*RAIDERS HONOR BEATRIZ LEYVA-CUTLER AS NFL, HISPANIC HERITAGE FOUNDATION & VERIZON PARTNER FOR 4TH ANNUAL NFL HISPANIC HERITAGE LEADERSHIP AWARDS *
Presented by Verizon, the official wireless service provider of the NFL, 32 Hispanic Leaders Recognized During Hispanic Heritage Month in Every NFL Market
The Oakland Raiders will honor Beatriz Leyva-Cutler for the Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award. The NFL, Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) and Verizon have partnered for the fourth annual NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Awards during the 2014 celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The award recognizes the contributions of Hispanic leaders in each NFL market. Beatriz Leyva-Cutler will receive the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award on October 19th at The Oakland Raiders' Hispanic Heritage game against the Arizona Cardinals at O.co Coliseum.
With support from Verizon, each award recipient will select an organization that serves the local Hispanic community to receive a $2,000 donation. Leyva-Cutler has chosen BAHIA Inc. and the Chicana Latina Foundation to receive the donation.
"It is a true honor to be recognized for my leadership and work in early to school age bilingual care and education by the NFL, the Raiders organization, Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Verizon in its 4th Annual Hispanic Heritage Leadership Awards," said Leyva-Cutler. "This recognition is not only for me – but for the many Latinos and supporters who advocate and work in schools, bilingual education, child care programs and youth development and leadership. Muchas Gracias for this very special award!"
Verizon's participation in this initiative is part of the technology company's "Heritage of Tomorrow" program, which recognizes how Hispanics are helping to shape the nation's future in areas including entrepreneurship, science and innovation.
"We are excited to partner with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Verizon for the fourth annual NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership awards. Each recipient is a role model and local hero," said Mark Waller, NFL Chief Marketing Officer. "We appreciate the time and dedication each leader has devoted to making a difference in their community."
"We are thrilled to partner with the NFL and Verizon to honor Hispanic leaders who are making an impact on communities all over America," said Jose Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of Hispanic Heritage Foundation. "It is important to highlight their leadership not only in the traditional Latino regions but in recently-growing areas as well. The NFL and Verizon made sure that beyond the recognition there was an investment in the community with their donations to nonprofits. There is no better way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month than to make a difference in the Latino community."
"Hispanic Heritage Month is a great opportunity for Verizon to join with the nation and celebrate the contributions of 32 individuals who are making an impact in their communities," said Jay Jaffin, Vice President of Marketing for Verizon Wireless. "Our participation in the Hispanic Heritage Leadership Awards is part of our larger commitment to share our success with the communities where we live and work."
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler is the Executive Director of The Bay Area Hispano Institute for Advancement, Inc. (BAHIA) located in West Berkeley. BAHIA is one of the only full-time bilingual child development programs providing vital early to school age care services to the Hispano/Latino familias in Northern Alameda County. She has been with BAHIA since 1980 and the Executive Director for over 26 years.
Her primary responsibility is supervising, administering and managing four bilingual child development programs, Centro VIDA, Bahia School Age Program, La Academia de Centro VIDA and Academia de Bahia. Beatriz has taught Child Development in Spanish in local community colleges as a way to bring more Latinas into the position of Teachers and Directors.
She has been a mentor to early childhood Directors and a member of the Latinos Unidos de Berkeley (LUB) and United in Action (UIA). Both LUB and UIA are groups that advocate for the improved quality of life and education of Latino and African America students and their families living in Berkeley.
Beatriz was honored in 1997 as Berkeley's Outstanding Woman, in 2004 as Exemplary Child Care Worker in Berkeley, and in 2005 recognized as Woman of the Year by Honorable Assemblywoman Loni Hancock and in 2006 as KPFA's Peace and Social Justice Awardee. Formerly a Democratic delegate for District 14, she is currently in her 2nd elected term as a Berkeley School Board Member.
She graduated with her BA from San Francisco State in La Raza Studies, received her Master of Arts in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California. Beatriz is also the Board Chair of the Chicana/Latina Foundation which provides scholarships to undergraduate and graduate Latina students in nine
surrounding counties. She is graduate fellow of LeaderSpring which provides a two year fellowship for non-profit Executive Directors and currently a fellow with Emerge California which prepares democratic women for political office.
She is the proud mother of Xochitl Leyva Rivas, a registered nurse at Kaiser Permanente and Maximilio Leyva Cutler, a Geography senior at San Francisco State, and the proud grandmother of Isela and Selena Vasquez.
About Verizon Wireless:
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest and most reliable 4G LTE network. As the largest wireless company in the U.S., Verizon Wireless serves 103.3 million retail customers, including 97.3 million retail postpaid customers. Verizon Wireless is wholly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. For the latest news and updates about Verizon Wireless, visit our News Center at http://www.verizonwireless.com/news or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VZWNews.
About the Hispanic Heritage Foundation:
Established by the White House in 1987, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) is an award-winning nonprofit organization that identifies, inspires, prepares and positions Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce to meet America's priorities. HHF is a 501(c)3 focused on assisting "a Latino to help hundreds more" through a unique cycle of leadership built on a high-profile, year-round continuum of sustainable programs including the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards, Latinos On Fast Track (LOFT), Hispanic Heritage Awards and Public Awareness Campaigns. HHF promotes cultural pride, accomplishment and the great promise of the community through public awareness campaigns seen by millions.
