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LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS National Office |
2000 L Street, NW, Suite 610 PRESS RELEASE |
| For Immediate Release October 30, 2002 |
Contact: Lorraine Quiroga |
Angel Reyes has not forgotten those who helped him reach his goals. In fact, Angel is giving back to the very same organization that helped him.
Thanks to the generosity of Angel and his law partners, the LULAC president’s office will now be housed in Angel Reyes’ law office. After being elected this past June, Hector Flores, LULAC National President needed to relocate the president’s office to Dallas where he is based. When Angel, a long time LULAC supporter learned of this need he decided that he could make a contribution. Angel Reyes, founding partner of Angel Reyes & Associates, P.C. and Heygood, Orr & Reyes, L.L.P., wanted to give back to LULAC especially because he himself has experienced first hand the impact that LULAC can have on a person’s life.
“As a young person I wasn’t sure how someone from my humble background could ever afford to go to college. No one in my family had ever attended college, much less graduated, and the hurdles of applying to colleges seemed small compared to the difficulty of paying for an education once I got in!” Angel explained. “My high school was in the inner city and did not even have a guidance counselor to help me wade through the confusing and difficult process of applying for colleges and for obtaining financial aid.”
That’s when LULAC came into the picture. Angel learned about LULAC, an organization that was reaching out to young Hispanics in the Kansas City community, helping them reach their goals. Angel applied and received a LULAC scholarship which enabled him to attend the University of Kansas. “At that time, perhaps only five students from my high school graduating class of 470 went to a university. Thanks to the generous scholarships from LULAC I was able to pursue and obtain my college degree.”
“The people at LULAC understand the importance of education. In fact, I will never forget a particular incident when a LULAC staff person went out of their way to make sure I obtained my check on time so that I could get the particular course load I wanted. It was a Christmas gift that I certainly remember to this day.”
LULAC was also there for Angel when he pursued admission to law school. When he was successfully accepted to the prestigious University of Michigan Law School, LULAC supported his continuing education with scholarship support.
Angel’s sister, Carla Reyes, also benefited from LULAC’s generosity. She was awarded scholarships to both undergraduate and graduate school. With LULAC’s help, she was able to complete a doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of California. She is now a professor up for tenure at the University of Utah.
“My family will never forget how LULAC helped us,” Angel says. “I want to give something back to an organization that truly supported us, and helped us achieve our goals. I am very happy to be able to return a small portion of the support that LULAC has given me by providing office space for LULAC so that they may continue their programs of outreach and education in the Hispanic community.”
The League of United Latin American Citizens is the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.