A New Era of Influential Leaders to Graduate from Hispanic Austin Leadership Program

Austin, Texas (April 11, 2012) – The graduating class of Hispanic Austin Leadership (HAL), a program run by The Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will present their community service projects as part of the 2012 Graduation Program on Thursday, April 19. HAL engages future business and civic leaders who are dedicated to creating opportunities while positively impacting the Austin community. The graduation ceremony and reception will be held at the Radisson Hotel located at 111 East Cesar Chavez Street from 6:00 - 8:30pm.

During their eight month program, students explore business and social issues, including the Austin economy, healthcare, education, the environment, financial stability and civic engagement. This year’s projects include Más Por Menos / More For Less, a grocery budgeting program for low income families and All Aboard Austin, which matches non profit Boards with emerging Hispanic leaders.

"Hispanic Austin Leadership has given me a true appreciation of the broad array of issues our community is facing,” said Rosemary Banda, a 2009 HAL graduate and current member of the GAHCC Board of Directors, still involved in the HAL planning committee. “HAL is about awareness and empowerment and that gave me a strong desire to give back and make a difference."

The graduation ceremonies will also include the presentation of the Guillermo Calderon Leadership Award, in which the students vote for the HAL participant who best epitomizes leadership qualities during the program. Stefan Molina, GAHCC Director of Foundation and Program Development, who facilitates each classroom session, states “the role of civic leader can range – you don't have to be the mayor; you can be a role model, a business owner, a tutor or a mentor.”

The range of students is diverse, from passionate college graduates to
business leaders. Most participants hail from companies like IBM, HEB, Applied Materials, Wells Fargo, Goodwill, YMCA and Seton. One student is a stay at home mom who aimed to get back into the business world.

About the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation
The GAHCC Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that is "born from" the GAHCC. The Foundation's primary purpose is to raise, manage and distribute funds and resources, whether raised by the Foundation or appropriated by the Foundation, solely in support of GAHCC Foundation 
Initiatives, such as Leadership, Education, Health & Wellness and Capital Campaign. For more information, visit www.gahcc.org.

For more information about Hispanic Austin Leadership, visit http://www.gahcc.org/HAL