Extraordinary leadership is the theme of this year’s CLLARO Bernie Valdez Awards reception on August 1. This annual event is named after CLLARO’s founder and first board chair, Bernie Valdez, a long-time Denver civic leader. This year’s honorees are Ana Orozco, a community leader; RootED, a collaboration of funders; and Colorado State Senator Dominick Moreno.
“CLLARO is pleased to recognize extraordinary leadership in our community to promote equity in education and health for Latinos,” said Mike Cortes, CLLARO Executive Director.
Ana Orozco will receive the Sheldon Steinhauser Award for Community Service recognizing collaboration and leadership. She founded a group called Charlas Entre Amigas (Chat Among Friends), which offers a safe space for community members to meet and interact with each other. Cortes said, “Ana Orozco identified social isolation and economic challenges when looking at her community’s social determinants of health and set out to address them while she was in CLLARO’s Community Health Action Program.”
“CLLARO is pleased to recognize extraordinary leadership in our community to promote equity in education and health for Latinos.”
Mike Cortes, CLLARO
Colorado State Senator Dominick Moreno will receive the Bernie Valdez Liderazgo (Leadership) Award for sponsoring bills in the state legislature promoting health and education equity, particularly one that established universal breakfast for children in lower-income schools benefiting an estimated 80,000 children in Colorado. Senator Moreno represents Senate District 21 (Adams County, Commerce City, Federal Heights and Westminster). He currently serves as Chair of the Joint Budget Committee and as Vice Chair or the Senate Appropriations Committee
RootED will receive the CLLARO Alianza (Alliance) Award for its bold vision of educational equity for at-risk children. “RootED’s support of parent empowerment is critically important to the success of our children,” said Cortes.
Event sponsors are Arturo Jiménez Immigration Law, The Colorado Trust, Mile High United Way, City and County of Denver’s Human Rights and Community Partnerships, Alpine Bank, Mendez, Barkis and Associates, Ready Foods, Colorado Children’s Campaign, and Connect for Health Colorado.
CLLARO, formerly known as LARASA, is empowering Latinos through leadership development, advocacy, and policy research to strengthen Colorado. Its office is located in Montbello.
For further information about the Bernie Valdez Awards Celebration and Reception or to obtain and invitation contact Gloria Rubio-Cortes at GRC@CLLARO.org or call 303-722-5150.
For More Colorado News: WWW.ELSEMANARIOCOLORADO.COM
