[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12092-12093]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF MANA'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. BEN RAY LUJAN

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 15, 2014

  Mr. BEN RAY LUJAN of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 
MANA, a National Latina Organization, whose members will be in our 
nation's Capital from July 24 to July 26, 2014, to celebrate its 40th 
anniversary.
  MANA was founded in 1974 as the Mexican American Women's National 
Association, as a national grassroots membership organization with 
chapters, individual members, and affiliates across the country. The 
organization has evolved to encompass Hispanic women from all ethnic 
and cultural backgrounds and is the oldest and largest Hispanic women's 
organization in the country. The MANA mission is to empower Latinas 
through leadership development, community service, and advocacy.
  For 40 years, MANA has been a powerful voice for Latinas across the 
country to share their concerns, as well as their successes, as women, 
professionals, heads of households, educators, and trailblazers. 
Through its chapters and affiliates, MANA's expansive network has made 
the organization a leader for reaching the Latino community at the 
grassroots level. Each local chapter is supported by the commitment of 
passionate volunteers who are dedicated to the educational, health, 
political, and economic advancement of Hispanics in

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their respective communities, implementing the shared mission and 
vision of the national MANA office, headquartered in Washington, DC.
  Throughout its rich history, MANA has established a number of 
programs to fulfill the mission of the organization and empower Latinas 
from every walk of life. The AvanZamos Initiative is a national effort 
to provide leadership development for adult Latinas. Through training 
in the areas of financial literacy, mentoring, advocacy and leadership 
development at the annual MANA Latina Leadership Institute, Latina 
leaders from across the country are given the skills to help shape the 
lives of future generations in positive and upwardly mobile directions. 
The MANA Las Primeras Awards Gala honors Latinas who demonstrate 
important ``firsts'' in their fields with a national impact on the 
Hispanic community--highlighting Latinas' important contributions 
across the country. The Hermanitas Initiative is significant mentoring 
program in the United States developed specifically for Hispanic youth. 
The program empowers Latina adolescents by promoting educational 
achievement and personal enrichment; developing leadership abilities; 
encouraging cultural identity and awareness; and modeling proactive 
community involvement.
  Finally, I salute the commitment of the founders of MANA--Blandina 
(Bambi) Cardenas, Organizing Chair; Bettie Baca, Organizing Vice Chair; 
and Evangeline (Vangie) Elizondo, the First Board President. Their 
early efforts were the building blocks for what MANA has become today.
  It is my honor to congratulate MANA, a National Latina Organization, 
for 40 years of success in strengthening the Latina community in the 
United States.

                          ____________________