Union Bank and KCET Celebrate Cultural Diversity with 14th Annual Heroes Awards

October 26, 2011 | Filed under: Featured | Posted by: Admin

Los Angeles, CA– Union Bank, N.A., partnered with public television station KCET to honor 12 outstanding community leaders at the 14th Annual Local Heroes Awards.

The celebration, part of the year-long Cultural Diversity Partnership, took place at Club Nokia on October 18, where the honorees were recognized as local heroes for their achievements in making a difference in their neighborhood, community, region and the world.

The KCET partnership is an extension of Union Bank’s commitment to cultural diversity. The 2011 Local Heroes honorees are: Rhonda and Ruett Foster and Charmaine Jefferson (Black History Month); Gloria Lazalde and Lisa Watson (Women’s History Month); Ruth Tang Ding, Sandy Sakamoto and Charles Woo (Asian Pacific American Heritage Month); Zane Buzby and Stephen J. Sass (Jewish American Heritage Month); Teresa Campos Hernández and Jesús Salvador Treviño (Hispanic Heritage Month).

The African American honorees include Evan Leigh Foster Foundation Co-Founders Rhonda and Ruett Foster and the California African American Museum (CAAM) Executive Director Charmaine Jefferson. The Fosters established the Evan Leigh Foster Foundation in memory of their son to provide care and services for children who have perpetrated crimes against society as a result of being separated or estranged from their families.

Jefferson is dedicated to enriching her community and the lives of others through the promotion of artistic endeavors; she has earned widespread recognition in the private and public sectors for her innovative advocacy of arts education and programming. In addition to CAAM, Jefferson is involved with the California Institute for the Arts, Arts for LA, and the California Arts Council.

“We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to express our commitment to diversity and our communities through our partnership with KCET,” said Union Bank Senior Executive Vice President Pierre Habis, head of Community Banking. “We’re proud to extend this partnership through 2013 and look forward to paying tribute to more amazing individuals.”

Entertainment included Richie Freedman’s Cool Blue Jazz Quartet, and renowned violinist Karen Briggs.

UnionBanCal Corporation & Union Bank, N.A. Headquartered in San Francisco, UnionBanCal Corporation is a financial holding company with assets of $80.1 billion at June 30, 2011. Its primary subsidiary, Union Bank, N.A., is a full-service commercial bank providing an array of financial services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations.

The bank operated 403 full-service branches in California, Washington, Oregon, and Texas, as well as two international offices, on June 30, 2011. UnionBanCal Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.

Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG, NYSE:MTU), one of the world’s largest financial organizations. Visit www.unionbank.com for more information.