In Hollywood's chase for America's new No. 2 demographic -- Latinos -- Carmen Marron stands front and center.

Marron is an upstart director with an improbable rags-to-film-festival-success story that begins in a Phoenix public elementary school where she was a guidance counselor to struggling Hispanic youths.

Witnessing inner-city youngsters bereft of positive models and encouragement eventually led her on a seven-year journey in which she and her husband sunk much of their life savings into a little movie with a big message:

Yes, kids, you can overcome the worst of circumstances and become the person you've always dreamed to be. Just go for it.

"We spent a lot of our savings, which was challenging because I didn't know anything about filmmaking. I never wanted to be a filmmaker. It's crazy when I talked about it," said Marron, a Chicago native who now lives in the Los Angeles area.

"San Francisco, Boston, San Antonio, Texas, Chicago, New York -- wherever we were, the people all related to the story, the inspiration: Yes, you can. Si, se puede. Kick yourself out of the rut and make a change," she said. "You're always going to have obstacles."

Her film, "Go For It!" played well on the indie circuit, garnering audience awards at Dances with Film Festival in West Hollywood, California; Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival; San Antonio Film Festival; and Cine Las Americas in Austin, Texas, Marron said. The movie was an official selection of the 2010 Chicago International Film Festival.

It was an audacious debut for a director with no filmmaking experience.

But the recognition didn't end there for her film about a young Latina who triumphs over gritty, harsh experiences as she seeks entrance into a dance school.

Marron's film arrived in Hollywood just as studios were taking a second, harder look at projects with dominant Latino themes. READ MORE

A new Northwestern University study says minority youth ages eight to 18 spend more than half their day consuming media content – a rate that's 4.5 hours greater than their white counterparts.

The Children, Media and Race: Media Use Among White, Black, Hispanic and Asian American Children report released Wednesday says that minority youths are more likely to spend up to 2 hours more per day watching TV, one hour more per day listening to music, 90 minutes more per day using a computer, and up to 40 minutes more per day playing video games than do their white counterparts.

Reading for pleasure in pre-teens and teens was equal across races, averaging at 30 to 40 minutes a day. But for children six and under, it was more likely that children of white parents were reading or read to every day.

Multitasking among youth has been adopted as equal rates; around four in ten white, black and Hispanic 7th to 12th graders said that they use another medium “most of the time” they’re watching television.

Surprisingly, parental structures did not predict total media exposure. The study found that most parents do not set limits on the amount of time children can spend interacting with media for pleasure.

Within the use of these media, however, white parents were more likely to set rules for what their children could consume, including television programs watched, internet sites used, and their visibility on social networking sites like Facebook.

Co-author Ellen Wartella, head of Northwestern University’s Center on Media and Human Development, says the study is not meant to blame parents but should serve as a wake-up call. She says increased parental involvement could mitigate potential problems, including child obesity. READ MORE

Find study here.

Yolanda Miranda, mother of Mexican singer Thalia, became part of a disturbing trend among Latino women when she died unexpectedly of a heart attack last week.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Latinas in the United States, but because many women do not display what are considered typical symptoms like chest pain, which is more common in men, they often go undiagnosed until it is too late.

Miranda had complained of a debilitating headache the night before her death, which occurred in the early morning on May 27, but the 76-year-old was apparently unaware that such a symptom can be connected to an impending heart attack. Her death came just two weeks before the expected birth of her famous daughter’s second child and a day before the wedding day of another daughter, Ernestina Sodi.

“Women’s symptoms can be much more subtle and challenging to diagnose,” said David A. Meyerson, cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University and a spokesman for the American Heart Association and its campaign Go Red Por Tu Corazón, which is designed to create heart disease awareness among Hispanic women. READ MORE

For 75 years, Goya Foods has grown an empire of canned beans and other Latin food staples that have been woven into the city's Latino DNA.

