The Unity Awards

Biz(941) and La Guia magazines are proud once again to honor the individuals, businesses and nonprofits that are building bridges to the diverse racial and ethnic groups in our region. This year’s Unity Award winners have seen value—and opportunity—in reaching out to people of all colors and ethnic and national heritages. Their ability and willingness to be at the forefront of forging a multicultural society—sometimes through long hours with the disenfranchised and newly arrived and at other times by building thriving businesses or establishing policies to promote diversity—strengthen us all. 
 

EDUCATION AWARD

Luz Corcuera

As program director for Healthy Start of Manatee County since 2004, Luz Corcuera, 56, has educated thousands of mothers on prenatal and infant health, nutrition and quality-of-life issues. A trained psychologist from Peru, she has focused her efforts on the underserved and quickly growing Hispanic population, and that’s paying huge dividends.

Her programs give baby baskets and supplies to expectant mothers, ensure pediatric care, promote breastfeeding awareness and offer bereavement therapy to parents who lose a child. Her pioneering program of training mothers to teach their own neighbors has been recognized nationally by the March of Dimes.

“Rather than having our agency plan everything behind a desk, I went out to learn the needs of the community,” Corcuera says. “Families felt a tremendous level of isolation and were afraid to use many services available to them.”

This outreach has led Corcuera to advocate for immigration issues and urge Hispanics to vote through UnidosNow. But it’s the personal connections she makes in the community, such as supporting children of parents who are deported, that have some calling her the “Mother Teresa” of Manatee.