GE Recognizes National Hispanic Heritage Month; GE's Hispanic Forum Continues its Nationwide Support of Young Hispanic Achievers

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15), a time when the country celebrates the culture, heritage and contributions made by Hispanics in the U.S., GE released the following statement today from Beto Casellas, co-chair of its Hispanic affinity group, the GE Hispanic Forum:

"For over 15 years, the GE Hispanic Forum has invested time and resources to recruit, train and nurture Hispanic talent across the country. Through its far-reaching efforts, the GE Hispanic Forum has made significant contributions to help thousands of K-12 and aspiring Hispanic college students broaden their dreams and achieve their goals.

"In partnership with Junior Achievement, the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness and financial literacy, GE Hispanic Forum members have been working for a number of years with Hispanic K-12 students, teaching them about the basics of business and entrepreneurship principles and about the importance of staying in school and using their bi-lingual abilities to their advantage. In 2013 alone, over 900 GE Hispanic Forum Members have volunteered more than 5,800 hours with Junior Achievement to train Hispanic K-12 students in financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

"Through our work with Hispanic K-12 students, we have seen the positive impact that early and continued engagement with them has had and the importance of continuing our support and encouragement of students after high school.

"The GE Hispanic Forum through its work with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund has also provided a great deal of financial resources to assist outstanding Hispanic college students obtain a college education over the years. Within the last two years, GE Hispanic Forum members successfully raised more than $200,000, which has provided college scholarships to 58 Hispanic students, some of whom are first-generation college attendees.

"In conjunction with this financial assistance, the Hispanic Forum also launched an official mentoring program called the Career Readiness Program, which provides students with year-round coaching and assistance on building a resume, interviewing for a job and managing a brand to help prepare them for entering the 21^st Century workforce. This year, the GE Hispanic Scholarship Fund Program expects to support an additional 38 new Hispanic college students across the country.

"National Hispanic Heritage Month marks a time when we reflect on the contributions of Hispanics across the country and the work we are doing to support their success. The GE Hispanic Forum is incredibly proud of the work it has done to make a difference in the lives of thousands of Hispanic students over the years. We are even more proud of the young Hispanics and GE employees whose lives have thrived as a result."

About the GE Hispanic Forum
The GE Hispanic Forum is a voluntary member organization within GE founded over a decade ago whose mission is to facilitate GE's efforts to attract, retain and develop Hispanic talent within GE. The GE Hispanic Forum was established in 1996 as an employee-based affinity group created to attract, retain and develop Hispanic talent within GE. The Hispanic Forum currently has more than 3,500 members in the U.S. who work to engage and support Hispanic communities around the country.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

For more information, contact:
Dan Nelson
GE
+1 678 742 1462
[email protected]

SOURCE GE