Dearborn, MI., December 9, 2002 - MANA, A National Latina Organization (MANA), with the generous support of the Ford Motor Company Fund, held its first AvanZamos ® Ford Fellowship Training Program in Dearborn, Michigan last week. The participants are leaders in their local MANA Chapters across the country, and include corporate professionals from many fields, educators, and employees of various non-profit organizations.

The women participated in the first class of the AvanZamos® Ford Fellowship, which was created to both strengthen Latinas as community leaders and to train women who will in turn train mentors for MANA's National HERMANITAS® Program. The Fellows were chosen after a competitive application process and brought with them an impressive list of experience in training adults.

The National HERMANITAS® Program is a youth development effort designed to meet the specific needs of young Latina adolescents. The program encourages Hispanic adolescent girls to stay in school and to pursue high academic goals. MANA and other community members volunteer their time to mentor young Latinas, and the program involves partnering with their families, schools, communities, and other organizations. The AvanZamos Program complements the HERMANITAS® Program by providing the chapters with excellent leaders to provide training to the volunteer mentors.

The women who participated in the Training Conference are Jeanette Cavazos-Wallace of Harlingen, TX, Rosa Castro of San Diego, CA, Evangeline Elizondo of San Antonio, TX, Sandra Elizabeth Estrada of Edinburg, TX, Blanca Q. Fauble of Bloomfield Hills, MI, Beatrice Fernandez of Chula Vista, CA, Maribel González of Kennett Square, PA, Josie Graziadio of Falls Church, VA, Guadalupe Lara of Allen Park, MI, Guadalupe G. Ochoa of San Antonio TX, Rosaura Oropeza of San Diego, CA, Cassandra Oshinnaiye of Washington, D.C., Loretta Perna of Kennett Square, PA, Diana Rael of West Chester, PA, Sandra Rodriguez of Albuquerque, NM, Veronica Salinas of Santa Rosa, CA, Leonor Solis of Kansas City, MO, Olivia Triana of Davenport, FL, Silissa Uriarte-Smith of Long Beach, CA, and Priscilla Vázquez of Washington, D.C. These women have made a three-year commitment to the program and will be conducting mentor training sessions in their communities for the HERMANITAS ® Program.

The conference consisted of a three-day program. The Gallup Organization presented the first day using their internationally acclaimed StrengthsFinder Assessment. This program allowed the fellows to focus on their individual strengths, and then provided them with guidance on how to best use these strengths in their leadership positions. Through a better understanding of their personal strengths, these women will be more prepared to work training others.

Through MANA's partnership with ASPIRA, an organization for Latino youth development, the second day of the program was facilitated by Hilda Crespo, ASPIRA's Vice President of Public Policy and Federal Relations. Ms. Crespo focused on the development of mentoring programs and on issues of mentoring that need to be addressed both at the national and at the grassroots levels.

The theme of the third day was MANA Leadership Development. It included a series of presentations on the Roles and Responsibilities of MANA chapter leaders, on Organizational Development, and on details of this year's curriculum for the mentoring program. Speakers included MANA Board Members Diana Rael, Board Chair; Priscilla Vázquez, Board Advisor; the President and CEO of MANA, Alma Morales Riojas; and Cassandra Oshinnaiye, HERMANITAS ® Program Manager.

MANA would like to thank the Ford Motor Company Fund for its overwhelming support of the AvanZamos Program and of MANA's programs for Latinas. The conference provided these twenty women with valuable information that they will be able to adapt to their communities. Thanks to Ford, the twenty fellows will be conducting six mentor-training sessions over the next three years, which will allow the Hermanitas Program to grow and become stronger, while reaching hundreds of Latina youth across the country. MANA looks forward to continued partnership with Ford, in this effort to increase the network of community leaders across the country.

MANA, A National Latina Organization, is a nonprofit, advocacy organization headquartered in the nation's capital, Washington, D. C. With chapters across the country, it is the oldest National Latina membership organization in the United States. MANA, whose mission is to empower Latinas through leadership development, community service, and advocacy, envisions a national community of informed Latina activists working to improve the quality of life for all Hispanics. MANA also has the only national young Latina's mentoring program for girls 11 to 17, "HERMANITAS®" which brings over 100 girls to Washington DC to a summer institute that includes a briefing at the White House and a visit to the girls' Congressional representatives Information on MANA can be obtained at the web site: www.hermana.org or send an e-mail to hermana2@aol.com .