City of Bloomington to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 10, 2012

For more information, please contact:
Melissa Britton, Latino Outreach Coordinator, Community and Family Resources Department, City of Bloomington, 349.3860, brittonm@bloomington.in.gov
Adam Wason, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349.2489

City of Bloomington celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month

Bloomington, IN - Mayor Mark Kruzan announced today that three award recipients will be honored during Hispanic Heritage Month for their outstanding service to our community.

Community advocate Prisma Lopez-Marin, the Futures Family Planning Clinic and high school senior Alexandra Nin-Velez will all be recognized at the kickoff event at 4 p.m. on Sept. 14 at La Casa Latino Culture Center located at 715 E. Seventh St. The recipients were selected by members of the Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs. This event is free and open to the public. This year's theme is "Diversity United, Building America's Future Today."

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The observation started in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson as Hispanic Heritage Week and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on Sept. 15 and ending on Oct. 15.

This month's events also include:

• The Fiesta del Otoño fall cultural festival will take place on Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Bloomington Farmers' Market. Local Latino artists and community members from many different Latin American and Caribbean countries will be present to showcase their traditions and talents through food, dance, music, activities for kids and more.
• COPA Bloomington will celebrate a beloved Latin American sport with this annual three-day speed soccer tournament. Join the fun and register your team today at www.bloomington.in.gov/latino
• The ¡HOLA Bloomington! Spanish language radio show will run weekly specials highlighting the contributions of Latinos to our community and to the country. The show airs every Friday at 6 p.m. on WFHB 91.3fm.

This month's events are brought to you by the City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department, IU Health Bloomington Positive Link, El Centro Comunal Latino, the IU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the IU La Casa Latino Culture Center. For more information about National Hispanic Heritage Month events, contact Melissa Britton, Latino Outreach Coordinator for the City of Bloomington at 349-3860 or brittonm@bloomington.in.gov.

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