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r r Connected El Fondo's Voter Participation Summit Mirrors Nationwide Focus on Latino Vote Event Kicks Off 2004 Grantmaking Efforts El Fondo de Nuestra Comunidad,one of the.endowments of SpectrumTrust, sponsored an event on June 3rd to stimulate discussion and action aimed at increasing civic engagement in Minnesota's Latino community. Hosted at Metropolitan State University,the nonpartisan statewide event featured expert speakers,discussion groups,and a toolkit to help organizations increase civic engagement and Latino voter participation in communities from Minneapolis to Moorhead. The event's theme—"Tu voz, to voto,nuestro futuro"(your voice,your vote,our future)—aptly characterized the importance of the issue at hand. With a presidential election looming and an estimated 7 million Latinos eligible to cast a Keynote speaker Joaquin Avila,1.D.,won the ballot this November,the Latino vote is one switch-hitting category attracting "Genius Award"fellowship of the John D.and significant attention from both major parties. Yet in Minnesota and across the o0e 1:MacArthur foundation for his work country,many eligible Latino voters are not going to the polls. Keynote speaker Ling rights issues. He spoke to summit Joaquin Avila,a voting rights attorney,explained to a crowd of more than 100 attendees about obstacles that prevent many summit attendees that a variety of obstacles stand in the way. eligible Latino voters from going to the polls. "Aside from the language barrier that exists for some Latinos,the complex and often convoluted process of registration and voting impedes participation in official elections," said Avila. He went on to say that individuals from countries where government is corrupt and voting is not effective may not value or understand the power of their right to vote. The event kicked off El Fondo's 2004 grantmaking efforts. "This year's dollars are focused entirely on funding programs and organizations that foster Latino civic engagement,"said Sarah Hernandez,chair of El Fondo's governing committee and coordinator for the event. Projects that may be funded in 2004 include civic engagement;voter registration,and programs that extend beyond Election Day such as leadership development in the areas of advocacy and public participation. Attendees left the summit armed with a voter participation toolkit created by Centro Legal,Inc. Event sponsors hope that the toolkit and information presented that day will help participants educate other Latinos,who now comprise three percent of Minnesota's population,about voting rights and civic engagement. With only a handful of Latinos in Minnesota government—and • none representing Minnesota at the national level—there is a significant need to leverage the power of the Latino vote. Donations to the endowments of SpectrumTrust help fund projects like the Latino Voter Participation Summit. For more information about how you can 6 contribute or volunteer,contact Anne Pierre at 651.325.4229.