For Puerto Rican and Latino newcomers to the city, and second- and third-generation kids, the sight of a supermarket aisle lined with stacks of familiar navy-blue cans with the blocky Art Deco logo has long translated to "home."

Goya-sponsored floats have been a staple of Puerto Rican and other Latino parades since the 1980s. So it is fitting that Robert Unanue, president of Goya Foods, and Carlos Unanue, president of Goya de Puerto Rico - cousins and the third generation to run the company - will be parade marshals for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday.

The company's origins date to when all immigrants from Latin America were called "Spanish." Goya's founder, Prudencio Unanue, was a Spanish migrant by way of Puerto Rico who arrived in New York in 1916, when there were an estimated 16,000 Spanish speakers in the city.

According to the new coffee-table book "If It's Goya It Has to Be Good," by Guillermo Baralt, Unanue studied business and became a customs broker. He set up a food-import business in the Financial District in 1936, just as the city's Puerto Rican population began to grow and settle on the West Side of Manhattan, in East Harlem and in downtown Brooklyn. READ MORE

Latinos are enjoying a sizzling connection with Facebook.

The Latino population is no longer underrepresented in the U.S. Companies, over the last few years, have sat up and taken huge notice of the largest minority in the U.S. and who will have a major influence on the country as a whole in the coming years.

In the Latino community, Facebook has acted as a unifier of sorts between people of Spanish descent, who typically tend to have family members more geographically dispersed.

Latinos tend to highly value ties that bind — familial or social –and Facebook is a great facilitator of banter, and also allows for the sharing of precious photos and video that are near and dear.

According to ComScore, Facebook user growth amongst Latinos is stupefying: From April 2010 to April 2011, usage grew 167 percent (versus 21 percent for non-Hispanics). Facebook has a 70 percent penetration rate among Latinos online versus 72 percent for the general population.

Why are Latinos flocking to the ever-popular friends connection site?

They Are Passionate About Their Feelings
Latinos love status updating and commenting with a no-holds barred ‘tude. They call it as they see it, with a hands-on-hips way of letting you know, exactly what they think. Since they are very gregarious, Facebook tends to bring out their social butterfly side to the fullest extent. They also don’t mind getting personal and even sharing nitty-gritty intimate details, moreso than other users.

Latin Americans Have Found Their Online Niche
The bridge from the U.S. to Latin America is now Facebook. Four Latin American countries – Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru — are among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of Facebook user growth. For those who have recently arrived in this country, they aren’t really far from home because Facebook keeps them in constant touch with their homeland’s goings-on.

Spanglish
Surprisingly, English speaking Latinos rule on Facebook. As a matter of fact, 50.6 percent of Latinos on Facebook are English-preferred, although when researchers checked the conversations on walls, Spanish was also peppered greatly into the mix. READ MORE

Maria Ramos, Karla Ruiz and Fernando Maldonado all came to Nashville from their native Mexico, looking for the American dream – owning their own businesses and creating a good future for their families.

Today, the three have realized that ambition, joining a growing number of immigrant entrepreneurs, not only from Mexico and other Latin American countries but from other nations as well, who have started their own businesses here.

Nashville is a good place for immigrants to go into business, according to Forbes magazine, which recently ranked the city as No. 3 among the nation’s best metropolitan areas for minority entrepreneurs.

The magazine noted that Nashville’s immigrant population “soared 83 percent, to 107,000, between 2000 and 2008, the fastest growth rate among the nation’s largest cities,” adding that many of them have gone into business for themselves. The city ranks fourth among the nation’s top 52 markets for Hispanic self-employment, Forbes said.

While there are a number of growing immigrant groups here, including Asian and African transplants, the biggest increase has been Hispanics, particularly from Mexico and Central America, said Yuri Cunza, president of the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. READ MORE

The Navarro drugstore chain will soon launch its own private label, selling everything from diapers and shampoo to plantain chips and makeup.

