Countywide : Awards to Be Given for Aid to Latino Youths

A poet, three teachers and two community activists will be honored tonight for their work as educators and advocates of Latino youths in Orange County.

The Hispanic Education Endowment Fund will give Apple of Gold for Excellence in Teaching awards to Celeste Meyers, Bea Dillehunt and Mel Sanchez, Community Service awards to Amin David and Lupe Fisher, and the Apple of Gold for Career Achievement award to Manuel N. Gomez.

Meyers, a bilingual resource teacher in the La Habra City School District, is a force behind programs that encourage students to set high goals and achieve them, La Habra school officials said.

Dillehunt teaches English at Marco Foster Middle School in San Juan Capistrano, where officials praise her commitment to helping students succeed.

Sanchez, an English and Spanish teacher at Santa Ana High School, often revises his curriculum to make it relevant for his students and disseminates new teaching techniques he learns at national conferences to fellow teachers, award organizers said.

David and Fisher, both Latino rights activists, are being honored for their efforts to promote education and help Latino youngsters succeed.

Gomez, a poet and UC Irvine’s vice chancellor of student services, will be honored because of his professional success and commitment to education.

“We are honoring these people because they have gone beyond the call of duty to invest in the future of kids who may not otherwise get a chance,” said Ruben A. Smith, co-chairman of the nonprofit Endowment Fund organization, which will host an awards dinner at Disneyland Hotel at 6 tonight. The cost is $50 to $100 per person. Reservations: (714) 955-1433.