USHLI to Present Ford Motor Company Fund With 2010 Corporate Visionary Award

CHICAGO, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) -- one of the most powerful nationally and internationally recognized Latino organizations in the country -- will present the 2010 Corporate Visionary Award to Ford Motor Company Fund. The award will be presented during the 28th USHLI Conference at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers in Chicago. The Corporate Visionary Award recognizes Ford Motor Company Fund for setting a high standard in corporate responsibility and serving as a source of inspiration to other corporations.

"We are honored to present this award to Ford Motor Company Fund for the company's time-honored tradition of investing time, energy and resources towards education and the advancement of the Hispanic community," said Dr. Juan Andrade, Jr., president of USHLI.  "Their continued support, even during challenging economic times, has enabled us to serve hundreds of thousands of present and future leaders."

Ford Motor Company Fund builds communities through volunteerism and partnerships with nonprofit organizations that focus on education, preserving America's heritage, and automotive safety. Maintaining a legacy of commitment to the Hispanic community that spans decades, Ford invests in people and communities throughout the country and provides opportunities through programs that have a positive impact.

"We are deeply honored to be recognized for our commitment and contributions to the Hispanic community," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "At Ford, we understand that the strength of our country relies on the quality of its leaders and we are pleased to support organizations such as USHLI that provide leadership empowerment opportunities to Latino youth."

The USHLI Conference is the premier Hispanic leadership conference in the nation, attracting a complete cross section of the Hispanic leadership community, and involving all ancestry groups.  Most participants are or will become the most influential Hispanic leaders of their generation in the public or private sectors.  

About the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute

USHLI is a Chicago-based national organization whose mission is to empower the Latino community and similarly disenfranchised groups through civic integration and to cultivate the next generation of Latino leaders.  USHLI's civic integration programs include nonpartisan voter registration and education, research on Latino demographics, redistricting, and candidate training.  Leadership programs include Project SED (Students for an Educated Democracy) for high school students in grades 9-12, Collegiate Leadership Development on public policy, Grassroots Leadership Development on how local governments work, and 21st Century Leaders Internships on public policy and social activism.  For more information please visit www.ushli.org.

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services

Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services is a community relations and philanthropic non-profit funded by Ford Motor Company.  Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2009, Ford Fund supports initiatives and institutions that foster and promote innovation in education, greater automotive safety and American heritage and diversity.  National programs include Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS), which provides 21st century skills-based curriculum to more than 40,000 high school students; and Ford Driving Skills for Life, which has taught safe driving skills to more than 337,000 young drivers.  In addition, the Ford Volunteer Corps, established in 2005, enlists the help of thousands of Ford employees and retirees who volunteer their time to continue Ford's legacy of community service worldwide.  For more information about programs made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, please visit www.community.ford.com, www.volunteer.ford.com or www.abrighterfuture.ford.com.

SOURCE U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute