CHICAGO’S CIVIC AND ELECTED LEADERS GATHER AT EL VALOR 41st ANNUAL DON QUIXOTE DINNER TO CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATIVE LATINO CAUCUS & NATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION BOARD CHAIR VANESSA RICH

CHICAGO – June 3, 2014 – El Valor, a leading internationally recognized non-profit organization, will celebrate its 41st annual Don Quixote fundraiser dinner event on June 3. More than five hundred civic, community and elected leaders will gather with new President & CEO Rey B. Gonzalez, AT&T Illinois President, Paul LaSchiazza and El Valor’s board of directors present honors to the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and to Vanessa Rich, board chair of the National Head Start Association.

The Board Chair of the National Head Start Association, Vanessa Rich, is known across the country as leading pioneer in early childhood development and has created an effective learning community. Ms. Rich will be honored with the Guadalupe A. Reyes Founder’s Award.

The Don Quixote Leadership Award will be presented to the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus for their critical groundbreaking legislative work to address the disparity of access to quality education, healthcare, economic development and human capital development for the Latino community across the state.

For more than 40 years, El Valor has provided leadership in early childhood education, provided support for persons with disabilities and in addressing the demand for credentialed linguistically and culturally personal. Research from the Pew Research Center has recently shown that the country continues to have a multicultural demographic shift that includes Latinos becoming the majority population in the United States.  According to the research, Latinos have made a vital impact shaping the future of this country, while leading the country’s economic growth and purchasing power.

“It is evident that talented leaders from the Latino community in Illinois have made an impact on the lives of millions”, said Rey B. Gonzalez, president & CEO of El Valor. “El Valor’s board of directors and I are pleased to have the opportunity today to honor both the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and the Board Chair Vanessa Rich of the National Head Start Association as they are making significant contributions to address the needs of Latino families for the benefit of the state and the entire country.

The June 3rd dinner is in the Grand Ballroom, Chicago Hilton & Towers, 720 S. Michigan in Chicago. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for the reception, and dinner will be served at 7:00 p.m. with the program starting soon thereafter.

El Valor is ranked among the top 20 Hispanic non-profit institutions in the country and has a successful partnership with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. For more information on the initiative: http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/hispanic-initiative/key-activities-2/

Five hundred business, civic, community and elected leaders are expected to attend along with key sponsors including: AT&T, ComEd, Southwest Airlines, Pinto Construction, Carlos H. Cantu Family Foundation, Chicago Latino Network, Phil Fuentes Nuance Duty Free, INTREN, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, McDonald’s Corporation, Walgreens, ABC7CHICAGO, Arias Information Solutions, LLC, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Camborne Consulting, D’Escoto, Inc., FirstMerit Bank, F.H. Paschen, S.N.Nielsen, National Louis University, Nicor Gas, PNC Bank, Primera Engineers, Quaker Foods North America, United Building Maintenance, Inc., Univision Chicago and Wintrust.

About El Valor

El Valor is an internationally recognized non-profit organization that has delivered 40 years of research-based programs that have benefitted thousands of individuals in Illinois and around the country. El Valor serves more than 3,000 families throughout the Chicagoland area who have received high quality early childhood education; more than 1,000 people with disabilities learn how to live more independently; more than 350 school-age youth receive individualized academic support; and more than 650 working professionals primarily from the Latino community have obtained their advanced degrees in partnership with area universities.  For more information on services provided, please visit https://www.elvalor.org/