Educational activist, Helen Avina Sides first conceived of the idea for the Centro Cultural de las Americas (Cultural Center of the Americas) several years ago, after witnessing how little expopsure to the arts underprivileged children in Fort Worth received. The fact that these children and their families were struggling to subsist and therefore, art education was far down on their list of priorities deeply troubled her, because she knew that a lack of art education put children at a huge developmental disadvantage.

In 1999, the organization received 501(c)(3) status, and since then Mrs. Sides has served as cofounder and Executive Director, bringing many programs and events tot he community. As time passed and people began to recognize the good work CCA accomplished, other entities called on Mrs. Sides for help. In an effort to serve these additional needs, CCA expanded the scope of its programs to include a wider range of activities and education.