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In her personal life, Carmen DeRusha is known among friends for the open arms she extends to her party guests. In her role as president of Fiesta Indianapolis, she wants immigrants to the city to feel the same way: that they are welcomed with open arms.

DeRusha realizes central Indiana's ever-growing number of Latin-American immigrants might feel isolated in what is a foreign country to them. She knows that because she has experienced it. The 41-year-old emigrated from Colombia in 1986 to marry Connecticut-resident Stanley DeRusha, now the director of orchestral activities at Butler University and resident conductor for the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.

When she moved to North America, her inability to speak English turned simple pleasures into dreaded chores. For example, she couldn't shop for clothes without her husband, who spoke Spanish, because she couldn't read any of the signs or tags. She didn't know the difference between juniors, petites, misses and women's. "It's like you need to learn all the basic skills all over again," she says of her baptism-by-fire orientation to the country.

Fortunately, her husband's colleagues at the University of Hartford made her feel at home in the United States. One couple in particular made a point of inviting the family to celebrate holidays and special events, and showed interest in Colombian culture. DeRusha sees Fiesta Indianapolis as a similar vehicle - to help immigrants feel comfortable in their new community.

"I think that is a very, very important role, because probably a lot of people can't understand the feeling of an immigrant coming to a foreign environment and not having any clue of how to get in touch with other people like them," she says, adding that immigrants spend at least five years in a new place before they are fully proficient in a second language.

By expanding Fiesta's function, she hopes to accomplish more interaction between Hispanics and longtime Hoosiers, thus reducing the obstacles Latin Americans face in everyday life.

"My own process as an immigrant allowed me to believe these organizations and types of opportunities are absolutely crucial to welcome immigrants and to make them feel comfortable in any community," she says of Fiesta. "That's essential if you want new members of the community to become involved and productive citizens."

At the same time, DeRusha believes Fiesta is a good opportunity to make a positive impression on Indianapolis. "When citizens of the community have positive experiences with immigrants, they tend to be more welcoming. If your attitude is negative, there is nothing an immigrant can do to change it."

In order to bridge American cultures, Fiesta throws a celebration during Hispanic Heritage Month each September, known as Fiesta 2001. For Hispanic residents, the festival - Sept. 13-15 this year - is a good opportunity to meet people with similar backgrounds and interests, and learn about Indianapolis and the city's services, whereas longtime residents can discover Hispanic culture.

"We want to make Indianapolis our home, and we want to share who we are with the rest of the community," says DeRusha. However, festival-goers shouldn't expect stereotypical mariachi bands. Fiesta wants to show all aspects of Hispanic culture, including literature and visual arts. For example, Fiesta will feature Latin classical music at Hilbert Circle Theatre. "We want to develop an expression of Hispanic culture at Fiesta that is more comprehensive, with more diversity and depth," she says.

Along with typical festival events, Fiesta will hold a parade that includes a flag display of the 22 Latino countries represented in Indianapolis and marching bands playing Latin music. Visitors can walk from the vendor booths to the children's activity area to the interactive arts and crafts tent to two music stages positioned around the American Legion Mall.

DeRusha's work with Fiesta was a natural outgrowth of her paid job - leadership and urban development educator with Marion County Cooperative Extension Service, part of Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service's urban development division. When she began as the special projects coordinator 10 years ago, DeRusha spent her time developing the Far Eastside neighborhood.

But as the Hispanic population boomed in Marion County in the late 1990s, extension educators realized they needed to address the city's Latino issues. The fact that DeRusha already coordinated the office's urban development projects and that she is Hispanic made her the obvious choice to lead the endeavor.

After years of working with the general population, she felt strong enough to serve the Hispanic community. "It is more of a challenge to work in your own community, because you are an insider," she explains. "You really have to be good. You have to really inspire trust. You have to convince them you are capable of offering them guidance."

Several issues face DeRusha regarding the Hispanic community. The basic factors are education about North American culture and Indianapolis' services, education for non-Hispanics about South American customs, creation of a welcoming environment, and a willingness to work together.

"I think our community at large does not understand how challenging it is for Hispanics to come from different countries, different socioeconomic backgrounds, different everything, to come together to work for a common goal," she says.

When advising the Far Eastside, she worked with neighborhood associations to develop the urban areas. Since she is Hispanic, she already belonged to several organizations that address the issues Latinos face in Indianapolis.

At the time, she was a member of Sociedad Amigos de Colombia and Fiesta. Although she had been involved with these organizations as a volunteer, the extension service's desire to help the Hispanic community now allows her to work full time on the organizations' needs.

Initially, she wanted to be an advisor to Fiesta, which is how she works with SADCO. Instead, the board asked her to become president. "At that time of my life, I didn't want to get involved with something I couldn't do very well," says DeRusha, who recalls one woman who had to take vacation from her job to work on Fiesta.

However, she constructed a five-year plan that outlined her responsibilities to Fiesta, and how the results follow the extension office's plans to reach out to the Hispanic community. As a result, her presidential duties are also part of her responsibilities as urban development educator.

Basically, she has expanded her role as a volunteer. With the extension service's backing she is able to spend more time on Hispanic issues, primarily working with Fiesta and SADCO. In addition, the extension service is able to provide some basic needs, such as support staff, infrastructure, meeting rooms, space to keep archives, computers and telephones.

