Latino Foundation Honors Family in Monterey Park

A Monterey Park family has been named California Hispanic American Family of the Year.

Richard and Theresa Amador, along with their children, the children’s spouses and their grandchildren, were chosen from among eight Latino families by the Hispanic American Family of the Year Foundation.

Richard Amador, 52, is president and chief executive officer of East Los Angeles-based Community and Human Resources Inc., a nonprofit firm that uses public funds to run child-care centers and workshops for developmentally disabled people, as well as encouraging development of low-income housing. He also is chairman of the Charo Housing Development Corp. and of the Latin Business Foundation, which awards college scholarships.

Theresa Amador, 49, is a bank manager and a Cal State Los Angeles alumna. The family includes daughter Cynthia Amador Flores, 30, a corporate vice president, her husband, Joe, and their children Andrew, 6, and Jake, 15 months, as well as son Richard II, 27, a lawyer, and his wife, Alicia, also a lawyer.

“This is very special because it’s our whole family” receiving the award, Richard Amador Sr. said Tuesday. “Community service has been a way of life in our family.”

The Amadors were honored at a banquet at the Los Angeles Hilton Hotel last week. They will receive $5,000 in college scholarship money.

The seven finalists, who will receive $1,000 in scholarships each, are: Noel and Ruth Aparicio of Walnut; Marcos and Barbara Aspeitia of South San Gabriel; John and Beatriz Hernandez of East Los Angeles; Diana Munatones of Pasadena; Raul and Anita Santos of Valinda; Roger and Delia Talamantez of San Diego, and Hector and Edith Vargas of Burbank.

“The examples these families set will go a long way toward image-building within the Hispanic community and the nation as a whole,” said Bernie Kemp-Araujo, founder of the 5-year-old awards program and chairman of the foundation board.

The foundation has honored more than 145 families in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois and Texas. This year’s event was sponsored by Kraft General Foods, Ford Motor Co., Sears Roebuck and Co. and Telemundo KVEA Channel 52.