|
Awards celebrate Hispanic image
INLAND: The annual event gives due to
people who make an impact in the community.
11:52 PM PDT on Sunday, September 17,
2006
By MELANIE C. JOHNSON
The Press-Enterprise
Hispanic Lifestyle magazine was launched nine years ago with
a mission to showcase Latinos making a difference in the Inland
area.
Nearly a decade later, the magazine has evolved into a weekly
PBS show running Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. on KVCR, fueled
by the need to reach a booming local Latino population, said
Richard Sandoval, publisher of Hispanic Lifestyle.
Also in its ninth year is the magazine's effort to honor individuals,
nonprofits and businesses at its Hispanic Image Awards event.
Eleven honorees will be saluted Oct. 6 at the Mission Inn.
"Hispanics are 1.6 million of the area's total population
and there are over 50,000 Hispanic-owned businesses," he
said. "This is the right place and the right time, so it's
good to honor these people."
The honorees influence not just the Latino community but the
overall area from Pomona to the Coachella Valley, Sandoval said.
"This is probably the most widespread selection of honorees
we've had for some time," he said.
The winners include:
Frank Reyes, Community Advocate - - Reyes is director
of governmental affairs for the San Bernardino Community College
District. Reyes, who has worked in higher education for 30 years,
helped the district's two campuses, Crafton Hills College and
San Bernardino Valley College, win $90 million in grants in the
past eight years.
Eugene Montanez, Elected Official - - Voters elected Montanez
to the Corona City Council in 2002 and he now represents the
city on the Western Riverside County Conservation Authority,
Tri-Tunnel Express Committee and Riverside Transit Authority.
The 42-year Corona resident also owns Zap Printing with wife
Paula.
Florentino Garza, Visionary - - Garza, an attorney, recently
went to court to challenge a proposed ballot measure in San Bernardino
that would have asked city agencies to sanction employers who
hired undocumented immigrants and landlords who rented to them.
He won honors in 2000 as the California Trial Lawyer of the Year
by the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Ana Rascon and Al Vasquez, Journalists of the Year - -
Rascon and Vazquez, founders of Hispanic Image Marketing Network,
co-produce events and publish the Coachella Valley-based La Prensa
Hispana newspaper and Web site through their company.
Marilyn Martinez-Flores, Educator of the Year - - Martinez-Flores
serves as associate dean of college program support at Riverside
Community College. For the last decade, she has worked with underserved
and underrepresented students.
Radio Aztlan, UC Riverside, Entertainers - - Radio Aztlan,
sponsored by UCR's Chicano Student Programs for 21 years, provides
"musica Chicana" to the region through the campus radio
station, KUCR-FM. The group hosts an annual music festival featuring
Latin rock, pop, jazz, R&B and salsa.
Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, Nonprofit
Organization -- The center pushes for environmental justice and
health, including its efforts to expose pollution at the Stringfellow
Acid Pits in Glen Avon.
Other honorees include:
Pomona Mayor Norma Torres, Influential Latina
J. Michael Ortiz, president of Cal Poly Pomona, Influential
Latino
San Bernardino Sheriff's Department Capt. Pete Ortiz,
Rancho Cucamonga's police chief -- Public Safety Person of the
Year.
Ontario-based Cumbre Inc., parent company of Cumbre
Insurance Services and Coachella Valley Insurance Inc., was
named Business of the Year.
Martinez-Flores, a UC Riverside graduate and a former bilingual
teacher and researcher, said the Image Awards showcase the kinds
of activities that should be celebrated. Martinez-Flores said
she feels humbled to be honored. "Education is my passion
so I feel like I'm just doing my job," she said. "I
don't feel like I go above and beyond the call of duty."
|
