| FORM 990 - ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
OUR MISSION PROVIDES A CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT TO ENHANCE AND IMPROVE ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY WHILE PROMOTING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ARTS, HISTORY, LITERATURE AND PERPETUATION OF HISPANIC CULTURE. WISCONSIN HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION ASSISTS IN OPENING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVANCEMENT OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG HISPANICS. YEAR-ROUND ACTIVITIES OF THE WISCONSIN HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION (WHSF) SERVE AS A VEHICLE BY WHICH TO PROVIDE, ENHANCE AND UNDERSTAND THE CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL, ARTISTIC, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND LITERARY ENVIRONMENT OF THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY IN THE METRO MILWAUKEE AREA, AS WELL AS THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND THE COUNTRY. WHSF STAGES AN ANNUAL THREE DAY FESTIVAL (MEXICAN FIESTA) ON THE LAKEFRONT SUMMERFEST GROUNDS EACH AUGUST, AN EVENT UNDERTAKEN BY THE ORGANIZATION'S ARMY OF 1,000 VOLUNTEERS AND ATTENDED BY AS MANY AS 75,000 FESTGOERS. ANCHORING THE GROUNDS, IS THE HUGE CULTURAL VILLAGE WITH ARTISANS, VENDORS, AND EXHIBITORS FROM MEXICO AND ANOTHER COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS EDUCATIONAL FORUMS. AS MANY AS 600 MUSICAL & DANCE PARTICIPANTS FROM MEXICO, SOUTH AMERICA AND THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES ARE A MAJOR ATTRACTION. ETHNICITY PLAYS A KEY ROLE ALSO WITH AN ARRAY OF MEXICAN FOOD AND BEVERAGES FROM AS MANY AS 100 VENDORS. NEARLY 100 VENDORS FILL A MARKET SQUARE AND AMONG THE MANY ATTRACTIONS ARE A CHILDREN'S AREA, A UNIQUE CAR SHOW, AND AMUSEMENT RIDES. TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A LARGE FESTIVAL AUDIENCE, THERE IS A SOCIAL SERVICE RESOURCE CENTER. MOST IMPORTANTLY, A NUMBER OF BEVERAGE TENTS ARE STAFFED BY LOCAL COMMUNITY NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, PROVIDING AN ECONOMIC STAPLE TO THESE VALUED ENTITIES. CRITICALLY IMPORTANT IS WHSF'S ONGOING WORK WITH THE MEXICAN EMBASSY IN CHICAGO. SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR, OUR OFFICES PROVIDE THE SETTING FOR VALUED CONSULAR ACTIVITIES SUCH AS PROVISION OF MEXICAN ID (MATRICULAS) AND PASSPORTS, AS WELL AS IMPORTANT INFORMATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS WHO MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE TO TRAVEL TO ILLINOIS. ALSO, CRUCIAL TO OUR FOUNDATION, IS TO CONFRONT PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES THAT AFFECT OUR COMMUNITY, THIS IS WHY OUR FOUNDATION YEARS AGO MADE THE DECISION TO DEVELOP THE "FIESTA WALK" WITH THE OBJECTIVES TO CREATE AND MAXIMIZE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS OF OBESITY AND DIABETES AND SECONDLY, TO ENCOURAGE POSITIVE PREVENTION STRATEGIES, ESPECIALLY TO THOSE THAT WILL ENABLE FAMILIES TO LEAD A SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER HEALTHY LIFE STYLE. TRADITION PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN OUR ENDEAVORS ALSO. EACH JANUARY, THE WHSF HOSTS A DAY OF EPIPHANY WHICH FINDS YOUNG PEOPLE ENJOYING LIGHT SNACKS, MUSIC AND CULTURAL ENTERTAINMENT, PLUS SPECIAL GIFTS. UP TO 800 HAVE ATTENDED THIS EVENT. OUTREACH TO FAMILIES IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF WHSF'S AGENDA AND SO AN ANNUAL TACO DINNER IS HELD EACH SPRING AT A LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL. IT'S POPULARITY INCREASES EACH YEAR BECAUSE THE FEATURE IS AN ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT DINNER WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS. ESPECIALLY ATTRACTIVE TO LARGE FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN, THE DINNER FEATURES ENTERTAINING DANCE, MUSIC, AND CULTURAL PERFORMANCES. