Honored to Receive the Nonprofit of the Year Award During Hispanic Heritage Month

Last Wednesday, September 24th, I had the profound honor of being recognized for nearly 14 years of work and dedication as Founder and Executive Director of the United Children’s Music Project (UCMP). I may have had the idea to create UCMP, but this recognition is not mine alone — it belongs to our dedicated teachers, students, parents, trustees, volunteers, and supporters who have stood alongside me in this journey. Together, we are creating a better future for our students and our community.

The Hudson County Chamber of Commerce recognized UCMP with the Nonprofit of the Year Award in an intimate ceremony that also lifted up Hispanic leaders whose work inspires me: Andrés Acevedo (President, NJCU), Tania Umanzor (Branch Manager, Ponce Bank), and the North Hudson Community Action Corporation. The ceremony was made even more powerful by keynote speaker Congressman Robert Menendez, who reminded us of the countless contributions our community makes to this nation and inspired us all to keep pushing forward.

Receiving this acknowledgment during Hispanic Heritage Month carries special weight. It serves as a reminder that our community’s influence in Hudson County — and across the United States — is both deep and indispensable. Our contributions are woven into the fabric of this nation: as CEOs and business owners, doctors and nurses, teachers and caretakers, domestic workers, farm laborers, artists, engineers, and more. Every role, every story, enriches this country that we also call home.

At the same time, we must face stark truths: for all our strength, we remain underrepresented in positions of power. There are too few Hispanic voices in government, in C-suite leadership, or in major nonprofit boards and philanthropic foundations. Latino-founded and Latino-serving nonprofits frequently receive less than 2 % of total philanthropic funding annually, despite the urgent needs they serve and the excellence many of us achieve.

• Less than 1.5% of foundation grant dollars are directed towards Latino communities, despite Latinos comprising 18.5% of the U.S. population. Hispanicwealth

• Latinos hold only about 1 % of foundation CEO roles and just over 9 % of program officer positions, further limiting access to decision-making power. Latino Leadership Institute

Yet despite these systemic barriers, Hispanics continue to outpace many other groups in entrepreneurship. Our community creates businesses, innovates, takes risks, and lifts up others. That drive is a powerful counter-narrative to the negative or simplistic portrayals we too often see in the media.

The economic data underscores our potential:

• U.S. Latino purchasing power is now measured at approximately $3.4 trillion ASU News

• The Latino economy (GDP) is estimated at $3.6 trillion, making it one of the largest “economies” in the world if it were a country. Latino Donor Collaborative+1

These numbers tell a clear story: we are a formidable economic force. And yet, too often we lack equitable representation and support. At a time when our community is misrepresented, maligned, or spoken of in diminishing terms, moments like last Wednesday matter even more. They give us a platform to redirect the narrative. They say: We belong. We contribute. We deserve equity and opportunity. They allow us to lift up our stories in our own voices, rather than letting others define us.

After 33 years in this country, as a proud Venezuelan-American, I share this recognition not just for me, but in honor of the millions of Hispanic women and men who wake up every day, do our work, and build this nation quietly but powerfully. May this recognition be one of many stories that uplifts, celebrates, and affirms our community’s indelible role.

This Hispanic Heritage Month — and every month — we need more of these stories, more resources, more visibility, more leadership seats, more seats at every table. Let us continue pushing, speaking, shining, collaborating, and building — for ourselves and for the next generation.