FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                         May 6, 2008
CONTACT Yvette Nuñez
                  267-296-7346

LATINO COMMUNITY GATHERS TO CHAT WITH THE MAYOR

Partnership between APM and Univision holds Mayor Nutter accountable to marginalized community.

On Wednesday, May 14, Mayor Michael Nutter addressed more than 150 Latino leaders and community residents for “Charla con El Alcalde,” (Chat with Mayor), an unprecedented partnership between Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM), Univision and Mayor Michael Nutter dedicated to extending City Hall’s reach into Latino Philadelphia. The brainchild of APM President and CEO Nilda Ruiz, the event featured a panel of Latino leaders, including Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sanchez, Roberto Santiago, Executive Director of the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations who was recently appointed by the Mayor to the Civil Service Commission, and Ruiz, who currently sits on the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. “While we are grateful that Mayor Nutter has utilized his appointments to ensure that Latino leaders have a voice through Boards & Commissions throughout the City, we wanted to use this event to ensure that there was access by all,” shared Ruiz.

Latinos are the Greater Philadelphia region’s fastest growing population. Alarmingly, they also have the highest high school dropout rate, have the greatest number of children per household, and have ½ of all children living in poverty, (Census 2000). Crime, education, elder care, employment, and neighborhood revitalization were among the community’s top concerns during the Q&A session. The event will air on Univision WUVP-65.

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APM is a Latino based health, human services and community development organization committed to assisting Philadelphia area families to achieve their full potential by offering a conglomerate of programs and services including: education for children, mental health support, drug and alcohol treatment, health prevention and promotion and access to affordable housing options. APM serves more than 9,000 individuals a year as it works with public-provide funders to help improve the quality of life for all Philadelphians.