Mclean, U.S.A. – On July 27, 2012 Lynette Spano, founder of Stars, Stripes, & Hearts, announced that her organization is producing a national benefit concert in Washington, D.C. at the historic Warner Theater on October 15, 2012, in recognition and support of Latino/Hispanic American military service members and their families.

Spano, a Puerto Rican American, is among the most successful Latina businesswomen in America. As a way of giving back, she created the first ever online wall of honor, www.awarriorswall.org, where anyone can tweet a photo of a loved one serving in the military.

Her latest and most ambitious effort is the creation of Stars, Stripes, & Hearts, dedicated to raising funds through national benefit concerts in support of exceptional health and education-related charities that provide comprehensive and culturally competent support services to Latino/Hispanic military families impacted by the invisible wounds of war.

Her first concert will be held during National Hispanic Heritage Month. All proceeds from the Bandera y Corazones concert series will be donated to charitable organizations that provide relief to Latino/Hispanic service members and families impacted by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), depression and other invisible wounds of war. Latinos/Hispanics have higher rates of PTSD than any other ethnicity or race in America.

Although all proceeds from the concerts will be donated to charities that provide assistance to military veterans and families facing challenging circumstances, the concerts themselves will be a celebration – a celebration highlighting the strength, honor and commitment of our men and women in uniform and the vast contributions of Latinos and Hispanics serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Invitations to perform at this year’s concert have been extended to leading Latin recording artists, such as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.

“Latino/Hispanic families, statistically speaking, have suffered more than any other ethnicity in America during the recent military conflicts overseas,” says Spano. “However, no one has thanked them in a way that recognizes who they are, where they come from or how important they are to the strength, vitality and security of this great nation.”

For information, please visit http://www.starsstripesandhearts.org/ or e-mail StarsStripesandHearts@gmail.com.

Image Courtesy of  s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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The Military Child Education Coalition has received a $150,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve the likelihood that military-connected children are college and career ready. With both organizations striving to ensure young people reach their full potential, the partnership reflects a shared goal of providing all students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed beyond high school—in college, career, and life.

In keeping with its mission to ensure educational opportunities for the nation’s nearly 2 million military-connected children, the Military Child Education Coalition will advocate for clear and consistent educational standards across all 50 states. Frequently referred to as Common Core Standards, adoption and implementation of standards in core subject areas such as math, science, reading-language arts, and social studies will benefit all students.

According to Dr. Mary M. Keller, President and CEO of Military Child Education Coalition, Common Core Standards (CCS) are especially beneficial to military-connected children who move three times more frequently than their civilian classmates or experience the turbulence of separation from a parent. These children, with parents serving in the Active Duty, National Guard or Reserve forces, have unique challenges related to the continuity of their learning progress.

“Common Core Standards (CCS) are essential for military-connected students because they increase the predictability and continuity of our highly mobile students’ academic experiences,” explains Dr. Keller. Though frequent school moves can have an adverse impact on student progress in all content areas, the Military Child Education Coalition research and experience clearly substantiates mathematics as the area of highest need and advocacy campaigns will reflect that focus.

This significant effort is paramount in providing needed support to children whose parents support our nation. There are approximately 1.2 million school-aged military-connected children in the U.S. Approximately 80% of these students attend public school and the remaining attend Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Europe and the Pacific, private and parochial schools or are home-schooled.

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