Photo Credit: Molson Coors via braniganinc.com For the sixteenth consecutive year, through its Coors Light Lideres of the Year Program, the Molson Coors company is honoring outstanding Latino leaders for their commitment to their local communities. Union City resident Cristina Garcia is one of five recipients nationwide to receive a $10,000 grant for her five year old program Latinxs In Sustainability, a program within the Latino Verde organization.
The program used to have a voting period up to 2020. Twelve finalists were chosen for the public to vote for one winner. However, all finalists are part of the Coors Light Líderes Alumni group. Cristina is the is the first Lider from Hudson County to receive the grant as a Coors Light lider of the year, but not the first person from the county to be a part of the program.
The following is the press release from Molson Coors on the program and this year’s winner:
Local Latino Community Leader Awarded $10,000 Through 2022 Coors Light Líderes of the Year Program
Funding Will Support Professional Development For Latinxs In Sustainability Members
UNION CITY, N.J. – Nov. 7, 2022 – For the sixteenth consecutive year, through its Coors Light Líderes of the Year program, Coors Light is honoring remarkable Latino leaders who have dedicated their lives to making a long-lasting impact in their communities. As part of this year’s program, Coors Light is awarding $50,000 in grants to nonprofits nationwide on behalf of five exceptional Latino community leaders. Union City resident Cristina Garcia has been named a 2022 Coors Light Líderes of the Year winner, receiving a $10,000 grant to benefit Latinxs In Sustainability (LIS), a program within the Latino Verde organization.
“Each year, I’m amazed by the dedication and passion demonstrated by each Latino leader as they work tirelessly to make a difference in their communities,” said Alexander Vertrees, Coors Light associate marketing manager. “It has been such an honor to work with a company that celebrates Latino trailblazers, while simultaneously providing Latino innovators with the resources they need to better support their communities.”
Cristina created the group Latinxs In Sustainability, in 2017, which was initially piloted within the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. A few years later LIS moved to the non-profit Latino Verde Latino Verde’s mission is to showcase how Latino leaders and organizations are actively working to overcome environmental challenges. The grant will go towards funding a professional development stipend that will support LIS members pursuing professional development activities, amongst other existing and new initiatives that support connecting the community to sustainability.
“I was attending sustainability and environmental focused networking events but was missing the aspect of the community,” said Cristina Garcia. “I knew there needed to be a group that served at that intersection, so I created it myself. We are really grateful for this funding so we can do more while remaining accessible to our community.”
As part of this year’s Coors Light Líderes of the Year program, individuals were selected as part of a national nomination process. Nominees were required to be of Hispanic or Latino descent, actively associated with a 501c(3) nonprofit organization that impacts the Latino community and between the ages of 21 and 39.
Each winner will also have the opportunity to join the exclusive Change Makers Alumni Network, which is composed of nearly 150 likeminded Latino trailblazers who share a passion for bettering those around them. Members of the alumni network support and uplift one another by creating networking opportunities and celebrating each other’s accomplishments. Winners of this year’s Coors Light Líderes program will be showcased as mentors through the network’s annual features, periodic blogs and social media platforms.
Since the program’s inception in 2006, Coors Light has worked with more than 21 nonprofit organizations and donated more than $400,000 in grants as beneficiary organizations of the Líderes. This program supports Molson Coors’ core values of elevating diverse voices and empowering those who are working to make an impact on their communities.
For more information on the program, visit CoorsLightLideres.com. Follow Coors Light Líderes at Facebook.com/CoorsLightLideres, @CoorsLightLiders on Twitter and @CoorsLightLideres on Instagram.
