Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) congratulated this year’s graduates of Centro Latino for Literacy’s Leamos™ and Funcional  programs at a graduation ceremony held in the Crescent Arms Hall at the Centro Latino for Literacy building in Pico Union.
 
Centro Latino's mission is to teach Latino immigrants to read and write. Centro Latino pioneered an innovative approach by using a web-based literacy program, known as Leamos por Computadora™ (or Leamos).  Leamos is a comprehensive web-based literacy program that teaches students to read and write Spanish in just three months. 

Centro Latino primarily serves low-income Latino adults in economically underserved neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, including the Pico Union, Koreatown, Downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, East LA, Southeast LA, and South LA neighborhoods. 

During the ceremony, Centro Latino honored the congresswoman with its Community Leadership Award for her advocacy in obtaining federal funds to expand their program and purchase computers.  The organization also honored: Dr. Concepcion M. Valadez, a UCLA professor and program evaluator at Centro Latino; and Melanie Stephens and Marcos Cajina, both of whom founded Centro Latino for Literacy in 1991. 

Pictured left to right: Juan Mireles, Centro Latino President of the Board of Directors; Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34); and Mari Riddle, Executive Director of Centro Latino.

The congresswoman made the following remarks:

“To you and to the entire Centro Latino for Literacy family, I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation for presenting me with this year’s Community Leadership Award.

For almost two decades, Centro Latino has been devoted to helping empower individuals and their families to gain independence through literacy and the ability to read and write basic English.

In today’s ever growing and highly technical society, literacy and computer skills are more critical now than ever before. Understanding this reality, Centro Latino introduced literacy via computer software through their Leamos por Computadora curriculum.

Through this forward thinking program participants now graduate with basic language and literacy skills as well as the basic computer skills they need to help them on the road to a better future.

It was truly rewarding for me to support the center’s mission by securing the $128,000 in federal funds needed to purchase computers for the center’s Leamos por Computadora program and the $215,000 the center needed to expand its literacy campaign beyond the Pico Union area.

This expansion will provide hope for increased numbers of individuals who will have greater opportunity to reach their full potential and in turn make our community and our country even stronger.

A perfect example are the deservedly proud and hopeful faces of Centro Latino’s graduates who are here this evening.  To you, I extend my sincere congratulations on your great achievement and I wish you the very best of success in your future endeavors.

Para los graduados de hoy, deben de estar muy orgullosos por haber iniciado esta nueva etapa en su vida.  El gran esfuerzo y sacrificio que han hecho es un buen ejemplo para sus familias y la comunidad.  Este día les ofrecerá una nueva esperanza.  ¡Felicidades!

Felicidades, to Concepcion Valadez for receiving the Volunteer Award.  Volunteers are crucial to the existence of an organization.  Without them, none of this would be possible.  I would also like to congratulate Centro Latino’s founders, Marcos Cajina and Melanie Stephens, with whom I humbly share tonight’s honor. 

Their tremendous work provided the foundation upon which Centro Latino has become a leader in literacy instruction.  Thank you both for your commitment to improving the life of those in our community.

In closing, I would also like to thank Centro Latino’s Executive Director, Mari Riddle, the staff, and the Board of Directors for their outstanding work and support of educational justice for our community.

Again, thank you for presenting me with the Community Leadership Award.”