Lotus Bakersfield Corp and Spanish Radio Group will be hosting its first annual Tu Voz, Tu Héroe Awards on Thursday, January 19, 2023, at The Westchester located at 2801 F St. Bakersfield, CA 93301.
Tu Voz, Tu Héroe is a new platform created to recognize and honor 23 local Hispanic business owners, law enforcement officers, healthcare and educational professionals, as well as community leaders who go beyond their roles to make a difference in our community.
“People who work with local organizations, people who devote their free time to serve meals, to raise funds, to help, to inform people, and to make Bakersfield a safe and great community. We understand these past few years have been tough, but through it all, there’s still hope. We see hope through them,” said Brenda Elizalde, marketing assistant at Lotus Bakersfield Corp.
“Tu Voz, Tu Héroe” awards were created by Daisy Ortiz, General Manager at Lotus Bakersfield. Having worked at multiple markets in the country, including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston, Ortiz had a vision of creating a platform to recognize Hispanic heroes and their allies, but for one reason or another, it just never materialized.
Upon her arrival to Bakersfield, less than a year ago, she was amazed by how giving the community was. In just a few months she’s had the opportunity of meeting a lot of people from different areas and backgrounds who share one thing in common, they love to give back.
Elizalde said the nominees getting an award are people who belong to multiple organizations, volunteer their time to help others, love the city, and want to make it a better place to live in.
“These are the unheard heroes of Bakersfield, the backbone of Kern County. Daisy realized the time was here and now; Tu Voz, Tu Héroe belonged in and to Bakersfield. Tu Voz, Tu Héroe translates to ‘Your Voice, Your Hero.’ It means we want to hear you, we want to know who inspires you, who is your hero,” said Elizalde. “Consequently, we want to listen to the heroes and understand why they do what they do. How can we lift them in their efforts to make Kern County a beautiful and safe place to live in? We want them/you/us to inspire a new generation to pay it forward.”
Elizalde said she thinks it’s important to recognize these heroes because these heroes help, not only Hispanics locally, but Kern County in general. These are people who live here and know the community and they know what Kern County needs to thrive.
“Together, they’ve raised millions of dollars to help local organizations and hospitals. They’ve volunteered countless hours of their personal time,” said Elizalde. “They’ve helped small businesses stay open through grants, information, and classes, which has been crucial during the COVID era. Together, these heroes have provided hundreds of thousands of meals. Together these heroes have brought happiness to local displaced and/or hospitalized children. They truly inspire us and we’re sure people of all ethnicities will be inspired by them; they’ll want to join the movement.”
The nominees were selected by the Lotus Bakersfield Corp staff. The staff was asked to provide names of everyday people who inspire them and whom they know make a difference in the community.
“We later aired a promo on our stations to invite people to nominate their heroes. We had a great response from our listeners, it truly was a community effort,” stated Elizalde. “There will be no categories as this is our first event, we recognize everyone equally. We want to celebrate our local Hispanic heroes and allies every year during Hispanic Heritage Month.”
Here is the list of the nominees:
- Alvarado, Cecilia
- Benton, Janea
- Catota, Claudia
- Dias, Carmen
- Diaz, Norma
- Garay, Ernesto
- Gonzales, Gabriela
- Gonzalez, Jose
- Guzman, Richard
- Jara-Rangel, Michelle
- Jimenez, Maritza
- Martinez, Raymundo
- Montemayor, Juvenal
- Olaguez, Reyna
- Perez, Jonny
- Perez-Andreesen, Connie
- Perez-Dowling, Mari
- Picazo, Sylvia
- Ramos, Claudia
- Rojas-Mora, Norma
- Tamsi, Jay
- Trejo, Beatriz
- Vigil, Ana
For more information, please contact Brenda Elizalde at 661-327-9711 or email at brenda@lotusbakersfield.com
