The Hispanic committee at Capital One Bank sponsored a Hispanic heritage celebration, which included an art exhibit by Latino artist Camilo Sanin and a youth essay contest. Capital One Hispanic committee members spoke about their support of LAYC's work through volunteerism, grants, and their sponsorship of the essay contest. The essay contest was open to children of Capital One employees, LAYC participants, and children of LAYC staff members.
Steve Linehan, former LAYC board member and current treasurer of Capital One, and Simon Fairclough, current LAYC board member and vice president of Capital One, gave remarks at the event. Linehan stated, "Capital One and LAYC share a commitment to strengthening families and building vibrant communities. As a proud long-time partner, Capital One has invested more than $1 million to support LAYC programs."
Three LAYC youth won awards for their essays and two others received honorable mentions. Josselin, Francisco, and Ramiro won in their age groups and each received gift certificates, a backpack, and a "superstar" medal. Eight-year-old Josselin Zelaya read her essay about a trip to El Salvador, her parents' home country. Josselin's mother and LAYC program coordinator at Wilson Senior High School Maria Navarrete says her daughter was happiest about winning the medal, "she slept with the medal that night and wore it to school the next day." Another LAYC participant, Ramiro Forty, read his essay about who he admires most in his life; he won in the 15-17 age group. Eleven-year-old Francisco Echevarria also won, and LAYC participants Laura Cartagena and Wendy Perez received honorable mentions. See Josselin's submission, below.
