MamásLatinas Award winners: Symbols that where there is a will there is a way

Eliana's motto is  “Si podemos amar, lo podemos todo” (If we can love, we can do anything!) and her life is proof of that. As mother of two children with Down Syndrome, she has become the voice of Latino parents with special needs kids, educating, invigorating, and providing hope for thousands of Latina moms. With the money from the MamásLatinas Award she says: "I would love to start my own nonprofit organization to help Latino families in the U.S. No one like another Latino who has lived the same experiences is better equipped to help them."

Dawn, a mother of three boys, is the first Latina paramedic captain for the N.Y.C. Fire Department. In her free time she works as the founder and director for Milagros Day Worldwide, a not-for-profit organization that coaches survivors of domestic violence.
The message she hopes to keep promoting with the MamásLatinas Award is that "being alive is a gift. Tomorrow is not promised. You were put here for a reason. The victim mentality is a small approach to life. Whatever happens to you is actually preparing you for the greatness that you can have."

Vashti started her journey as a passionate educator when she decided to homeschool her two children. Today she has become the “Maestra del Pueblo” (People’s Teacher) touching the daily lives of 400 students as the principal of Amber Charter School, an inner-city school in East Harlem. Since joining as the head of the school, she has turned it around from an F to an A in the Department of Education rankings, outperforming local, community, and state standards, giving hundreds of kids the same opportunity for an exceptional education that she gave her own children. With the MamásLatinas Award she hopes to "keep making sure children in America, particularly inner city kids, get the education they need to become productive and contributing citizens.¨

Sherise is a substance abuse therapist, and has worked to significantly improve the lives of homeless LGBT people. Her next project is creating a drop-in center for at-risk teen girls, giving a haven of support to those who need it. She manages to do this all while balancing the life of a new mom–making a better life for her 1-year-old daughter gives her even more reason to continue her tremendous work. With the MamásLatinas Award she wants to "promote abstinence from drugs and alcohol and to promote positive social activities and rebuilding the family dynamic."

Margaret saw her children growing up, struggling with Spanish. When she realized that nobody could help her with that, she took matters in her own hands and founded __Viva el Español–__a Spanish-language cultural center that not only helps us pass our heritage and language to our children, but also creates jobs for more than 60 Latina moms in more than 30 locations in the Bay Area. Her goal is to use the MamásLatinas Award to retrofit a building to create the first full-immersion Spanish language kindergarten in the Bay area.

Violeta is the heart and soul of her community, and for the hundreds of troubled youth she has been rehabilitating through dance for more than 20 years. One step at a time, she helps them stand up against social pressure and gang violence. She is a proud mother of three, the founder and choreographer of Keep Rising to the Top Dance Company. This year, with the help of the MamásLatinas Award, she is planning a "Fight for Life event in the community. It will be an event focused on former gang members speaking and mentoring young males… I think it´s time for the violence to end for these young men  to know there´s a lot more that they should be fighting for in life."

Patricia is the founder and head of Power Media Group, an advertising and media buying company she started from her own living room. With her husband, she’s also the founder of the Power Woman Business Center, helping minority entrepreneurs start and grow their own businesses. For making your dreams, and the dreams of many others, come to life. She plans to donate her MamásLatinas Award to her Non-Profit Organization Power Woman Business Center, to open two new locations to continue with the mission of "creating jobs! We would love to inspire people to work hard and don't depend on the government."