Arlington, Texas—The Dallas Cowboys celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month Sunday with a presentation of the 2012 NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award. This year's award recipient, Luis Spinola, was honored on the field at Cowboys Stadium before the team took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their first season game at home.
Spinola, president and CEO of Azteca-Omega Group, was born and raised in Mexico City before he moved to the United States in 1983. He has more than 40 years of experience in the construction industry and has provided a helping hand in the local Hispanic community for many years, particularly through his company which offers internship opportunities to Hispanic and other minority students interested in the construction and engineering fields. In addition to being selected for the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, Spinola was also honored this year as one of Telemundo's nominees for the 2012 Hispanic Business Salute.
Joining Spinola on the field Sunday was Cowboys Executive Vice President Charlotte Jones Anderson and President/General Manager of Telemundo Dallas John Trevino. Anderson and Trevino presented Spinola with a check to the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association Training and Safety Foundation, the charity of Spinola's choice, on behalf of Gene and Jerry Jones Family Charities. The grant for $3,000 will go towards promoting and supporting the advancement and economic growth of the Hispanic Contractors of Texas.
The Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award is an annual program sponsored by the NFL and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation as part of the NFL's Hispanic Heritage Month. The Dallas Cowboys organization is a proud supporter of the NFL initiative, presenting a number of additional events and programs throughout the month benefitting the local Hispanic community.
Sunday's game honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, presented by Miller Lite, also included a performance of the National Anthem by Hispanic vocalist Star De Azlan with members of the Ballet Folklorico Festival de San Antonio presenting Latin American flags. Telemundo personalities Ramon Diaz and Adriana Lopez were featured in the plazas of the stadium, and Cowboys fans were greeted with performances by Dallas's Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico at each of the stadium's entrances. Throughout the game, the Cowboys teamed up with Telemundo to display messaging and graphics celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on the stadium's videoboard.
The Cowboys have also teamed up with Miller Lite and the Adelante U.S. Educational Leadership Fund to support educational programming and resources for Hispanics through the "Scoring for Education" campaign. The campaign, which aims to develop the next generation of Latino leadership, includes a number of educational workshops throughout Texas to equip parents with the tools they need to ensure their children have a chance to pursue higher education. Former Cowboys defensive lineman Tony Casillas has joined the "Scoring for Education" platform and will assist in the workshops.