The Vida Mía brand will debut this fall at Navarro’s 28 stores in South Florida. But Navarro’s president has ambitions far beyond Miami, where a Cuban entrepreneur opened the first pharmacy 50 years ago. In an attempt to reach the booming Hispanic market in the rest of the country, the company will also sell its Vida Mía products online and through its wholesale business.

“Nobody is paying attention to the Hispanic market,” Navarro CEO Steve Kaczynski said. “This is something unusual nobody else has done. It caters to Hispanics, which is what Navarro is all about.”

Vida Mía products will be sold at similar or cheaper prices than name-brand items, comparable to generic lines at other chains like Target, Publix and Walgreens. The main difference will be its bilingual packaging – in English and Spanish – and some specific items that are popular among Hispanics.

In its initial launch, Navarro will roll out 120 products, mostly vitamins and supplements. Within the first six months, however, Kaczynski expects to offer 300 products in six categories: food, home, beauty, body, health and baby.

If the line is successful, Vida Mía may also branch into kitchen appliances.

“We sell a number of different espresso machines at Navarro. Why not have our own Vida Mía espresso machine?” Kaczynski said. “The majority of Hispanics eat rice. Why not have our own rice cooker?” READ MORE

The official start of summer may still be a few weeks off but Mother Nature didn't get the memo with a lot of the country experiencing high temps this Memorial Day weekend.

What that means is that Latinas will be among the crowds soaking up the sun, and it doesn't even have to be on the beach or by a pool. Dermatologists say that even shopping in outdoor malls or driving around with the sunroof open or spending any length of time outside during peak sun hours, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., is enough to put a person at risk for skin cancer.

Yet, according to Neutrogena's Choose Skin Health™Campaign, too many Latinas aren't using sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun's rays because -- they think they don't need it!

According to a recent survey, about one-third of Hispanics (33%) believe they do not need to wear sunscreen daily because they have a darker complexion. Further, people of African, Asian, Middle Eastern and Hispanic decent have higher levels of melanin and therefore are prone to developing hyperpigmentation and dark marks, making it difficult to maintain even-toned skin. The first step to preventing the development of hyperpigmentation is to limit sun exposure and use at least SPF 30.
There's nothing more obvious than someone who has dark, birthmark-like marks on their face or arms. To know that it can be prevented just by using sunscreen should be a no-brainer since obviously the fact that 2 million cases of skin cancer are reported annually isn't making much of an impression. READ MORE

The latest numbers show the unemployment rate stands at 9.1 percent, with the pace of job growth slowing. When it comes to new jobs, 70 percent of those are coming from small businesses, but many of them are struggling just to hang on.

Small businesses are often responsible for filling the summer job needs of America's teenagers. CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker reports that many 16- to 19-year-olds are finding the going rough when it comes to finding work once school is out.

Nearly 14 million Americans are looking for work

The Labor Department says the unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 19 last month was more than 24 percent. Compare that to May of 2000, when the rate was less than 13 percent.

Looking for summer employment has become a full-time job for 19-year-old Ana Galindo.

"I'm worried all the time. I'm worried because I have bills to pay," Galindo says.

She has filled out countless applications, but so far, the answer's been the same.

"At the moment we're not hiring, but we're just taking applications. We'll give you a call," prospective employers say.

Yet the phone never rings. College sophomore John Reed-Torres has been job hunting since last November. He says he's often competing with older workers and college grads for entry-level positions.

"People with Masters (degrees) trying to work at McDonald's. They're going to get hired before I do," Reed-Torres says. READ MORE

In a rundown shopping center along Rancho Drive in the heart of the Las Vegas Valley there’s a tiny shop that sells herbal products for recent immigrants. It offers traditional village remedies for stomach ailments, head colds and achy backs.

The familiar Mexican and Central American brands lack the stylish packaging of popular American products. One of the more memorable products is found in a row of boxes that feature an image of an attractive couple who apparently need help to consummate their special moment. A pair of older men at the front counter look warily upon a gringo who wanders into the shop and clearly knows little Spanish, the preferred language of business in this shop.

