Mi Comunidad 2011

In honor of Milwaukee's Hispanic community, My 24 and CW 18, along with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, are pleased to present the Sixth Annual Mi Comunidad Award.

The purpose of this award is to recognize an unsung hero in Milwaukee's Hispanic community. With the help of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, we are pleased to bring you Mi Comunidad once again in 2011.

The 2011 Mi Comunidad award will be presented to this year’s recipient at the HCCW Annual Gala, billed as the Hispanic Social Event of the Year, on January 21, 2012.

We look forward to recognizing the many other inspiring Milwaukee Hispanics this year and beyond. Please consider making a nomination!

Sponsored by:

2010 Mi Comunidad Recipient

Virginia Zerpa-Uriona and the Milwaukee Latino Health Coalition, received the Mi Comunidad award for 2010 which was presented at the banquet on January 22, 2011.

She was honored for her "inspiring and creative approach" to healthcare education in Milwaukee’s Hispanic community.

Mrs. Zerpa-Uriona is responsible for coordinating and implementing community-based research projects, community-based interventions, evaluations and dissemination of findings with primary focus on Latino health in Milwaukee. Virginia is also the Service Learning Coordinator. She received her Master of Public Health from Indiana University School of Public Health, her focus of study and work includes the prevention of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections as well as childhood lead poisoning and childhood obesity. She is a native of Venezuela and has resided in the United States since 1981.

She helped implement a school-based pregnancy prevention program at South Division High School and in the summer of 2007, along with others, helped form the Latino Health Coalition.

One out of two Latinas in the United States will become pregnant at least once by the age of 20. Latinas also have had the highest teen birth rate of any major ethnic minority in the country since 1995. Virginia Zerpa-Uriona has used her leadership role to increase public awareness surrounding this important health issue.

My 24, CW 18 and the HCCW and last year's sponsors were struck by her professionalism and dedication to her profession and community. She epitomizes what this award represents and she is truly a hero among Hispanics and non-Hispanics alike.

Tickets for 2012’s event are $150 a person. For more information, call (414) 643-6963.