By Pat Hammert

Very often Nancy Galvan must have her daughter, Juanita, relay in Spanish what an English-speaking-only visitor is saying to her.

Her answers are in heavily accented English and occasionally the right words don’t come. But the expression in her eyes conveys caring and compassion for a need she sees.

“I buy toys all year long, when 50 percent off, 70 percent off. I watch for them,” Galvan said. “All for el niños.”

More than 2,000 Hispanic children will benefit from her forethought and a lot of other people’s charitable giving as Galvan coordinates Navidad en el Barrio, or Christmas in the Neighborhood at 2 p.m. on Dec. 11 at Cox Convention Center.

The longtime resident of El Reno is owner and general manager of KZUE LaTremenda Radio, located in rural El Reno at state Highway 66 and Radio Road.

Along the gravel road, made dusty by oil field service trucks traveling back and forth, people deliver new toys or a sack of candy to the radio station for the upcoming event.
But Galvan said El Reno does not respond well to the exclusively Hispanic event, probably because most of the residents are gearing up for Blessing Baskets, a mid-December event that provides toys, gifts and food for about 300 local families.

Galvan said the festival of Christmas in the Neighborhood is a tradition in Mexico where she was born. Moving to Chicago at an early age, Galvan became a radio personality in Chicago’s Spanish-speaking community, rubbing shoulders with Latino celebrities who passed through that city. She lived and worked there close to three decades before she bought the radio station in El Reno 16 years ago.

Since moving here with her four daughters and a son, she has annually organized Navidad en el Barrio, bringing Hispanic personalities to entertain the children and hand out candy and toys.

She engaged Mexican restaurants such as Chelino’s to help sponsor the event as well as the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Oklahoma City and some area supermarkets.

KZUE broadcasts in Spanish from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day offering a variety of programs from music to talk shows and special information programs on Social Security, public assistance and immigration.

A recent KZUE survey showed about 95 percent of the 175,000 Spanish-speaking people in a 100-mile radius make up the station’s listening audience.

Close to 4,000 Hispanics live in Canadian County, according to a 2004 census update. The prediction is that in the next five years, that ethnic group will grow by more than 13 percent.

“The community needs it to listen to,” she said. Galvan hosts her own call-in talk show for an hour at 1 p.m. each day.

“People call in and the discussion is on different topics, sort of open mike time,” said her daughter, Juanita.

Local news is delivered as well as a news segment from Mexico. Two local deejays spin records during time slots throughout the day. One especially popular program is Dr. Isabel, a family therapist who hosts a call-in hour.

Isabel will be the featured personality at Navidad en el Barrio. Singer-performer Tatiana and Senor Barriga, a children’s comedian, will also entertain the crowd, Galvan said.

To donate a toy or candy to the event, Navidad en el Barrio boxes are stationed at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Sacred Heart School, El Reno Main Street offices at 206 N. Bickford and the El Reno Wal-Mart.