Emelda P. Almanza
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the community.
Elmelda P. Almanza, who recently retired as Migrant Education Specialist for the Oxnard School District, has worked with children and parents for more than 36 years to encourage them to become productive and professional citizens in the community, El Concilio reported in a media release.
She has used her own life experiences to keep parents interested in night classes. Almanza is known for using her own resources and time to purchase and deliver food, clothing and scheduling dental and medical appointments for those in need. For the past two years, she has also collaborated with Driscoll Farms to provide food and blankets for 200 families during the holidays.
Almanza collaborates with agencies in the community to acquire resources for the migrant families she serves. Almanza is a resident of the El Rio neighborhood of Oxnard.
Besides Almanza, the award winners this year include Javier Gomez, founder of the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center in Oxnard; Carmen Guerrero, dean of Career & Technical Education at Oxnard College; Ventura County Community College District Trustee Art Hernandez; Fundi Legohn of Oxnard High School; Joseph M. Medina of California State University, Northridge; Lupe Murillo of Pacifica High School in Oxnard; Pilar Pacheco of California State University, Channel Islands; and Alex Rivera of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.
Reservations for El Concilio Family Services’ annual Latino Leadership Awards gala dinner are due by March 14. Tickets are $125 per person, $1,500 to sponsor a table.
For more information about the awards or sponsorship opportunities call Yvonne R. Gutierrez at 805.486.9777, ext. 228, send an e-mail to events@elconcilioventura.org or visit www.elconcilioventura.org