County's most influential Hispanics to be named Thursday

Who are Yuma County's most influential Hispanics?

They are the area residents of Hispanic descent who are making a positive difference in their communities.

At an awards ceremony on Thursday, Bajo El Sol will unveil the names of nominees selected as the 10 Most Influential Hispanics in Yuma County. The recipients were chosen from among a field of 22 nominations submitted by the public.

The nominees this year are Abel Almanza, Jesús Arrizon, Jerry Cabrera, Henry Chávez, Miguel Escobar Valdez, Louie Galaviz, Nena García, Juan Manuel Guerrero, Jr., María Guzmán, David Lara Jr., Conrad Luján, Luis Márquez, Javier Morales, Larry Muñoz, Raymond Navarette, Fernando Quiroz, Tony Reyes, Araceli Rodríguez, Lucille Torres, Rafael Torres, Francisco Vásquez and Emmanuel Villegas.

The awards ceremony will take place from 6 to 9 p.m at Paradise Casinos on the Arizona side.

The event is open to the public, but seating is limited. Tickets cost $10, and are available at the Bajo El Sol office, 1233 N. Main St., Suite 2, in San Luis, Ariz., and The Sun, 2055 S. Arizona Ave.

This is the second year that The Sun's Spanish-language sister publication has presented the honor.

The purpose of the 10 Most Influential Hispanics awards is to recognize Hispanics who are making the difference in the community, whether through their jobs or through their activities as volunteers, said Maria Chavoya, Bajo El Sol's editor.

Bajo El Sol invited readers and the public to submit nominations and a panel of judges selected 10 for the honor of most influential.

The judges were Terry Ross, editor of The Sun; Lori Stofft, marketing director of The Sun; John Vaughn, an associate editor of The Sun;

Petra Falcon, a member of Yuma County Interfaith; and retired educators Irene Montoya and Mary Barajas.

For more information about Thursday's event, call 627-5025 or 539-6813.