Hyundai Invests in Latino Community During Hispanic Heritage Month

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Oct 152022
 

(l to r) Brandon Ramirez, director, corporate social responsibility, Hyundai Motor America, Sandra Pisano, PsyD, Director, Behavioral Health, AltaMed, Fanny Oliveira, Sr. director of Development, AltaMed Foundation, in Los Angeles, Calif. on October 14, 2022. (Photo/Hyundai)

At the close of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15) Latino Traffic Report has learned that Hyundai  honored the Hispanic and Latinx communities with a multifaceted program that included philanthropic and community-based support and sponsorships including:

  • Hyundai Hope donations to empower future generations through education
  • Community support from Hyundai’s employee resource group (ERG), Amigos Unidos
  • Partnership with the Latin American Museum in Long Beach (MOLAA)
  • Participation in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) leadership conference
  • Hyundai’s Hispanic marketing agency, Lopez Negrete Communications, FIFA campaign

“Hispanic and Latino Americans have long played a pivotal role enriching our culture and economy and serve as a key driving force of the automotive industry,” said José Muñoz, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor North America. “America’s diversity has always been one of our greatest strengths as a nation and we are proud to support and spotlight the Hispanic community’s rich and diverse heritage, achievements and contributions that have made our country better and stronger.”

Members of Hyundai’s Employee Resource Group, Amigos Unidos, with Lourdes Ramos, PhD, president and CEO, MOLAA, Alison Heney, PhD, vice president of learning and public programs, MOLAA, in Long Beach, Calif., October 10, 2022. (Photo/Hyundai)

Philanthropic Commitments
Hyundai donated $25,000 to The East Los Angeles Community Union (TELACU) College Success Program to increase the number of Hispanic and Latino first-generation students from underserved communities majoring in the fields of STEM and business.

Hyundai Hope contributed to the AltaMed Foundation to support programs and resources providing mental health services to underserved communities.

Amigos Unidos Community Work
Hyundai and its employee resource group (ERG), Amigos Unidos, hosted the Fifth Annual Hyundai Career Experience Virtual Program for first- and second-year college students to learn about automotive career opportunities.

For a second year in a row, Hyundai’s Amigos Unidos ERG members volunteered their time and provided financial assistance to community-based organization, Project Youth OCBF in Santa Ana to keep at-risk youth in school, healthy and drug-free through education, counseling, mentoring, and family strengthening.

Latin American Museum in Long Beach (MOLAA) Sponsorship
Hyundai donated $14,000 to the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) Youth Art and Hispanic Heritage Programs and is sponsoring the Día de los Muertos community celebration and exhibit. For more information, please visit 2022 MOLAA Day of the Dead Festival.

Thought Leadership
Hyundai Motor North America’s Gil Castillo, senior group manager, product strategy and regulatory compliance, participated in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference “Building a Climate Resilient Nation: Green American Communities and Business” in Washington, D.C to discuss Hyundai’s electrification and carbon neutrality goals.

Hispanic Agency of Record and FIFA Content
Hyundai’s multicultural marketing group together with its newly selected U.S. Hispanic agency, Lopez Negrete Communications, unleashed the passion for soccer, starting with families, with original, culturally curated content awarding four Hispanic winners to attend the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Selected winners will be sharing their experience and journey of a lifetime during the live, global event that scores high among U.S. Hispanics.

Not all automakers make reaching out to the Latino community a priority. Bravo to Hyundai for its efforts.

Colón Honored at 2017 Hispanic Heritage Awards

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Oct 112017
 

Winding up Hispanic Heritage Month, Latino Traffic Report has learned that Alba Colón Chevrolet Racing program manager, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series received the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Award, sponsored by ExxonMobil the at the Thirtieth Hispanic Heritage Awards presented by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), September 14 at the historic Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. The show was also televised on PBS, October 6.
Created by the White House in 1987 to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in America and supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions that co-host the program, The Awards are among the highest honors by Latinos for Latinos.

STEM Award Honoree Alba Colon and J.W.Cortés

“I am very proud of my heritage and I would not have wanted to journey through this life any other way,” commented Colón during her acceptance speech. “By working together and celebrating the beauty of our heritage and who we are … we can change the world.”
A Spanish native, Colon grew up in Puerto Rico where she moved with her family at the age of three. It was an interest in space, not cars that led her to pursue a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus. She worked at Sterling Pharmaceuticals in Puerto Rico after college but left to work on the Formula SAE program, where she, as team captain, built race cars from the ground up, exhibiting them at events held at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI. GM hired her after three years of competing in the Formula SAE program, and in 2001, named her Chevrolet Racing’s Program Manager for NASCAR Cup racing. She’s one of the most powerful women in the sport and the only top female engineer in the sport of NASCAR racing.
“As a Latina in a traditionally underrepresented field, Alba Colón is a transformative role-model for our community,” said José Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of the HHF. “The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is privileged to honor her with the STEM Award on an evening which will be entertaining, meaningful and inspirational as we present America with the great value Latinos provide. It’s more important than ever to showcase visionary Latinos like Alba and the other Honorees.”

The Awards recognize the contributions and accomplishments of leading Latino individuals and organizations in various fields while celebrating cultural pride and the great promise to America. Additional honorees this year included:

The DREAMERS – Inspira Award, sponsored by American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

Luis Fonsi– Special Trailblazer Award, sponsored by TARGET

Gael García Bernal – Vision Award, sponsored by The Walt Disney Company

Rudy Beserra – Leadership Award, sponsored by The Coca Cola Company

The Latin Recording Academy – Arts Award, sponsored by Southwest Airlines, the Official Airlines

Alba Colón: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Award, sponsored by ExxonMobil

November 1, 2015: at the Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA . (HHP/Andrew Coppley)

The Hispanic Heritage Awards are unique in that educators, physicians, innovators, businesspersons, community leaders, and elected officials stand alongside celebrities and great artists in representing the great value Latinos provide the United States and the globe. They serve as a launch of HHF’s year-round, award-winning programs that inspire, prepare, and connect Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce to meet America’s needs in priority fields.