Dear Esperanza Community,

We are grateful for your continued support during this time of uncertainty for our local and global communities.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, we are transforming our annual Fiesta of Hope celebration into a virtual format to enable business and community leaders, supporters and families to celebrate, despite social distancing requirements. The celebration will be moved from the scheduled June 5 date to a virtual Fiesta of Hope experience on July 1. To get the latest on Fiesta of Hope, visit esperanzainc.org/fiesta-of-hope.

We at Esperanza are blessed with the strong support of individuals and business leaders, like yourself, who walk alongside us to further the achievements of our community’s youth. I ask for your continued support – during this time. Our organization and, more importantly, our students, need your aid more than ever.

Many of our students, including three-year scholarship recipient Arielis, face unprecedented challenges. Completing her junior year at Kent State University, Arielis finds herself without her campus job and her planned summer internship, due to the current crisis. Without internet at home and a computer that failed at the beginning of the quarantine, Arielis struggles with the logistics of taking online classes. However, make no mistake, Arielis is a determined young woman and is adapting to these challenges to complete her degree on time. Esperanza is right there with her, to give her the extra support she needs to finish her degree.

With your support, our goal is to award 100 college scholarships to our talented Hispanic youth as part of Fiesta of Hope. Due to the uncertainty of the last several weeks, financial commitments, understandably, are lagging compared to previous years. As of today, we have only 30 scholarships committed. The dollars raised through Fiesta of Hope may very well mean the difference between a student’s ability to attend college in the fall, or falling behind.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to celebrating with you in July.

Sincerely

Victor Ruiz
Executive Director