2006 Hispanic Heritage Award Honorees Announced for Special 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Kennedy Center

2006 Hispanic Heritage Award Honorees Announced for Special 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Kennedy Center

Ceremony to Air on NBC Universal Television Stations on September 30, and the Telemundo Network and Armed Forces Network on October 1

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hispanic Heritage Foundation today announced the 2006 Hispanic Heritage Awards Honorees, who will be celebrated with a special ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Awards on September 7 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The ceremony will be aired as a television special on NBC Universal television stations September 30 (check local listings for time) and on the Telemundo network and Armed Forces Network October 1.

The 2006 Hispanic Heritage Awards Honorees are: Antonio Banderas, Arts, internationally known actor; Dr. Juliet Villarreal Garcia, Education, first Latina president of a college or university; Lieutenant Colonel US Army (retired) Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, Leadership, community activist and highest-ranking Latina in the Combat Support Field of the U.S. Army; Juan Marichal, Sports, Hall-of- Fame baseball legend; James A. Johnson, Vision, Chairman Emeritus of the Kennedy Center; and Jose Feliciano, Lifetime Achievement, internationally renowned recording artist. The star-studded celebration will also include a tribute to Honorees from the past 20 years.

"For 20 years, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation has recognized the leadership, creativity and vision in our Honorees to move our diverse and vibrant community forward," said Dr. Pedro Jose (Joe) Greer, Jr., Chairman of the Board and a past Hispanic Heritage Awards Honoree. "We are proud to celebrate the best of America through our Honorees and inspire the next generation of leaders and role models through our year-round programs. It promises to be a very special evening in Washington."

The executive producer of the Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy Center and television specials is Maria Perez-Brown, creator and executive producer of Nickelodeon's Taina and the Emmy-nominated Gullah Gullah Island. The Director is Chuck Vinson, who also directed Last Comic Standing, NAACP Image Awards, and HBO's One Night Stand. The hosts and a dynamic group of presenters and performers will be announced in the next few weeks.

In recognition of the 20th Anniversary of the Hispanic Heritage Awards, the Smithsonian Latino Center will host a reception to welcome the Honorees on September 6 at the Smithsonian Castle. This event will include the donation of a signed instrument from acclaimed Colombian singer/songwriter Carlos Vives to the Smithsonian's permanent collection.

In addition, nine National Hispanic Heritage Youth Award recipients will be recognized on stage at the Kennedy Center for their accomplishments in the classroom and community. These students were selected as high school seniors in the spring from a pool of 13,000 applicants from across the country. They include: Eutiquio Chapa, Education Award, King City, CA; Marina Alanna Gatto, Community Service Award, San Carlos, CA; Eletha Joy Flores, Engineering & Mathematics Award, Springdale, MD; Rayden Llano, Healthcare Award, Princeton, FL; Fernando Salvador Sanchez, Journalism Award, New York, NY; Eric Hamilton Sanabria, Leadership Award, Los Angeles, CA; Luis Flores, Sports Award, Chandler, AZ; David Tomas Escamilla, Academic Excellence Award, Farmer's Branch, TX; and Olivia Alvarez, Arts & Culture Award, Old Bridge, NJ.

The Hispanic Heritage Awards are sponsored by a host of dedicated supporters including: Medallion sponsors AARP, AstraZeneca, AT&T, Kellogg Company, and SUBWAY Restaurants; Gold sponsors Dr Pepper, NBC Universal and Telemundo, Diageo; Allianz Life, the Official Insurance Company; American Airlines, the Official Airline of the Hispanic Heritage Awards; Staples Foundation for Learning, the Official Presenter of the 20th Anniversary Portrait Gallery; and Volvo, the Official Car. In addition, the Hispanic Heritage Awards are supported by Southwest Airlines, AOL, Target, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Temple Inland, Beazer Homes, Chase and MasterCard International, ExxonMobil, Fannie Mae, GlaxoSmithKline, Home Builders' Institute and Abercrombie and Fitch. To join the prestigious list of sponsors and participate in the 2006 Hispanic Heritage Awards, please call 202.861.9797.

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization (Federal ID #52-181825), identifies, inspires, promotes and prepares Latino role models through national leadership, educational and workforce programs. The Hispanic Heritage Awards, which began as a small White House ceremony commemorating the creation of Hispanic Heritage Month, has become the most recognizable and celebrated Hispanic honor and event in America, and serves as a culmination of the Foundation's year-round programs, which include the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards, LOFT (Latinos on Fast Track) and HispanicHeritage.org. For more information about the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, please visit www.HispanicHeritage.org.

Source: Hispanic Heritage Foundation

CONTACT: David Park of Park and Associates, +1-202-375-3133, for
Hispanic Heritage Foundation

Web site: http://www.hispanicheritage.org/

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