12-01-2008

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In their second year, Univision’s Community Corazon Awards highlight individuals and organizations for displaying extraordinary devotion to community service.

“Univision is pleased to present this year’s Community Corazon Award for Leadership to Raul Yzaguirre and for Organization of the Year to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials,” said Joe Uva, CEO, Univision Communications Inc.  “We honor Raul for his vision, leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of Hispanics in the U.S. He is recognized globally for paving the way for Hispanics today. NALEO’s impact on empowering Hispanics was evident by the results of the ‘Ya Es Hora’ campaign and the organization’s ability to mobilize more than a million Hispanics to become citizens and help decide the 2008 presidential election. Raul and NALEO are truly deserving of this recognition for their decades of work to make sure the Hispanic voice is heard in all sectors of our country, from business, to government to civic leadership.”

“I’m pleased and humbled to have received an award from Univision.  Univision is an outstanding institution that has come to serve the Hispanic community so well,” said Yzaguirre.  “I consider it a personal privilege to have had the opportunity to serve my community for over half a century.”

“The NALEO Educational Fund was honored to receive this award on behalf of the millions of Latinos who have taken the important step of becoming U.S. citizens, registered to vote, and voted in the recent Presidential Election,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director, NALEO.  “The victory this election cycle belongs to our community.  They demonstrated their eagerness to participate in our nation’s democratic process by taking part in shaping its future.  We were honored to carry out the critical work of informing our community in partnership with Univision.”

Raul Yzaguirre is an American civil rights activist who began his career at the tender age of 15. Yzaguirre is a respected thought leader in the Hispanic community who has created unprecedented opportunities for many Hispanic Americans across the country.  His forward thinking was instrumental in the creation of the NCLR, which began as a regional support organization to help strengthen local Mexican American worker and welfare organizations, fight for fair employment laws and access to housing and health care, and promote voter registration. Yzaguirre served as president and CEO of from 1974 – 2004. Under his leadership, NCLR emerged as the most influential and respected Hispanic organization in the country. Today, continuing his lifelong mission to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans, Yzaguirre has established and is the executive director of the Center for Community Development and Civil Rights which focuses on community development, education, health and wellness, financial literacy, program-based solutions, and academic scholarship.

The NALEO Educational Fund is the nation’s leading organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service. The NALEO Educational Fund’s Civic Education program seeks to educate, mobilize, and integrate the Latino community in the decision making process in order to strengthen American democracy through naturalization, civic integration, and voter education and mobilization programs. In 2007, NALEO and a consortium of more than 400 local and national organizations lead a civic engagement campaign “Ya es Hora” (It’s Time) motivating 1.4 million legal permanent residents to apply for U.S. citizenship.

Univision Communications Inc.
Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States.  Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 97% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 85% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 64 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 70 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in Puerto Rico; and Univision Online, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S. located at http://www.univision.com Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the U.S. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States.

For more information, please visit www.univision.net.