LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS

During 2024, Council 4451 awarded approximately $17,500 in scholarships and educational grants to students of Hispanic heritage pursuing vocational and academic education, and to allied educational organizations serving the Hispanic community. The Council's scholarship program serves students from the Permian Basin region (Ector County, Midland County, and surrounding Texas counties), with priority to first-generation college students and students demonstrating both academic potential and financial need. Approximately 6 to 8 individual student scholarship recipients benefited from cash awards in 2024, with award sizes typically ranging from $500 to $2,500 per recipient. In addition, the Council made grants to allied educational organizations supporting Hispanic students. Scholarship awards were determined by Council vote based on applications reviewed by the Council's informal scholarship committee. Recipients are typically announced at the annual Hispanic Heritage celebration in September. The Council maintains its long-standing commitment to investing in educational pathways for the next generation of Hispanic leaders in the Permian Basin, consistent with LULAC National's founding priority of educational advancement.

Council 4451 organized and underwrote the annual Hispanic Heritage Parade and Community Cultural Celebration in Odessa, Texas during September-October 2024. The parade is the Council's signature annual community event and the largest celebration of Hispanic heritage in the Permian Basin. Program activities funded by the Council in 2024 included: parade prize awards to category winners (best float, best youth group, best community organization, etc.); float construction, decoration materials, and parade supplies; performer and entertainer fees for folklorico dance groups, mariachi musicians, and other cultural performers; master-of-ceremonies and announcer services; parade-day food, refreshments, and hospitality for participants and volunteers; advertising and community outreach materials including billboards (LAMAR), radio spots, and Spanish-language newspaper advertisements; and event materials, signage, and supplies. Approximately 500 to 1,000 community participants, families, performers, and attendees benefited from this program in 2024, with the broader Permian Basin Hispanic community served by the cultural visibility, community pride, and intergenerational engagement the parade fosters. The parade also serves as the Council's primary annual platform for scholarship recipient recognition and community partner acknowledgment.