Regional Winners Also to be Recognized at 2007 NCLR Annual Conference

Miami, FL – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., will present the 2007 NCLR/Ford Motor Company Affiliate of the Year Award to CentroNía, a 20-year-old community-based educational organization in Washington, DC. CentroNía, a member of NCLR’s network of nearly 300 Affiliates and a leader in bilingual education and family support services, will be honored at the 2007 NCLR Annual Conference Awards Gala on Tuesday, July 24, in Miami, Florida. In addition to the award, CentroNía will receive a $25,000 grant.

“CentroNía is an exceptional institution. Its work provides vital educational services for children and youth and helps strengthen Latino families and the surrounding community. It demonstrates a true commitment in fulfilling a mission of service and is a model for other community-based organizations,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

CentroNía, an exemplary center for learning and family services, offers programs that address early childhood education, youth development, and family support needs in the Washington, DC, community. CentroNía’s programs include early childhood, preschool, tutoring for school-aged children, summer programs, family literacy, and workforce training for adults. In 2004, CentroNía opened the DC Bilingual Public Charter School to expand educational opportunities to children in early preschool to fifth grade.

“We are extremely honored to receive this award. Being recognized as the NCLR Affiliate of the Year validates our work with the Latino community. Now, more than ever before, is the time to expand the programs of organizations like ours to areas with new and expanding Latino populations. CentroNía is committed to providing a continuum of educational programs to children, youth, and families for the next 20 years and beyond, so that together we can continue to grow, learn, and lead,” said Beatriz Otero, CentroNía President and CEO.

Presented annually, the Affiliate of the Year Award is an opportunity for NCLR to honor an Affiliate for exemplary work in positively impacting the local community and for supporting NCLR’s policy and programmatic initiatives. Generous support from the Ford Motor Company makes this recognition possible.

NCLR also selects four Affiliates as regional honorees to receive a $5,000 grant for their outstanding work in specific geographical areas. The 2007 regional honorees are AltaMed Health Services Corporation from Los Angeles, CA (California); Southwest Key Program from Austin, Texas (Central region); Asociación de Puertorriqueños en Marcha from Philadelphia, PA (Eastern region); and Northwest Communities Education Center from Granger, WA (Western region).

For more information about NCLR or the Affiliate of the Year Award, please contact Jacqueline Pacheco at jpacheco@nclr.org or (786) 276-2932; or visit www.nclr.org.

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