Past

Today, CommUNITY En Acción continues to harness its collective power to increase economic opportunities, advance educational access and celebrate our Latino/Latina cultural heritage.  CEA’s key priority areas are:

• Opening Doors to Economic prosperity,

• Deconstructing stereotypes, and

• Transforming mindsets

• Young Achievers Forum – an annual event that provides middle school students and their parents with college experience for a day.  This event is designed to introduce postsecondary education as an achievable goal to families who may not otherwise have this exposure. Initiated in 2012, annually the Young Achievers Forum brings approximately 1,000 sixth grade students and 200 parents to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) for a day of inspiration, motivation, and education. All 12 school districts in El Paso and Hudspeth Counties participate.  In 2017, the success of the Young Achievers Forum was extended to Las Cruces, New Mexico in partnership with New Mexico State University (NMSU).  Annually, 350 sixth grade students and 50 parents are inspired at the YAF event at NMSU.  

• Men of Company E Monument – the only Mexican American unit in the army during World War II,Company E was comprised of mostly soldiers of the Segundo Barrio and Bowie High School. CEA in collaboration with the City of El Paso and veteran groups, commissioned a new sculpture and placed it in a prominent location at Cleveland Square downtown, El Paso. The original monument continues to be on Delta Avenue in El Paso.
• CEA sponsors The Richard Castro Community Service Scholarship Fund.  With the scholarship that bears his name, area high school seniors who follow in Mr. Castro’s footsteps, volunteering, and leading projects to improve their community, will receive a scholarship toward their dream of achieving a college education. Five $2,000 scholarships are awarded to five students every year.
• CEA Survivors en Accion Scholarship Fund was established as a scholarship fund for the minor children of victims who lost their lives on August 3, 2019. This scholarship fund places special emphasis on children who lost both parents by this senseless tragedy. To date, two $10,000 scholarships have been granted.
• CEA underwrote the Bless Me Ultima Movie national premier that was featured in El Paso. A major part of this event included a Book Launch for students in El Paso public schools.

• CEA sponsored the Magnificent Mexico, and Metaphors del Barrio exhibit at the El Paso Art Museum.

• CEA successfully advocated for the inclusion of the Ysleta and Socorro Missions on the national parks’ registry.

• CEA sponsored the visit of the Smithsonian Museum Director to El Paso to speak with local artists and provide strategies for creating national stature type museums.