Inaugural Patiño Moore Legacy Award Presented to Puentes New Orleans, Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2011
Seattle, WA – Puentes New Orleans, Inc. was awarded the inaugural Patiño Moore Legacy Award of $150,000 yesterday in Garden Grove, Calif., in recognition of its work to unite black and brown communities in a shared vision of economic and social well-being.
The Patiño Moore Legacy Award, created jointly by the Association of Black Foundation Executives, Hispanics in Philanthropy and Marguerite Casey Foundation, was presented to Puentes New Orleans, Inc. at the kickoff to Marguerite Casey Foundation’s 10-year-anniversary celebration.
“This award celebrates organizations that work across the so-called black-brown divide, but we also intend it to foster collaboration across all races,” said Luz Vega-Marquis, president and CEO of Marguerite Casey Foundation. “The problems affecting poor families and especially poor communities of color do not exist in isolation; they are nationwide”.
Founded in 2007 to coalesce the Latino community in New Orleans during post–Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, Puentes New Orleans, Inc. was quick to realize that underserved communities must work together across racial lines to leverage their collective power.
The Patiño Moore Legacy Award is named after Dr. Douglas Patiño and Wenda Weekes Moore for their ongoing legacy of working to improve relations between black and brown communities. Dr. Patiño, vice chancellor emeritus for the California State University system, is a board member of Marguerite Casey Foundation. Mrs. Moore is a trustee of W.K. Kellogg Foundation and a board member of the Council on Foundations.
The Association of Black Foundation Executives promotes effective and responsive philanthropy in black communities. Hispanics in Philanthropy works to strengthen partnerships between organized philanthropy and Latino communities. Marguerite Casey Foundation, an independent national grantmaking foundation, exists to help low-income families elevate their voice and mobilize their communities in order to achieve a more just and equitable society for all.