Less than a quarter mile south sits a bright, antiseptic Walgreens. Many of the customers visiting this place will never pass through the doors of the nearby chain store. Hispanic marketing specialist Miguel Barrientos says thousands of immigrants will drive past that beacon to aging Americans in pursuit of the familiar cures.

Indeed, as with any group of people, Hispanic customers gravitate to businesses where they feel respected, understood, appreciated, valued. We rarely recognize such personal dynamics in our daily business transactions, but they are a centerpiece of our commercial decisions. READ MORE

Tired of being viewed as an "expendable voting population," some Latinos in Colorado are pressuring President Barack Obama to push for meaningful action on immigration reform and the DREAM Act.

Chicano activist and decades-long north Denver resident Ricardo Martinez walked precincts for Obama in 2008, but at the dawn of another presidential election cycle, he said he is tired of "empty promises."

"When the elections come around, they always come courting us, and this is proving to be no different," said Martinez, who co-founded the nonprofit advocacy group Padres Unidos. "Did Obama put as much effort in the time to pass the DREAM Act? I didn't see him. Was he out there, twisting arms? I didn't see that. Was he out there stomping around? I didn't see that. All we see is that we're an expendable voting population."

A recent campaign e-mail shows a smiling Obama saying, "I want to sign the DREAM Act into law, but I need your help to do the hard work of changing minds and changing votes, one at a time."

The ad then asks for a campaign contribution.

The e-mail so infuriated the small but growing voting bloc that Latinos are holding rallies in a couple of weeks in front of Democratic headquarters across the country — including Denver.

Latino youth groups will also send a letter to Obama for America, asking the campaign to take the ad down.

"He shouldn't be using the suffering and pain of people who are at risk for deportation for fundraising for his campaign," said Leidy Robledo, 20, a youth organizer for Jovenes Unidos. "He says he supports the DREAM Act, but he didn't do enough. There were key votes within his party that if they would have voted yes, the DREAM Act could have passed."

Obama for America spokeswoman Ofelia Casillas said the president "has been a longtime supporter of the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform. Many Obama for America supporters are organizing in their communities to promote these initiatives." READ MORE

With the much anticipated release of the 2010 U.S. Census data, it is time for businesses and franchises to gear up for the new customer demographic adjustments that will inevitably follow. The biggest news to emerge thus far is the rapidly expanding Latino population, estimated to have become a trillion-dollar customer base in the 10 years since the previous census was taken.

As with any demographic, the Hispanic population in the United States has its own unique preferences and cultures when it comes to shopping and, more importantly, when deciding where to spend their money. Learning more about this expanding base of customers is absolutely crucial to the continued success of franchisees nationwide.

General demographic information

It is not new news per se that the Latino population is rapidly expanding in Southwestern region of the United States, but some interesting information indicates that even States that have not typically been considered to have large Hispanic populations are seeing immense increases. Oklahoma, for example, saw their Latino population increase by upwards of eighty percent in the last ten years. This is why it is so crucial to review the census for customer base information - the facts may be surprising and ignoring the needs of this huge population is to ignore an equally sized business opportunity.

So, exactly how big is this opportunity? Experts expect to see the United States Latino population to surpass the fifty million mark, effectively making the U.S. Hispanic population larger than the entire population of States such as California, Texas, or New York. Texas is a wonderful microcosm for what the business climate might look like for franchisees with surges in their State Hispanic population. Latinos have contributed over seventy percent of Texas's overall population growth and ninety-five percent of all children born in the State. Given the data, this is clearly a trend that will not be slowing down any time soon.

