LULAC 2005
Join us as we share our experiences at the League of United Latin American Citizens' 76th Annual LULAC National Convention & Exposition, in Little Rock, Arkansas, June 27 through July 2.
Why is Community Involement Important?
Excellence is a tradition for Tyson Foods. Playing an active role in the community increases productivity, customer loyalty, and attracts future talent to the Tyson Foods Family. LULAC and Tyson share a common interest in the advancement of the Hispanic community, and a cohesive effort between the two organizations heightens awareness of the Hispanic influence in all areas of the workplace and the community at large. A collaborative effort between Tyson Foods and LULAC strengthens the relationship between Tyson and its customers in showing the humanitarian investment that the company wishes to make. Finally, community involvement attracts future generations strengthening the bond between corporation, community, and the individual.
Higinio Garza
Dakota Dunes
¿PORQUÉ ES IMPORTANTE PARTICIPAR EN LA COMUNIDAD?
Como personas que formamos parte de una sociedad tenemos la
Obligación-responsabilidad y el derecho de participar para
Mejorar nuestro estilo de vida laboral-social-familiar
Unidos solamente lograremos los proyectos y las metas
Necesitamos educarnos y educar a las generaciones futuras y no olvidar a los viejos que son la experiencia del presente para ser mejores lideres ciudadanos
Iniciativas de ley que den más oportunidades de liderazgo hispano
Demostrar a nuestro empleador y familia que tenemos la capacidad y calidad para ser buenos líderes hispanos
Apoyar a la mujer que es el pilar y calor de una unidad familiar
Dejemos que nuestros principios morales, costumbres, y educación nos representen.
Su futuro Embajador de los Compañeros de Equipo de Tyson Foods
Rolando Pruneda G
Shelbyville, TN
Why is community involvement important?
I have worked for Tyson’s for four years and I have learned that without our community here in Sedalia, Missouri working as a whole that we wouldn’t have a Tyson plant or any kind of a community environment. Each person in a community is a valuable asset. Without their courage to go out every day and work with others through community involvement any town or city would not exist. The community in a small or large town basically becomes the most important part of where we live. It gives you the initiative to learn about new jobs, progress in your company, help other in charitable organizations and get involved in community activities.
I have lived in the United States all my life and I have learned that believing in your self and getting involved in your community is an every day challenge, for example a the Tyson plant here in Sedalia we have a wide range of training programs from learning Spanish to just contributing to a team member through donations for a health reason or tradegy in the family. These matters are small but are part of every day community life.
The center of every town is the community! By working with others through team involvement we can grow through strong business and community partnership and through good solid relationships with others. Sedalia has grown in the last ten years because of the efforts of all the people in our community. That is why community life is so important!
Linda Sue Meyer
Sedalia, MO
Why is Community Involvement Important?
All people have individual needs and problems that need to be addressed to insure a fulfilled life. Real help and change comes from the community in which we live. Every community has many diverse issues – there is “always” a need each resident can fill. No one person is totally self-sufficient –we all need to put out the effort to help where we can. Participation enriches our own lives and others.
Community involvement provides the necessary development of programs to protect and serve not only ourselves but also our friends and family. By getting involved in your community you are given the opportunity to change the things you dislike, present your views on the issues of today and the future, and to make a difference in the quality of life for those concerned. Participation also gives the added bonus of helping to build strong relationships with other residents in your community. These relationships are what gives us joy in the good times and what helps carry us through the bad times (like 9-11). The benefits from working with your church, schools, elderly, youth and the many diverse community programs are immeasurable.
Gay Giffin
Emporia, KS
"Por qué es importante participar en la comunidad"
Nuestra comunidad complace gran variedad de necesidades para todos los Compañeros de Equipo de Tyson. Ministros religiosos, cristianos y musulmanes, ofrecen servicios para que los trabajadores tengan con la confianza de hablar con libertad de los problemas que tienen ya sea en su trabajo o en sus vidas. Centros especializados en estudios para adultos como Volunteer State Communite College, oferta cursos de inglés en diferentes niveles (ESL) . Good Will Industries of Middle Tennessee, facilita instructores de computación.
Los que trabajamos para Tyson, sentimos como nuestro deber, cooperar con distinguidas instituciones de ayuda a personas necesitadas, entre otras, la United Way para la que anualmente ratificamos nuestro aporte monetario. Second Harvest también cuenta con nuestras sistematicas donaciones de alimentos.
Por la calidad de lo que producimos y por el respeto con que lo hacemos obtenemos, además, la admiración y el agradecimiento de nuestros vecinos, velar por su seguridad y por la protección del ambiente en la comunidad…es nuestra prioridad.
Paula Tejo
Why is community involvement important?
Cities and towns would not be able to survive without community involvement. Community involvement is an essential tool for all communities to fulfill their goals.
