Join us December 9th for our Champagne-Cupcakes Toy Drive At the Hyatt at Olive 8, in Downtown Seattle! Do you remember the joy and excitement of discovering presents under the Christmas tree as a child? The anticipation as you tore off the wrapping paper to discover what toy Santa, Nino Jesus, Papa Noel, or Viejo Pascuero had brought you? For many disadvantaged Seattle-area Latino children, the only thing that they have to look forward to on Christmas morning is the sadly envious feeling of watching other children play with their new toys. However, it does not have to be that way. Let us give a smile and brighten the morning of a Latino child this Christmas! This season, share a little bit of the holiday magic by giving an unwrapped toy. Toys will benefit the children of El Centro de la Raza, José Martí Child Development Center. Net proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Latino Community Fund, which in 2009 funded grants to the following seven organizations: Community to Community (Train low-income families to become economically self-sufficient) Entre Hermanos (Improve the health and well-being of LGBT Latino youth) Consejo Counseling and Referral Service (Empower women to address their own families’ challenges) Leadership Development and Civic Engagement Academy (Engage parents in improving the education of their children) Para los Niños (Increase the academic success of pre-school children) Children of the Valley After School Program (Improve the academic skills of high school students and help them graduate) La Cima Bilingual Leadership Camp (Train high school students to become community leaders) Ticket price is $25 and includes cupcakes and a glass of champagne. Please buy your ticket at www.latinocommunityfund.org. Net proceeds benefit the Latino Community Fund. See you on December 9th, 2009 at 6 p.m.! (Hyatt at Olive 8, 1635 8th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, 206-676-4600) Toy Drive Donation Ideas (Ages 1-12): winter coats hats, scarves and gloves underwear and socks new children's toys, games and books Learn More About The Latino Community Fund (LCF) was formed in 2006 by a group of Washington State residents of Hispanic/Latino heritage in order to address the growing needs of the Latino community. Its approach is to capitalize on the Latino community's best resource - its people - in order to identify, share and advocate for successful culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate organizations, programs and practices. LCF improves the lives of Latino children, youth, and families by strengthening innovative programs in health, education, community and economic development. El Centro de la Raza, José Martí Child Development Center (JMCDC) is a bilingual, multicultural and early childhood educational center serving Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley communities. The primary goal of the program is to build stronger children, youth, adults and community. JMCDC offers childcare services to families with children ages 1 to 5 years. The Seattle Latino/a Networking Professionals Meetup Group is a networking organization of highly motivated individuals from across all professional sectors such as business, finance, technology, and government affairs. The group goal is to provide opportunities for Latino/a professionals to grow their networks and develop their careers. Together we combine our collective resources to improve networking opportunities while creating lasting social bonds in our community. The group has a monthly gathering where Latino/a professionals from all over the Puget Sound area can come together in a social and informal setting to make new friends and contacts in the professional arena.