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KeyBank Presents Hispanic Initiatives Series to Unite and Empower Latino Community
KeyBank Presents Hispanic Initiatives Series to Unite and Empower Latino Community
Published 09-13-05
Submitted by KeyBank
Despite a 56-percent population increase over the last decade, greater Cleveland's 47,078 Hispanic residents (US Bureau of Census, 2000) remain largely isolated and underrepresented in the broader community. Approximately 50 percent of the Cleveland Hispanic population is 18 to 49 years old - a prime consumer audience - and there are approximately 1,500 Hispanic-owned businesses. Ohio's Hispanics are concentrated in the northern most strip of the state. Statewide buying power of Ohio's Hispanic residents is projected to increase from $4.4 billion in 2003 to $6.1 billion in 2009.
Focused on providing information and solutions, the KeyBank Hispanic Initiatives Series invigorates the movement established at Hispanic convention, La Convención Hispana 2004, when 2,000 residents joined with business and civic leaders to set a vision and institute a platform for developing a sound political and social agenda to transform the Latin-American population into a cohesive force across Northeast Ohio.
"Many leadership efforts to unite and empower the Hispanic community are underway," says Lorraine Vega, senior vice president of Corporate Diversity at KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY). "However, engaging in meaningful public dialogues will, at the same time, raise awareness and help Latinos achieve a stronger voice throughout the region. From a business and economic standpoint, the community at large will benefit by gaining valuable perspective on the under-tapped potential of this vital and growing sector of our population."
Vega will join Judge José Villanueva of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday, October 19 at The City Club to discuss the mobilization of Northeast Ohio's Hispanic community.
Key actively supports this and other Hispanic movements in major metropolitan areas throughout its banking communities from Maine to Alaska. In Cleveland, Key's efforts involve collaboration with the Hispanic Business Community Development Corporation; Julia De Burgos Cultural Center; Spanish-American Committee for a Better Community; El Barrio Social Services; Esperanza, Inc.; LATINA (Leading and Advocating Together in New Arenas) and the Hispanic Roundtable. Outreach efforts include involvement in First-Time Homebuyer workshops and funding and participation in the Hispanic Housing Initiative, both administered through the through Spanish-American Committee, and the conducting of small business workshops with the Hispanic Business Association. Key also contributes to scholarships awarded to Hispanic students through Esperanza.
Consisting of the following programs, the KeyBank Hispanic Initiatives Series will be held on the second floor of The City Club Building, 850 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland. Visit http://www.cityclub.org/content/speakers/speakersupcoming.aspx, or call The City Club at 216-621-0082, for tickets and information.
The Hispanic population is growing rapidly, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the total U.S. population. An emerging, more affluent second generation of Hispanics is changing the influence Hispanics have on U.S. consumer markets. Over the last decade, Hispanic purchasing power has grown at an annual rate of 7.7 percent, three times that of the overall national rate, and now accounts for nearly $700 billion. Projections estimate purchasing power at $1 trillion by 2010. The Hispanic economy in Northeast Ohio reflects this trend with growing markets and Hispanic-owned businesses. How do these changes affect regional development? Are corporations, regional development organizations and local governments doing a sufficient job in outreaching to this population? Where are the entrepreneurial opportunities for Hispanics, and are they capitalizing on them? Mike Robinson, president and CEO of LaVERDAD Marketing and Media, and Ernesto Poza, professor for the Practice of Family Business at Case Western Reserve University, will examine Hispanic economic indicators and how this emerging segment will affect corporate strategies and public policy. Margarita De León, publisher and editor-in-chief of BRAVO Magazine, will moderate.
Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Chairman of CityView
Civic Involvement / Developing Strong Communities
Between the 2000 and the 2004 presidential elections, the number of eligible Latino voters increased by almost 20 percent, six times faster than for the non-Hispanic population. With this shift, interest from politicians in the Hispanic voting block has increased, and civic leaders in the Latino community - and the needs of their constituents - have enjoyed a greater prominence in the local political discourse. Who are the future leaders within our Hispanic community, and what impact do they have on the region? How can these new leaders mobilize the community in order to have a stronger voice and a greater impact on the region? How important is civic involvement to the Hispanic community and the entire community? Lorraine Vega, senior vice president of corporate diversity at KeyCorp, and Judge José Villanueva, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, answer these questions and discuss other important civic issues that affect both Hispanics and the general population. Joe López, president of New Era Builders, Inc., will moderate.
School-aged young people make up 37 percent of the national Hispanic population (compared to 27 percent of the non-Hispanic population). Education is frequently cited by Hispanics as a top policy concern, and much attention has been given to the disparities in academic achievement between Hispanics and their white counterparts. Nationally, Latinos have lower graduation rates -- state records show Cleveland schools at 40 percent -- achievement test scores, and levels of college completion. But despite these seemingly daunting statistics, Hispanics are committed to education. According to a survey by the Pew Hispanic Center/Kaiser Family Foundation, Latinos demonstrate an overarching faith in their local schools and appear to be eager to engage the educational system and take responsibility for ensuring their children's success. Do we lose important opportunities by ignoring cultural differences and barriers, such as immigration, English-language abilities and lure of the job market? How important is the family as a determinant in establishing educational priorities? How can education help to produce the needed business and civic leaders of the future? Silvia Jiménez-Hyre, assistant to the dean and coordinator of Outreach, College of Fine & Performing Arts at Youngstown State University and an appointee to the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, and Myrna E. Villanueva, special assistant to the president at Cuyahoga Community College, will address these and other critical issues. Olga D. González- Sanabria, director of the Engineering and Technical Services Directorate, NASA Glenn Research Center, will moderate.
The City Club of Cleveland
Established to encourage new ideas and a free exchange of thought, The City Club is the oldest continuous free speech forum in the country, renowned for its tradition of debate and discussion. Its mission is to inform, educate and inspire citizens by presenting significant ideas and providing opportunities for dialogue in a collegial setting. For more information about the City Club of Cleveland call 888-223-6786 or visit www.cityclub.org.
KeyCorp
Cleveland-based KeyCorp is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $91 billion. Key companies provide investment management, retail and commercial banking, consumer finance, and investment banking products and services to individuals and companies throughout the United States and, for certain businesses, internationally. Visit the KeyCorp page on Corporate Social Responsibility Wire at http://www.csrwire.com/csr/company.mpl?company=993 for news about the company relative to philanthropic investment, diversity, community development, corporate governance, environment, business ethics, human rights, and workplace issues.
Note to Editors: For up-to-date company information, media contacts and facts and figures about Key lines of business, visit our Media Newsroom at http://www.Key.com/newsroom.
KeyBank
KeyBank
KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at June 30, 2024.
Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.
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