I live in a small town of about 260 people. I have served on the town council, both as a councilman and as Mayor, as the president of the Community Housing Development Corporation, and have been on the Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department for over 20 years.
Community involvement is what gives a town its identity. Whether a company is sponsoring a Little League baseball team, or an individual is coaching that team, the goal is the same. We all want to make that community a better place to live, work and play. It requires volunteers at each level. Some can give monetary support, some can give their time. Both are essential for survival.
Charlie Brown
Cherokee Plant
Why is it important to help in the community?
Ever since I can remember I always watched my Dad as we were growing up. He would work all day and even after his full time job he did part time work and still managed to get involved in the community. He was my example that even the littlest things help out. He would say it makes the world of difference, especially when you accomplish something you feel better about it. You have to look into the future. He helped start building a park we are now all enjoying. They have a lot of different activities going on all the time.
I helped accomplish building a bigger and better church because of our Hispanic population in our community. So many new people were coming into our community that something had to be done. Having a place to practice their faith and traditions would surely help keep them here and also make us honorable people. This helps make Tyson a better place to work. I also try to do all I can to help out with the Cancer Society and Diabetes Association because it has hit so close to home, and every little bit we do can maybe help someone else.
Teresa Rodriguez
Emporia, KS
Why is Community Involvement Important?
The most important factor that reflects the value of community involvement is that people are empowered to have a say in decisions about actions that affect their lives.
By involving oneself within the community, one gets to regularly interact with the community and proactively share information from member to member, to seek out and facilitate the involvement of others, provide information to the community so as to get others to participate in a meaningful way; to communicate to all everyone’s interests, to meet the needs of all the members of the community; to share with the members how their input was or was not used; and lastly, to communicate to all, how the contributions of the community can influence decisions.
It is the actively participating member who “makes things happen”, who serves as an example and inspiration to others, and who encourages others to volunteer, for the good of the whole group.
The importance to be involved is best described by John Donne: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
Thank you.
Luis Pinto
Villa Hills, KY
Why is community involvement important?
Community involvement is like a seed planted in good, solid ground. As the seed develops, it takes its rightful place in the garden and begins to complement the flowers that surround it. A company that is involved in the community enhances the landscape by cultivating perennial relationships with individuals and organizations within the garden. Much like the sun’s essential rays, companies that come together to help their neighbors in times of natural disaster or financial difficulty quench the community’s need for economic and social fertilizer. When the direct results of the support from a local company enable people to cultivate their lives and begin to flourish, their respect for the provider of that sustenance blossoms. In return, these companies may enjoy the fruits of their labor in the form of new consumers and a dedicated workforce. A community can flourish when local companies tend to their garden.
Lourdes E Colon
New Holland, PA
Why is Community involvement important?
Winston Churchill once said, “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.” In today’s society where individuals are out to make a quick buck, Churchill’s true meaning of life has tragically gone by the wayside. The modern fast paced life that we live in creates a self-centered society where we fail to stop thinking of ourselves for a moment and instead give our time to others.
Community involvement is comprised of people joined in one effort to fix a problem or create a solution before the problem arises. Whether it’s working to educate tomorrow’s leaders by developing educational programs or increasing the awareness of minorities, the power of one person is enough to impact the lives of many others. When we look back at the accomplishments in our lives, the best moments will be those when we did something for others.
Pablo Macouzet
Amarillo, TX
Participemos en Nuestra Comunidad
Las comunidades son creadas por la gente que habita en ellas.
El exito de una comunidad va siempre a depender su sus habitantes.
Si en una comunidad hay participacion conjunta de su gente, esta comunidad prosperara y sera exitosa.
Las comunidades crecen no solo cuando el numero de sus habitantes aumenta pero cuando los habitantes se involucran en actividades comunitarias para la prosperidad de ese lugar.
No importa cuantas razas distintas habiten en una comunidad, si todas se unen y forman un equipo su participacion sera de gran beneficio para la comunidad.
Cuando la comunidad esta unida cualquier problema que surja tendra mas posibles soluciones y sera resuelto mas rapido.
Es sabido que una persona puede hacer la diferencia para mejorar una situacion, pero si mas de una se unen en acuerdo y trabajan juntas el resultado sera mejor.
Cuando uno participa en su comunidad el beneficio no solo es para una persona si no para toda la comunidad.
Ayudemos nustras comunidades porque asi nos estaremos ayudando a nosotros mismos!
Sanjuana Le
Emporia, KS
Earlier in the summer, Team Members were invited to participate in a contest to become Tyson Foods’ guest of honor at the 76th LULAC National Convention and Exposition. To enter, they had to submit a short essay by responding in their own words to the following question: Why is community involvement important?
The winning entry was posted by Joseph Diaz, complex HR manager at the Tyson Waldron, Arkansas complex. You saw his posts on the blog from the convention.