"Community-based organizations have to make a decision to stay very small and do what they can or develop mechanisms to grow and to respond to the demand to the community," DeRusha says. With the extension service's guidance and resources, the groups are learning to be more independent.

Since she began serving as Fiesta president three years ago, the artistic programming has improved; she formalized the membership process, and board members now number 18; and she established official meeting agendas and minutes. In addition to Fiesta 2001, members also are translating the official Indianapolis welcome guide into Spanish.

DeRusha wants Fiesta's next president to find a strong, communicative organization. Over the next two years, DeRusha plans to wean Fiesta off of the extension service's support. From then on, the extension service will offer only organizational guidance.

Although she serves as an advisor and board vice president, DeRusha works with SADCO in more interactive ways than administrative. She develops relationships with the members, attending weddings and baptisms. As a result, she gains valuable insight into the needs and issues of the Hispanic community.

"I could do more classroom-based leadership, but I choose to do leadership projects that require leading the process and being involved," she says. "I found I'm more effective if I know the skills and abilities of the people; my help and advice is more targeted."

From the evidence she gathers, she is able to educate the general public about Central and South American customs and aid Latino residents through charitable missions.

"Carmen is a remarkable organizer," says Bertha Torres, a longtime board member of SADCO. "She gives a lot of herself to better other people's lives. People listen to her, because she speaks from the heart."

With a lot of organization and guidance, SADCO has been able to bring the cultures a step closer. Demonstrating teamwork, SADCO brought 11 Colombian musicians to Indianapolis for musical and cultural presentations. The organization raised $24,000 to host the artists.

During the musicians' two-week stay, members of the Hispanic community provided soft beds and warm meals, showed off the local sites, served as translators and answered lots of questions. "The labor of the people was so strong and so fabulous," says the humble coordinator, who spent nine months planning the event. "The only thing I did was to foster the project."

The musicians discussed Colombian culture and performed classical music for five Indianapolis schools. A lot of Hispanic kids attend public schools "and interact with a lot of kids who don't know anything about Hispanic culture," says DeRusha. (She serves on the Marion County Commission on Youth to illuminate the issues of Hispanic youth. "We have to nurture this knowledge.")

The musical group also performed Colombian music at Clowes Hall. "It's the most satisfying project I've ever worked with," DeRusha says. "These kinds of jobs build the right kind of social capital in the community."

That's her goal for all of Indianapolis, not just Hispanic residents. She remembers her first six years at the extension service, working with the Far Eastside neighborhood. In the late '80s, the Far Eastside was more of an area than a neighborhood; it had no advocate groups.

"It's hard to begin something out of nothing," she recalls. She approached community development by organizing neighborhood groups. By bringing people together, the Far Eastside Council became Community Alliance of the Far East Side. She advised CAFƒ and the Far Eastside Round Table on issues of leadership and infrastructure.

"It's not only about teaching people to be leaders, it's also about believing in the capacity of people and teaching them the common sense of doing it," she says. Concrete results of her work are evident in the existence of recreational facilities, sidewalks and a decrease of crime on the Eastside.

For all of her positive efforts, she has been honored three times in the last year. She received a Cultural Vision award from NUVO Newsweekly for the cultural influence of Fiesta on Indianapolis. The Hispanic Center of Indianapolis gave her the Hispanic-American Service award for her tireless work toward bringing together the Latin American community. Purdue University honored her with the Paul B. Crooks award for her efforts at building communities.

"She doesn't want to take the credit herself," says Stan DeRusha of his wife. "She almost didn't do this interview, because of that."

When the extension service created her position, it wanted to increase civic participation, she explains. Her experiences in Colombia and the United States have given her insight into community involvement.

Right now, her wealthy homeland is in turmoil, torn apart by drug barons, ineffective government and "punk" thieves. "No one is safe, not even local residents," says DeRusha. Yet, she says, people continue to walk along the streets, going to work, to school.

"In comparing how much power we have as citizens here to my own country, I couldn't believe that more people were not more engaged." She says that's the origin for her motivation to engage Hoosiers in civic activities. "There are thousands of people who die because they want to improve their community."

Although she tries to return to her peaceful mountain homeland, Tunja, Boyaca, every year, recently she waited more than two years before returning in May for her brother's wedding for fear harm might come to her American family. Since she is the only sibling out of seven to live in the U.S., she thinks it's selfish to ask her family to visit her.

As soon as the DeRushas landed in the 480-year-old colonial city, their 6-year-old son, Christian, began speaking Spanish with his cousins. Carmen and Stanley met there in 1981 while working in the same building - she as an educational curriculum director and he as a conductor for the University of Hartford. Their three-year friendship turned romantic when he returned to the states, and the two realized they were in love.

Now their Carmel home is filled with the laughter and music from both countries. Even DeRusha's grown stepchildren, Courtney and Matthew, can speak Spanish. When the DeRushas aren't attending concerts and art shows around town, they enjoy entertaining. In fact they invite friends to their home for wine and home cooking so often that when they don't, Christian asks, "Where is everyone?"

DeRusha goes out of her way to be the perfect hostess at her many dinner parties. "She makes you feel so comfortable," Torres says. "You feel like you've known her for a long time. She's so kind and compassionate." And that's the face of Indianapolis she wants immigrants to see.