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CONGRATULATING THE TELACU EDUCATION FOUNDATION ON THEIR 37TH ANNUAL
BUILDING THE DREAM GALA
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HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, May 28, 2021
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the TELACU Education Foundation (the Foundation), a non-profit organization that significantly impacts thousands of talented students from low-
income families, the majority of whom are Californians and many are from my 40th Congressional District.
For nearly four decades, the Foundation has annually empowered approximately 2,000 first-generation high school, college, and graduate school students--including brave veterans of our nation's military--to achieve academic and professional success, and to become the leaders who inspire future generations. The 37th Annual Building the Dream Gala celebrates this year's graduates who will join an army of TELACU Scholar Alumni who are changing our world by innovating solutions as researchers and engineers in cutting-edge laboratories such as NASA/
JPL, CalTech, Harvard and MIT; serving on the frontlines of COVID-19 as nurses, doctors, vaccinators, and other health care professionals; and crusading for equality and justice across our nation--from the boardroom to the courtroom!
TELACU's ``CREO'' Award, the ``I Believe'' Award, recognizes individuals who exemplify the highest ideals and commitment to improving society through personal and public service. This year it will be presented to the first Latina Los Angeles City Council President in the City Council's 170-year history, the Honorable Nury Martinez. President Martinez is an outstanding role model who embodies the hopes and dreams of all TELACU Scholars--the children of Latino immigrant families, the first (but not the last) in their family to graduate from college, the dreamers who consistently shatter historical barriers to achievement.
This year's gala will also include a Special 80th Birthday Tribute to Chairman and Founder of the TELACU Education Foundation, Dr. David C. Lizarraga. With a dedicated career of service spanning six decades, Dr. Lizarraga's impact is immeasurable. Beginning as a social worker and community organizer, he quickly gained a reputation for equipping people with the tools they need to achieve self-sufficiency and the American Dream. As President and CEO of TELACU in the early 1960s, he developed a unique business model for community development based on one simple but profound principle--profitability is inseparable from positive, tangible social impact. Under his leadership for more than 35 years, TELACU flourished and grew into the largest Community Development Corporation in America.
In response to staggering college dropout rates among young Latinx, in 1983 Dr. Lizarraga created what is without a doubt his most impactful and legacy in service to our community and to our nation--the TELACU Education Foundation. TELACU Scholars have built a stellar legacy individually and collectively. Historically, over 98 percent of high school scholars graduate and almost without exception pursue higher education; more than 99 percent of college Scholars earn at minimum a Bachelor's, with an increasing number going on to attain advanced degrees. Their achievement of higher education, increased earning power and dedication to service lead to the socioeconomic empowerment not only of their local community, but also of our nation and beyond!
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in congratulating The Honorable Nury Martinez in recognition of her invaluable contributions to the City of Los Angeles. And on behalf of the tens of thousands of students, veterans, families and communities they have served, empowered, and advanced to achieve self-sufficiency, I also ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the TELACU Education Foundation and its Founder Dr. David C. Lizarraga--whose tireless work to expand educational opportunities has opened the door to vast new possibilities for thousands of young professionals and veterans.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 94
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
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