Ever since Nick Lopez began his role as president and CEO of the Latin American Educational Foundation (LAEF) — a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships and other services to Colorado Hispanics and Latinos — he’s consistently thought about ways the organization can meet the needs of the community.
“I think simply put, how do we begin to serve more students, how do we deepen our support of our students beyond the scholarships and important financial resources we provide — the advisement, the career navigation, developing (Latino/Hispanic students) as leaders, investing in their leadership capacity. As we relaunch LAEF, we are thinking more broadly and investing in our students with more than just scholarships,” said Lopez.
“I think what’s exciting for us at this time for the foundation and the community is it’s clear and apparent the future success of this state — culturally, economically — is that the Latino community is front and center. I know LAEF is going to be one of the voices in the community ensuring our community needs our served and that we’re part of that conversation,” Lopez added. “It’s about advancing Colorado, and we’ll be part of that.”
As LAEF looks toward continuing its positive impact on Colorado Hispanic/Latino students, the organization is preparing for its annual Gala which will take place Saturday, March 11 at the Fillmore Auditorium. Along with highlighting its scholars and alumni at the event, LAEF will award the Sol Trujillo National Lifetime Leadership award to the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado — a philanthropic foundation that works to create culturally responsive strategies to build influence, equity, and opportunity for Colorado Latinos.
Each year, LAEF awards the Sol Trujillo National Lifetime Leadership award to recognize and celebrate individuals who are working to improve educational opportunities for Hispanic and Latino youth. The award is named after Sol Truillo who is the country’s first US-born Hispanic to serve as CEO of a Fortune 200 company.
Previous community members who received the Sol Trujillo National Lifetime Leadership award include Tim Marquez, co-founder of the Denver Scholarship Foundation, Bruce Benson, Pat Cortez, Julian Castro, and others.
“Honoring the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado was a reflection of their impact, support and investment in LAEF as much as a reflection on the impact they’ve had on the Latino community. Their sole focus is to provide the support, resources, and relationships and the guidance to Latino nonprofits across the state to build that capacity and to have that sole focus on Latino nonprofits,” said Lopez.
For more information on LAEF, visit laef.org. If you wish to donate to LAEF, you can do so by sending a check and mailing to the Latin American Educational Foundation at 1035 Osage St., Denver, CO. 80203. More information about donating to the organization can be found at laef.org/Support.