Seize the opportunity
With a fresh and hungry new demographic now in the mix the question remains: How can franchisees ensure that they are prepared to cater to the consumer needs of this group? As always is the case with a franchise, not everything is discretionary. There is already an accepted business model in place, as well as specific requirements that franchisees must meet such as store design or product branding. Some things are just simply out of the owner's control. However, that need not dictate the decision whether or not to pursue the Latino market. Those who dismiss this market will fall behind the ball and sales figures will reflect that. Latinos are simply too large a market these days to be ignored. READ MORE

We are happy to report that El Valor has partnered with St. Augustine College, to begin an ASSOCIATE IN RESPIRATORY THERAPY cohort in LITTLE VILLAGE!  This is part of our Leadership Through Education program which has as one of its goals to increase the number of qualified, culturally and linguistically skilled personnel in high-demand fields especially individuals who can identify with the Latino community and other underserved communities.
If you or anyone you know is interested in obtaining an ASSOCIATE IN RESPIRATORY THERAPY, please attend the next information session:

EL VALOR/ST. AUGUSTINE COLLEGE ASSOCIATE IN RESPIRATORY THERAPY INFORMATION SESSION – LITTLE VILLAGE

Wednesday, June 8, 2011
6:00pm-8:00pm
El Valor’s Carlos Cantu Children & Family Center
2434 S. Kildare, Chicago, IL 60623

To attend the information session, please contact Carmen Martinez at cmartinez@elvalor.net  or (312) 492-5938.

EL VALOR/ST. AUGUSTINE COLLEGE ASSOCIATE IN RESPIRATORY THERAPY

ASSOCIATE IN RESPIRATORY THERAPY courses in Little Village will begin in August 2011.   The program lasts 36 months and covers subjects related to becoming an effective respiratory therapist.  Upon completion of this program, participants will earn an Associate Degree in Applied Sciences in Respiratory Therapy. Classes that do not require lab work will be held at El Valor’s Carlos Cantu Children & Family Center.   The cohort starts together and finishes together.  

NOTE:   Strong writing and math skills desired.  The last two years of the program require clinical residencies in a hospital setting.  Hours for the residency are typically from 7:30am until 3:30pm. Residency is required.

Those that are accepted to this program by St. Augustine College will be eligible to receive a scholarship after all other forms of grant financial aid are exhausted.

ABOUT RESPIRATORY THERAPY

Students who complete the program and achieve certification could earn $50,000 annually to start.  Respiratory Therapy has a career path to pursue.  For more information on the career of a Respiratory Therapist, please go to the following links: 

U.S. Department of Labor - http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos321.htm
Chicago - http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Registered-Respiratory-Therapist-Salary-Details-60622.aspx 
U.S. Average - http://www1.salary.com/Registered-Respiratory-Therapist-salary.html
 
Please forward to anyone you feel may be interested in this opportunity.

Click here for more information on El Valor Website

Research shows that wine consumption among Latinos has dramatically increased in the last few years, and wine makers are taking notice.

Part of what's pushing the increase in consumption is sheer demographics, with Hispanics accounting for more than half of the U.S. population increase over the last decade. Another factor is a cultural shift among the more established Latino generations.

Among the companies trying to reach more Hispanics is Beringer Vineyards in Napa Valley, Calif.

It's running Spanish-language television spots in Southern California. Beringer also has arranged sampling events and Spanish-language displays in Latino supermarkets and national chains with a large Hispanic customer base. READ MORE

For the first time in thirty-five years a sitting U.S. President will step foot in Puerto Rico. President Barack Obama has accepted an invitation to visit Puerto Rico next month, a trip that would make him the first sitting president to come to the U.S. Commonwealth in decades, the island's governor said Tuesday.

The president, who campaigned in Puerto Rico for the Democratic primary, will visit the island June 14, Gov. Luis Fortuño said, without disclosing details of his itinerary.

"With his visit, the president makes good on the promise he made during the presidential primaries in 2008 that he would return to Puerto Rico as president," Fortuno said in a statement.

The governor's office described the Obama trip as the "the first official presidential visit" since December 1961, when President John F. Kennedy stopped on the island to a formal welcome on his way to Venezuela. But that was not the last time a U.S. president set foot in the territory: President Gerald Ford hosted an economic summit in Puerto Rico in June 1976.


