UA News

Three Tucsonans with University of Arizona ties will be honored by the Hispanic Professional Action Committee for their community work with Hispanics.

Peter Likins, president emeritus of The University of Arizona, will share the Organization Community Service Award with the Rotary Club of Tucson. HPAC’s Woman of the Year Award will be presented to Lori Tochihara, director of the UA’s Early Academic Outreach Program, and the Lucero "Rising Star" Award will be presented to Rudy McCormick, associate director of the Early Academic Outreach program.

The awards will be presented at the committee’s annual holiday celebration, being held Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the UA’s Jim Click Hall of Champions at McKale Memorial Center.

“This year’s winners present individuals and organizations that have worked to advance the condition of Hispanics," said HPAC President Sofia Ramos. "They have long histories of service, collaboration and community building. Their work is focused on the prosperity of the community rather than themselves and the results are a synergy that has spurred others into action.”

Other Tucsonans to be recognized by HPAC include Raul Treviso, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and vicar of the Diocese of Tucson, who will receive the Man of the Year Award; Sherri Romanoski, creator and distributor of the cancer information package called Bag It, will receive the Individual Community Service Award; and Lorraine Lee, executive vice president of Chicanos Por La Causa, will be posthumously presented with the Medallion Award for Exemplary Lifelong Service. Lee passed away earlier this year.

HPAC is a non-profit, non-partisan, Tucson based organization that seeks to promote activities that enhance the well-being of Hispanics through advocacy and leadership development opportunities. HPAC sponsors and co-sponsor political and educational forums as well as sessions with principals on key issues. The yearly awards are meant to both acknowledge and encourage continued work to promote employment and educational enhancement for Hispanics.

Organization Community Service Award

The Rotary Club of Tucson will share the Organization Community Service Award for the "Building the Future" program with Likins for his vision and support for the program. In 1998, the Rotary Club embarked on a mission to prevent crime and help improve the lives of poor and disenfranchised youth.

The organization's solution was to partner with the UA to identify an at-risk school and fund educational opportunities for the students with a 10-year commitment to mentor and provide resources to the students. The commitment escalated with Likins agreeing to provide educational support and 101 scholarships to cover the tuition of the enrolled students of C.E. Rose’s third-grade class of 1998. With that, “Building the Future” was born.

Woman of the Year

The Woman of the Year will be presented to Tochihara for her unending commitment to the education and advancement of low-income, underrepresented, first-generation students. Under Tochihara's direction, the UA’s Early Academic Outreach Office has developed and implemented many programs with positive impacts on disadvantaged populations, including the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, the Algebra Academy, the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement program and also the College Academy for Parents.

These programs are valuable to both parents and their children and aim to create educational opportunities and success for low-income, disadvantaged families.

"I am fortunate that the work that I do directly benefits communities in need. It's truly a reward for me to go to work each day," Tochihara said.

The Lucero "Rising Star" Award

The Lucero "Rising Star" Award will be presented to McCormick, who has a strong record of advocacy, service and leadership and is dedicated to the success of young people. McCormick, a Sunnyside High School graduate, recalls being on the UA campus exactly two times prior to his first day on campus as an enrolled student, once to visit the Flandrau Science Center and once during Spring Fling.

He has worked his way through the ranks starting as a student aide with the UA. He is known for his wisdom and kindness and is an inspiration to the students he works with. He speaks proudly of the families enrolled in the services he represents and their strong belief that education for their children is their first priority. “I have seen it during the College Academy for Parents. I’ve been in rooms full of families who, after working all day, sometimes two jobs, were devoting two hours to a workshop to learn about college,” McCormick said.

Man of the Year Award

The Man of the Year Award will be presented to Treviso, who began his career as a teacher in the Tucson Unified School District. He then entered the seminary and was ordained as a priest in 1991. He currently serves as the director for the Diocesan Commission for Hispanic Affairs.

Treviso started and promoted Casa San Vicente, an office to serve immigrant needs and provide outreach to the community. He is a strong advocate for immigrants and is devoted to policy reform. He works closely with the Pima County Interfaith Council, known as PCIC, to serve the social and economic needs of the southwest region of Tucson. Most recently, Treviso worked with PCIC to establish a joint city of Tucson and St. John's parish neighborhood park. The park will be located on the parish grounds and will be shared by the parish and the city.

Community Service Award

Romanoski will receive the Individual Community Service Award for developing and implementing the Bag It program. Bag It provides information and education to individuals newly diagnosed with cancer and to their families. Bag It information is designed to help people cope with the cancer diagnosis and to empower them to become an active member of their cancer treatment team.

Deliveries began in July 2002 and since then more than 2,000 people have received a Bag It package. The bags contain the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship Toolbox, plus Teamwork publications, information from the National Cancer Institute and brochures on local support organizations as well as a notebook with dividers to help patients keep records and other information.

The Medallion Award for Exemplary Lifelong Service

The award will be presented posthumously to Lee's family. For more than 25 years, Lee devoted herself to advocacy and social activism on behalf of Latinos, other ethnic minorities, immigrants and low-income populations. Lee has been recognized locally and nationally for her unflinching dedication to social causes. She championed equity and dignity in housing, education, employment and everyday discourse.

Lee’s list of accomplishments is long and varied. She was an advocate for residents affected by trichloroethylene, a toxic solvent that leaked into Tucson’s south side groundwater supply from nearby industrial sites. She chaired the Pima County Board of Health subcommittee to represent residents’ interests in a class action lawsuit, which resulted in an $84 million settlement from Hughes Missile Systems Company. Lee also served as affiliate chair for the National Council of La Raza, representing 4 million Latinos and 400 local chapters. She served as the executive vice president of Chicanos Por La Causa, where she was a key figure advocating for social change, often speaking about immigration, housing, political representation, education and other issues.