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE THAT SPORTING EVENTS PLAY IN BRINGING TOGETHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, SPONSORS, VENDORS AND INDIVIDUALS FROM VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT THE METRO AREA TO RAISE SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS FOR HISPANIC STUDENTS. THAT IS THE REASON FOR TWO SUMMER GOLF TOURNAMENTS, EVENTS WHICH ATTRACT AS MANY AS 200 GOLFERS. A MILWAUKEE TRADITION IS THE ANNUAL HOLIDAY FOLK FAIR, A SHOWCASE FOR THE CITY'S MANY ETHNIC GROUPS. WHSF IS PLEASED TO JOIN WITH A MYRIAD OF CULTURES UNDER ONE ROOF AND CELEBRATE THE DIVERSITY OF THIS GREAT COMMUNITY. AS MANY AS 150 ETHNIC GROUPS AND CULTURES ARE REPRESENTED AT ANY ONE TIME. FOR WHSF, EDUCATION BECOMES A VALUED COMPONENT OF OUR EXISTENCE. DESERVING YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN STRIVING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ARE THE RECIPIENTS OF A SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS PROGRAM WHICH HAS DISPENSED NEARLY 1,000,000 OVER THE YEARS TO MORE THAN 700 STUDENTS, FRATERNITIES, SORORITIES AND MORE THAN 12 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. AMONG OTHER PROGRAMS DEVELOPED WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT , PUBLIC SECTOR, PRIVATE AND COMMUNITY THE WHSF / MEXICAN FIESTA PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE OF WISCONSIN AS WELL AS SOME OF THE STATES OF MEXICO . THE MEXICAN FIESTA EVENT PROVIDES ADDITIONAL SPENDING IN THE ECONOMY, GENERATING INCOME , CREATING JOBS AND BRINGING ECONOMIC PROSPERITY OF THE AFFECTED REGIONS. THE WHSF / MEXICAN FIESTA HAS SUPPORTED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS THAT STARTS WITH : A) COMMERCIAL AGENDAS FOR WISCONSIN ENTREPRENEURS WHO HAVE THE INTEREST TO EXPLORE THE MEXICAN MARKET AND VICEVERSE WITH MEXICAN ENTREPRENEURS LOOKING TO EXPAND THEIR BUSINESS HERE IN WISCONSIN ( MIDWEST ), B) DEVELOPMENT OF MARKETING STRATEGIES TO ATTRACT VISITORS TO THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE , AS WELL AS PEOPLE FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY AND EVEN ABROAD , D) TRADE, MARKETING, PROMOTION AND EXPOSURE OF MEXICAN PRODUCTS DURING FIESTA. E) UNIQUE MARKET : INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL AUDIENCE (75,000 FESTGOERS) MULTIRACIAL, MULTICULTURAL, FAMILY ORIENTED EVENT. THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF WHSF/MEXICAN FIESTA THROUGH DIFFERENT SECTORS IS BENEFITING DIFFERENT SECTORS OF OUR LOCAL ECONOMIC SUCH HOTELS RESTAURANTS , ENTERTAINMENT VENUES , SHOPPING RETAIL , FOOD AND BEVERAGE , AS WELL AS EMPLOYMENT SERVICES, REAL ESTATE AND OTHER PERSONAL SERVICES. OVER THE THREE DAYS OF FIESTA MEXICANA, THE ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE IS ABOUT 6,000,000.00 WITH AN ESTIMATED INCIDENCE IN WISCONSIN TAXES OF 324,868.00 (STATE AND LOCAL) PER YEAR. THESE RESULTS DO NOT INCLUDE THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL IMPACT GENERATED BY DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS ORGANIZED BY THE FOUNDATION DURING THE YEAR. |
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.