EIGHT UNSUNG HEROES FROM THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
TO BE HONORED BY SCOTT BRAND WITH FIRST “DONE RIGHT AWARDS”
Candidates Were Nominated By the Community, Elected By Panel of Independent Judges
A Miami attorney, who devotes her evenings to helping homeless youth in her community. A Houston handyman, who helps out elderly, disabled and low-income neighbors repair things around their homes, at no charge. A Los Angeles woman, who volunteers her time to work with incarcerated youth, to the point of having adopted one of their children.
These are but three examples of the kinds of unsung heroes an independent panel of judges from Hispanic media recently chose to receive the Scott brand’s first “Done Right Awards.” The award was created this year by the Scott brand to recognize ordinary people, who have done extraordinary things to help the Hispanic community. The eight winners hail from Miami, Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, Los Angeles and Union City, NJ. Each will receive $2,000, plus a $5,000 donation to their favorite charity or non-profit of their choice.
“These awards celebrate our brand’s Done Right philosophy, which is to blend great performance and value in all our products,” said Chris Allen, Scott brand manager. “The eight remarkable individuals we are recognizing this year embody our core values of doing things right, in this case by going above and beyond the call of duty to help others in the Hispanic community. We are very proud to honor them, and in so doing to thank all our Hispanic consumers for their loyalty to the Scott brand.”
This year’s winners are: Miami attorney Liz Fate; Chicago social worker Edwin González; retired San Antonio public school counselor Gene Cortez; Houston handyman Filiberto Cárdenas; Union City, New Jersey restaurateur José García; Los Angeles social worker Fernando Sarabia; retiree Herlinda Morales and housewife Hilda Morella Esparragoza. Their inspiring, personal stories were among the thousands of nominations received between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15, 2010 from members of the Hispanic community throughout the country, who answered the Scott brand’s call for nominees.
Twenty finalists were chosen by the brand in the first round of judging. The finalists were then evaluated by an independent panel of judges hailing from respected news organizations throughout the country. The judges included, Pedro Rojas, Editor in Chief, La Opinion Newspaper, Los Angeles; Manuel Martinez Llorián, Vice President & General Mgr., WSCV-51, Miami; Tino Duran, Publisher, La Prensa Newspaper, San Antonio; Areli Padilla, Entertainment Editor, La Raza Newspaper, Chicago; and Adriana Calhoon, on-air personality at KOVE-FM Recuerdo, Houston.
Below are the winners’ stories:
·When she isn’t busy with her law practice, Miami attorney Liz Fate volunteers her time to run the Drop-In Center for Homeless Youth (Project NEST), in that city. There, she helps provide the kids with food and hygiene packs, donated clothing and educational resources. She also cooks meals and sometimes serves as a mother and guidance counselor to them.
·Edwin González is responsible for the success of hundreds of poor kids from the inner-city ‘Pilsen’ Neighborhood of Chicago, where he grew up. He can be found wherever there is need – whether holding up a grieving mother at the casket of her 15-year-old son, a victim of gang violence, or attending the college graduation of one of “his kids.”
·Houston resident Filiberto Cardenas, a natural handyman, volunteers a lot of his time to helping the elderly, disabled and poor in his neighborhood with odd jobs around their houses, whether repairing a window or a leaky faucet. He does this out of the goodness of his heart, without expecting anything in return. He says he is just happy to help.
·Los Angeles social worker Fernando Sarabia devotes himself full-time to helping kids in his inner-city neighborhood stay out of gangs, and go on to reach their full potential in life. Despite being confined to a wheelchair as the result of a congenital condition, Fernando not only mentors, tutors and provides them with personal counseling and encouragement, but he also leads them in recreational and sports activities.
·Retired San Antonio public school counselor Gene Cortez’s passion is to help those who cannot help themselves. After a 22-year Army career, he returned to the predominantly Hispanic Near East Side of San Antonio to serve as a Boy Scout Leader and social worker. In addition to volunteering with the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team – he has logged in more than 300 hours in 2010 alone – he and his wife Anita also provide mental health and medical assessments to victims of disasters.
·Hilda Morella Esparragoza is a constant source of guidance and support to at-risk Hispanic youth 18 years of age and younger, both within and outside prisons. For more than a quarter of a century, she has been encouraging and advising them on ways to change their lives and care for their children. Hilda’s credibility comes from practicing what she preaches - 27 years ago she adopted the three-year-old daughter of a female inmate. She raised the little girl as her own and provided for her throughout her life with all the necessary financial and spiritual resources to help her graduate college and go on to live a successful and meaningful life.
·Through his business, Union City, New Jersey restaurateur José García devotes himself to helping others less fortunate than he, who are undergoing either health or financial problems. Every Monday, he donates the day’s profit of his Restaurant Cejas, to a different person or family in need of help.
·Just when she should have been preparing to enjoy a bountiful retirement, Herlinda Morales fell on hard times financially and health-wise. This development forced her to move in into a very modest dwelling in Los Angeles’ Skid Row community. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, however, she joined the Los Angeles Mission, where she volunteers many hours a week serving as a Spanish interpreter for the staff, and helping with numerous other responsibilities.
***Disclosure-Informational Post only. Congrats to all the winners!!
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