BRIDGES for a Just Community, in cooperation with the Hispanic Chamber and Cincinnati League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), will build on last year’s inaugural awareness campaign to further increase community engagement during this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, 2008 (Mexican Independence Day to Columbus Day).

Public service announcements, produced by Local 12, WKRC-TV, featuring prominent local Hispanics – artists of the Cincinnati Opera; players from the Cincinnati Reds; Cincinnati Police Sergeant Sylvia Morales; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Pediatrician Javier Gonzalez del Rey, M.D.; and Procter & Gamble Marketing Executive Edgar Sandoval – will air on local television and radio stations.

Local events and programs, including Cincinnati’s15th Annual Hispanic Fest on Sept. 13-14, a lunch-time Fountain Square Hispanic Celebration on Sept. 15 to kick-off the month-long calendar of events and Reds Hispanic Heritage Day at Great American Ball Park on Sept. 20, will provide additional opportunities for the Greater Cincinnati community to become more aware of the contributions of Hispanics in our community.

“We want to recognize the contributions made by Hispanics in our community and encourage others to appreciate the added value of diversity and economic development associated with the growth of our local Hispanic population,” said Robert C. “Chip” Harrod, president and CEO of BRIDGES for a Just Community. “Increased inclusion of our Hispanic residents will help reduce incidences of unfair treatment in the community,” he added.

“This annual campaign is building as a way to pull together our community’s media and other resources to provide a more balanced perspective of our growing Hispanic community, including the cultural enrichment and economic contributions we bring to the region,” said Neil Comber, an organizer of the local Hispanic Heritage Month and member of the BRIDGES Board.

For more information about the Hispanic Awareness Campaign and a calendar of events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, please call BRIDGES at 513-381-4660.