CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION OF LATINO LEADERS (CALL) ANNOUNCED WALTON FAMILY FOUNDATION GRANT

December 15, 2009

San Antonio, Tx – The Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL) has announced a three-year grant from the Walton Family Foundation for $150,000 per year, in support of CALL’s overall mission and specifically its outreach efforts to Hispanic corporate and civic leaders on nationwide K-12 education reform initiatives.

“This grant from the Walton Family Foundation represents important support to us as we develop and execute our overall strategic plan through 2011,” said Robert Aguirre, President and CEO of CALL.

“The mission of our organization shares key common ground with the Walton Family Foundation and its ongoing K-12 education reform efforts, as we are both seeking ways to attract more Latinos and other diverse audiences to the national school choice movement and debate.”

Founded in San Antonio in 2007, CALL is a 501(c)(3) faith-based organization which seeks to work within the Hispanic culture to promote the common good of Latinos in the U.S. through prayer, education, leadership and service.

Aguirre has been a recognized leader in the education reform movement for many years, including serving as the founding principal of CALL and another organization, the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options. According to Aguirre, a major focus of CALL’s programming is to further establish the organization as a national voice for Hispanics and to impact state and national public policy dialogue on issues including K-12 education reform and the importance of parental rights in these reform efforts.

“It is our firm belief that improving policies that affect Latinos, particularly within the context of education, leadership and public service, serves the greater good of our nation as a whole,” Aguirre said.

Additional information about CALL and its program focus areas is available on the organization’s website, www.call-usa.org. Additional information on the Walton Family Foundation and its program focus areas is available on its website, www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org.

I never bothered to pay much attention to “Flynn-Gate” over the summer. I heard about it on the radio once, and I was disappointed to say the least. I actually called Jay Weber’s show and complained about his excuse making for the Milwaukee Police Chief as he questioned the audience about whether or not a “private matter” should affect a “public job.” (My answer was absolutely...are you crazy, Jay?)

“WHY do you care?” I hear many of you asking, including Jessica McBride in her latest response over the weekend.

First of all let me start by saying that I will cast no stones, for my house may not be made of glass, but it has plenty of large windows. I merely want to answer the question that McBride herself seems to be asking.

Why should “MRS,” McBride’s illicit, adulterous affair with the Married Chief of Police, be a matter of public scrutiny....must I go any further?

Obviously I do.

Now, if “MRS,” McBride were professing a subjective and relative existence, then I would not bother since it is useless to debate with relativists. In my experience, they do not use logic or common sense in evaluating what is good for society. However, “MRS,” McBride is not a relativist, and she actually professes to be a Conservative, which I assume includes social issues like family values and the belief in absolute truths.

Let me get to the point. The main reason “family values” supporters fight for Traditional marriage is not just because the Bible tells them to. It’s because we understand that the single-family unit is the foundation of a civil society. When the single family breaks down, it can have a domino effect on all of society. We believe that the Family unit begins with Marriage and then the rearing of children for most circumstances

The failure of no one cog, cell, or in this case “family unit” can break down all civil society, but some have more impact than others. When public figures are involved in a scandal, especially those in seats of authority, it should prompt a moral outrage causing all others to recognize and take notice of the embarrassment and damage that it creates for families and the “personal” lives of the offenders; a strong deterrent. It’s not about self-righteous judgment like in the “Scarlet Letter.” It’s about what is best for society as a whole and society needs to learn lessons too.

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