[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18652]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            CENTRO CHA RECOGNITION FOR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 2004

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise proudly today 
to congratulate the Long Beach Community Hispanic Association, a Long 
Beach community non-profit better known as Centro CHA, for their 
valuable service to the community.
  Formed in 1992, Centro CHA's mission is to provide enhanced quality 
of life to Hispanic/Latino youth, families, and neighborhoods in the 
City of Long Beach through health and educational programs, social and 
economic enrichment, cultural arts, and after school programs.
  Centro CHA is recognized in the City of Long Beach as a leading 
Hispanic/Latino grassroots community-based organization. Centro CHA 
serves as an advocate in efforts to reduce the gaps in services to low-
income, underserved Hispanic/Latino youth, families, and neighborhoods.
  The City of Long Beach is now the second largest city in California, 
with a population of nearly 458,000 new immigrants creating significant 
changes in ethnic distribution and a considerable increase in 
diversity. According to the 2000 United States Census, the Hispanic/
Latino population represents almost 40 percent of the city's total 
population.
  Centro CHA connects the public with vital linkages and resources to 
access healthcare, civic leadership, and educational institutions. 
Through cultural community forums, collaboration, and civic leadership, 
Centro CHA helps local service providers to connect these services to 
the Hispanic/Latino community. To make the public more aware of the 
community's activism, Centro CHA created an annual award.
  The Nuestra Imagen Award recognizes local individuals and companies 
for their contributions to local Hispanic/Latino communities. The award 
is in its eighth year, and it has grown to be one of the most widely 
attended non-profit awards dinners in Los Angeles County. The awards 
ceremony coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as Mexican 
Independence Day, and celebrates ``the exceptional achievements of 
outstanding individuals and corporations, all of whom foster the 
development of children, families and communities in the Greater Long 
Beach area.''
  I look forward to working with Centro CHA in the future for the 
betterment of our community.

                          ____________________