Will you help give life to Hispanic students’ dreams?
Your generous donation will enable more Hispanic students to attend college and pursue their
goals, and your sponsorship support will reach Hispanic families with your business’ message.
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM DONATION LEVELS + BENEFITS
BENEFACTOR: $10,000 AND ABOVE
• Prominent placement of name and logo on all printed event materials.
• Option to provide materials for scholarship recipients.
• Recognition in post-event e-newsletter distributed to Scholarship Program corporate
partners, universities and friends.
LEADER: $5,000 TO $9,999
• Prominent placement of name and logo on all printed event materials.
• Recognition in post-event e-newsletter distributed to Scholarship Program corporate
partners, universities and friends.
FAMILIA: $2,000 TO $4,999
• Name listed on all printed event materials.
NAMED SCHOLARSHIP: $1,000
• Name listed in the event program.
• Scholarship named in honor of your family, organization or company, awarded to a
student selected by HDF.
Your gift is greatly appreciated. All contributions to the Scholarship Program will be
recognized in our event program.
To sponsor or donate, visit hdfkc.networkforgood.com or contact Jessica Jasso
at 816.268.3289 or jasso@hdfkc.org.
@hdfkc @hdfkc @hdfkc_
HDFKC.ORG • 816.268.3289 • 1055 BROADWAY BLVD • SUITE 130 • KANSAS CITY, MO 64105
Dear Friends of HDF,
“Receiving the HDF scholarship meant that I was visible to someone.”
“It felt great that someone believed in me; I felt connected to people who were just
like me.”
This is the power of the HDF Scholarship Program. Over and over again, we hear
from HDF recipients that the impact of the scholarship on their life is twofold.
Not only do we help Hispanic students, many of whom are the first in their family
to attend college, afford college and navigate a complex system. But, more
importantly, we provide a much-needed vote of affirmation, telling our students,
“this community believes in you, and together we will help you reach your dreams.”
That’s the work that you as a donor make possible.
Since 1984, the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund Scholarship
Program has provided more than 4,000 college scholarships to Latino students,
giving over $5 million to help them achieve their educational goals. Last year,
with the help of many in our community, we awarded $436,310 in scholarships
to 220 deserving students, 78% of whom are first-generation college students.
We are proud of these results, but we recognize that HDF does not do this alone.
We rely on donations from individuals, families and area businesses to provide
access to college education for Latinos in the Greater Kansas City community.
Would you consider making a donation to support the HDF Scholarship
Program? Every year we have more qualified applicants than funds available.
In 2017 alone, we had a 21% increase in applications, and we need your support
to award scholarships to even more deserving students. Your contribution will
help make college education for all Kansas City-area Latinos a reality.
We will honor our 2018 HDF Scholars on June 7, 2018 at Johnson County
Community College, and we invite you to join us as a sponsor. Sponsorship
levels and benefits are detailed on the back page. If you have any questions,
please contact Jessica Jasso at 816.268.3289 or jasso@hdfkc.org.
We look forward to using our collective impact to continue giving life to our
students’ dreams.
Sincerely,
Ramón Murguía Jessica Jasso
Chairman Coordinator, Alumni and Scholar Attainment
Hispanic Development Fund Hispanic Development Fund
2017 was another great year for Hispanic Development Fund. As you will see, we continued
to find long-standing, culturally-relevant and innovative ways to fulfill our mission to
improve the quality of life for Hispanic families in Greater Kansas City.
All I ever wanted was to become a lawyer. Where other girls dreamed of becoming
princesses, I dreamt of the day I would eventually be eligible to be a judge. I am a
first-generation student. My family fled the violence plaguing our country and for
a long time I didn’t believe that I was ever going to be able to attend college. I was
a janitor for almost ten years before I found the courage to pursue my education.
Growing up I was told all the reasons why I would fail: I am a girl. I grew up in an
abusive, economically poor home. I did not have the resources. Yet here I am.
Without the support of the Hispanic Development Fund I wouldn’t be able to
achieve my goals, but even more so, the idea that my community believes in me
and my dream helps me work harder and overcome any struggles coming my way.
CECILIA LOPEZ, JD STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF LAW
CAMBIO PARA CAMBIO
This year, our Scholarship Program alumni and friends rallied to give back to the Scholarship Program they benefited
from. Through personal crowd-funding campaigns, our community helped give life to many students’ dreams. This
New DREAMer scholarship
for 2018. Since we began we
have committed to supporting
students regardless of status, and
we believe this scholarship will
highlight the additional hurdles
our DREAMer students overcome.
The demand for our Scholarship Program continues to grow. This year, we received more scholarship applications than
ever before, reinforcing the need to continue to cultivate giving to the Scholarship Program so we’re able to empower
more Hispanic students to accomplish their dreams.
Supporting the youth of today for a stronger tomorrow is vital for our country moreso
now than ever before. By supporting HDF, we make the commitment to enhance
the opportunities available for those students who want to continue to succeed and
contribute to society. As Hispanics, we need to ensure our voice is heard and to let
everyone know that our dedication to this great country is as American as apple pie
with elements of pan dulce sprinkled on top.
FRANCISCO AND GINA LOPEZ, HDF SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT 1987-1990,
HDF DONORS

campaign gave Scholarship Program alumni a way to re-engage with HDF, and significantly increase philanthropy
among individual donors of color.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM MENTORSHIP

We hosted several events for our Scholarship recipients

and alumni this year – a Back to School BBQ,
Friendsgiving, and programming through a partnership
with UMKC’s Avanzando program, which encourages
As a young, low-income, transgender, Latino student from Kansas City, I never could have imagined students to embrace their ethnic identity and cultural
the experiences I have had and accomplishments I have made these last four years. There’s a saying attributes. We’re hoping these events, and more like
that goes, “If you want to walk fast, walk alone, but if you want to walk far, walk together.” I’ve them, provide our Scholarship recipients and alumni with
walked far because I had the financial support from HDF, along with other scholarships, to push ongoing opportunities for mentorship and support, so
open doors for me rather than let the lack of financial ability keep them shut. Receiving the HDF that they achieve their goal of college graduation.
scholarship each year allowed me to gain experience and exposure to people, places and ideas that
have helped me develop a greater sense of who I am and who I want to become.
This past May I graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., with a B.S. in Business
Administration, a specialization in Information Systems and Technology, and a minor in Sociology. We were all scared and nervous about what we were embarking on, but receiving
While in school, I worked as an intern at the Democratic National Committee and the Human Rights the scholarship was a huge boost of confidence for me and my fellow recipients.”
Campaign. I also studied for six months in Hong Kong and visited Singapore and Japan. Since It continues to mean a lot to know that the scholarship has grown and that many
graduating, I started my professional career at Freddie Mac. more people are investing in the next generation of Latino students. And it’s
As I continue this next chapter of my life, I will always remember that I am where I am today because important for students to understand that there’s someone who’s watching out
I did not walk alone. I will make sure that I too walk with others, helping them achieve their goals, for them. It keeps all of us motivated to say, ‘well we’ve got to keep going so that
just as the Hispanic Development Fund did for me. we can also go back and invest in the future generations.’
ELIJAH MARQUEZ CONSUELO CRUZ, HDF SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT 1985-1986,
REAL ESTATE ANALYST, FREDDIE MAC CITY OF KANSAS CITY, MO OFFICE OF CULTURE + CREATIVE SERVICES