CHARLOTTE – The Carolina Panthers have selected Andrea Bazán as their recipient of the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, presented by Bud Light as a part of the league's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Bazán, one of North Carolina's leading advocates for Hispanic and Latino causes, will be recognized at Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Bank of America Stadium.
Bazán chose El Pueblo, the state's largest Hispanic advocacy group, to receive a $2,000 donation as a part of her award. While a graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill, she helped found El Pueblo and later served as its first executive director.
"We applaud all the recipients for their work in making a difference in and improving their local communities," said Margarita Flores, vice president of community affairs for Anheuser-Busch.
In 2005, Bazán became president of the Triangle Community Foundation, which currently manages more than 740 funds - ranging in size from $10,000 to $10 million - primarily for the benefit of Wake, Durham, Orange and Chatham counties in North Carolina. In June of 2008, she was elected chairwoman of the board of the National Council of La Raza.
The Panthers kicked off the their Hispanic Heritage Month celebration the week of Sept. 19 with a series of Junior Training Camps at local elementary schools with large Hispanic populations. In addition to honoring Bazán during on Sunday, the team will host civic leaders from the Hispanic community.