Pedro Pierluisi, the island's nonvoting representative in Congress, said he expects Obama will discuss a recent White House report on the options for changing Puerto Rico's formal relationship to the U.S. mainland. The president may also visit projects that have benefited from the administration's stimulus spending to aid the economy.

Puerto Rico is home to nearly 4 million U.S. citizens but its residents cannot vote in the general presidential election, only in the primaries.

Andres W. López, a member of the Democratic National Committee from the island, said the president's visit may also help him with Puerto Ricans on the mainland, particularly in South Florida, which is home to some 725,000 people of Puerto Rican descent and an important battleground state in the 2012 election. READ MORE

State's Latino population surges – political power, too

California's Latino population grew nearly three times as much as the state as a whole in the past decade, making it home to more than a quarter of the nation's Latinos, according to a new Census Bureau report.

While the Golden State's population grew by 10 percent in the past decade, the Latino growth was 27.6 percent, accounting for more than 90 percent of the state's population gain overall.

Latinos now are 37.6 percent of all Californians, up more than five percentage points since 2000, according to the census. READ MORE

Salvadoran-Americans are now the fourth-largest Latino group in the United States, according to 2010 census figures released Thursday.

Those whose roots extend to El Salvador, one of the smallest and densest countries in the Western Hemisphere, now number more than 1.6 million in the United States, and nearly half reside in California. The latest tally means that Salvadoran-Americans have surpassed Dominican-Americans in number and are swiftly gaining on Cuban-Americans.

Those who hope the higher numbers translate into the political and economic influence reached by Mexican-Americans in California and Caribbean Latinos elsewhere say they still have work to do.

"Numbers give you a certain kind of power, but of course, you have to transfer that quantity of numbers into quality," said Ramon Cardona, a Salvadoran immigrant and director of Richmond's Centro Latino Cuzcatlan. "One big advantage that Cubanos have is a lot of them came from the elite powers in Cuba, they knew how to run systems, how to run private enterprise and government institutions. In the case of Salvadorans, that was not the case. We had to forge and educate ourselves here, underground. That takes a couple generations to get the know-how and move into those kind of ranks."

The nation's 31.8 million Mexican-Americans continue to outnumber all other Latino groups, at 63 percent of the total Latino population. Following them are roughly 4.6 million Puerto Ricans, 1.8 million Cubans, 1.6 million Salvadorans and 1 million Guatemalans.

The fact that the nation's Salvadoran community remains smaller than its Cuban community was a surprise to some demographers tracking various surveys; they expected the Salvadoran population to be higher.

"Estimates going into the census suggested there were more Salvadorans than Cubans," said Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center. "The census shows it's the other way around, but they are very close." READ MORE

Lancaster’s rolling hills are steeped in the traditions of the Amish — their plain dress and humility as much a tourist lure as their quilts and pies.

But, as an iconic symbol, this Lancaster image could need a revision. Instead of Zerbe’s potato chips, think chicharrones. Egg casserole? How about chilaquiles. Pulled pork? Did someone say lechón asado?

Increasingly, the flavors of this south-central Pennsylvania region — famous for its mud sales and outlets — bears a marked Latin accent that goes beyond language and cuisine.

Latinos have forged a foothold in Lancaster County. In recent years, their population numbers have quietly surpassed that of the Amish.

About 45,000 Latinos live in Lancaster County, according to the 2010 census. The census does not track the Amish or plain communities in Lancaster County. But in 2010, the Elizabethtown College center that studies the Amish estimated about 30,000 living in Lancaster County.

The Latino population in Lancaster County has grown by 68 percent in the last 10 years, the fifth-largest gain in Latinos statewide.

In the city of Lancaster, nearly two out of every five city residents identify their ethnicity to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and other Latin American countries.

About half of the county’s Latinos live in the city. The city’s Latino population grew to 23,329 in the last census, an increase of 35 percent. READ MORE