Family of Retired San Jose Fire Department Battalion Chief and Principal of Mount Pleasant High School; Named Honorees of this Year’s Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley’s Prestigious Community Engagement Award
The Guerrero Family Named Recipients of Hispanic Foundation’s
“La Familia Award”
September 8, 2015, Silicon Valley, CA—Today, Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley(HFSV) announced that this year’s La Familia Award will be presented to the Guerrero family of San Jose. This year’s Hispanic Foundation Ball will be held on Saturday, October 24 at the Fairmont San Jose.
The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley is a philanthropic organization, focused on cultivating philanthropy to address community needs and invest in the success of the local Hispanic community. Its signature program, the Hispanic Foundation Ball (HFB), was conceived as a way to increase awareness about the issues affecting the Latino community and to celebrate giving and volunteering within it.
The Patriarch
The oldest son of Jose Luis and Ofelia Guerrero is the Patriarch of this year’s La Familia Awards Recipients, Jose Luis Guerrero Jr. is a retired Battalion Chief for the San Jose Fire Department. Chief Guerrero has impacted the lives of hundreds of students in the Silicon Valley through his volunteer work with the North Valley Soccer League and Saint John Vianney School in San Jose. Chief Guerrero is also an avid volunteer with Los Bomberos of Northern California as an organizer of Toys for Tots Drives; as a participant in the Latino Role Model Conference; and his life work of recruiting and training young Latinos and Latinas to become firefighters.
La Familia Guerrero
The Guerrero Family is comprised of five siblings that have dedicated themselves to serving their community by sharing their passions, skills and enthusiasm
Martha Guerrero, Principal of Mount Pleasant High School, spends tireless hours and much her own free time, assuring that is a safe place for kids to learn and become engaged future leaders who are not afraid to share their voice.
Veronica Guerrero is a home school teacher whose passion is as a volunteer in the arts, particularly in public speaking and poetry recitation and is also a Poetry instructor for Santa Clara County students preparing for the State of California Poetry Competition, Poetry Out Loud.
ABC News reporter Juan Carlos Guerrero is a volunteer who provides translation services at the Alum Rock School District’s Renaissance Academy, including producing a weekly newsletter for the families of students.
Ignacio J. Guerrero, Director of the Department of Child Support Services for the County of Santa Clara, has dedicated his professional life to ensuring children and families obtain the financial support for which they are legally and morally entitled to receive. He has worked in San Mateo, Alameda, and Santa Clara counties overseeing the delivery of child support services to the community. His volunteer work includes service to numerous Fatherhood groups throughout the Bay Area, coaching in multiple youth sports organizations, the San Mateo County Service League, and Saint John Vianney School.
“The Hispanic Foundation is pleased to recognize a family that has made their lifework to share their passions with our youth,” said Ron Gonzales, President and CEO of the HFSV. “Such dedication, enthusiasm and hard work is inspiring to the youth whose lives they have touched and will continue to impact their families for generations to come,” said Gonzales.
About the Hispanic Foundation Ball
This year the 26th Annual Hispanic Foundation Ball will be held at Fairmont San Jose in San Jose, California on Saturday, October 24, 2015 and will be emceed by Damian Trujillo of NBC Bay Area and Blanca Garza of Telemundo. The first event was held in 1990 to raise awareness about the issues affecting the Latino community, to promote volunteerism, celebrate philanthropic leaders, and to provide a vehicle to support nonprofit organizations serving the Hispanic community with cash grants.
About The Hispanic Foundation Silicon Valley
The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley is a public foundation which cultivates philanthropy and inspires Hispanic children and families to achieve personal greatness. HFSV engages leadership and bridges resources to invest in a thriving Latino community. Resources are directed toward educational excellence, leadership development, research, and convening and engaging the Hispanic community to improve the quality of life for Latinos and the Silicon Valley region.