Hispanics to our community in general,” she said.  

Viera created the nonprofit Inspirate, which helps the migrant community get advice, training, and tools to improve their financial reality.

“Now a lot of people are focused on the [COVID-19] pandemic,” Viera said. “We’re focused on what’s coming next.” 

Viera emphasized that even through the pandemic, Hispanics will continue to be a vibrant culture helping shape America.

“We all come from different parts of the world. So we bring in different foods, music, and it’s just so rich and so fun and so amazing,” she explained. 

Despite being from Puerto Rico, she spends a lot of her time at the Consulate of Mexico in Orlando.

“For many years, they've owned the doors to the Hispanic community in general, and they made our voice a unified voice,” Viera said. “And they seek to serve the Mexican community, but they’ve also opened the doors to everybody else.” 

Through Inspirate, Viera recently helped launch a program at the Consulate designed to promote financial justice among local Hispanic families, La Ventanilla De Asesoría Financiera (the Financial Advisory Window).

“There’s a huge need out there, and it doesn’t need to be that way,” she said. 

Viera has helped the Hispanic youth, Hurricane Maria victims, businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a variety of others.

“Inspirate inspires me,” she said. 

Viera said her driving force is her two boys, who she takes with her everywhere she goes.

“I see myself enjoying every day of my life doing what I love, which is serving my community and seeing others grow, seeing others prosper,” Viera added.  

The Financial Advisory Window is located at the Consulate of Mexico in Orlando and open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Time.