In the coming days, we'll be posting excerpts from those entries, all of which were very good.
Como
se nota que Monalisa Moreno, supervisor de turno de RH de la planta de
Cumming, Georgia comio proteina hoy! Y es que despues de que a David
Tobias, gerente de RH del complejo de Pasco, Washington se le ocurriera
sugerirle que le diera a Gloria Estefan una tarjeta de nuestros Valores
Principales de Tyson, Monalisa salto como resorte y a ritmo de samba y
driblando la seguridad de la artista, le entrego la tarjeta.
Todos lo que estabamos compartiendo la mesa con Monalisa, estabamos muy
emocionados con la rapidez y sobre todo la habilidad de nuestra
simpatica Compañera de Equipo, quien ademas de todo tiene el alma
latina de Gloria, dado que Monalisa es originaria de Brasil.
(Thanks for emailing the photo, Monalisa! -Jack)
Nora Venegas, Tyson Foods Manager-Federal Governmental Relations, has this to say about her LULAC experience:
"Hello Power Bloggers,
There are so many things going on at the conference that I do not know where to start. I have had the opportunity to hear so many dynamic speakers and presenters from different business, government and grassroots backgrounds. Coming from a small Tyson office, it has been so wonderful to get to meet fellow Team Members and participate in the conference with them. For me one of the highlights has been listening to John Tyson speak at Wednesday's lunch where there were at least 5 tables of very proud Tyson Team Members."
On the fourth day of the LULAC Convention, we were honored to have the Reverend Jesse Jackson talk about unity between Latinos and African Americans. He had visited Little Rock Central and came back to the convention seeing a big crowd of Latinos chanting “si se puede, si se puede” which means “yes we can, yes we can”. He touched on subjects of education, medical health care, and issues that affect the African American and Latino communities in the United States. The Reverend stated that we as a country must start to “look beyond color, culture, and focus on character”. The speakers have been impressive and on Friday we will have a town hall with Howard Dean, Chairman of the National Democratic Party and Ken Mehlman Chairman of the Republican National Party. Everyone from Tyson is learning, promoting the Tyson brand, and having a good time with Mexico’s famous Mariachi Vargas.
We've had some great support in many ways from our friends at Lopez Negrete. Here are Evelyn Cisneros and Laurette Carnizares who have worked hard to make the Tyson booth a success. Oh, and Virginia also did a little bit ;-). Thanks to you all and the LN folks back in Houston who have worked so hard.
Impresionante discurso del Reverendo Jesse L. Jackson como orador
principal del Unity Luncheon, tocando las fibras de los presentes al
invocarnos a trabajar juntos por el bien de este paîs. El preguntaba a
la audiencia una y otra vez: Quienes somos? reiterando que no importa
la raza, el color de la piel, o nuestro bagaje cultural sino el
caracter y la determinacion con la que actuamos para ayudar a los demas.
Como es que perdemos de vista cosas que parecen tan obvias!
Desafortunadamente es parte de la naturaleza humana desviarnos
momentaneamente de la ruta que nos hemos propuesto. Pero si damos un
paso atras y vemos el panorama desde otra perspectiva, podremos darnos
cuenta que es la unidad y nuestra capacidad de encontrar todas las
cosas que tenemos en comun, y no las diferencias naturales que existen
dentro de nuestras propias culturas. Sin embargo, es necesario que
estemos atentos a los llamados de lideres como el reverendo Jackson
para no olvidar que "JUNTOS SI SE PUEDE".
Monalisa Skeens, HR supervisor at Cummings, Georgia, shares her thoughts in Spanish, while friends look on:
"Mi nombre es Monalisa Skeens, yo
trabajo en la Tyson Foods de Cumming, Ga, en el departamento de
recursos humanos. Es un placer imenso de estar aqui participando de
este evento tan importante en la comunidad latina. Yo siento que los
Estados Unidos esten realmente muy preocupados con la inclusion de los
latino-americanos en este pais, la inclusion en las escuelas, en los
trabajos em companias americanas, en las organizaciones federales, en
el ejercito, etc. Es una excelente oportunidade para que los latinos
muestran su fuerza politica, economica y cultural en los Estados
Unidos."
And in Portuguese:
"Meu nome e Monalisa Skeens, eu
trabalho na Tyson Foods, de Cumming, Georgia, no departamento de
Recursos Humanos. E' um imenso prazer em estar participando deste
evento tao importante na comunidade latina. Eu percebo que os Estados
Unidos estao realmente bem preocupados com la inclusao dos
latino-americanos em este pais, a inclusao na area educacional, na area
profissional em companhias americanas, nas organizacoes federais, no
exercito, etc. E' uma excelente oportunidade para que os latinos
mostrem sua forca politica, econiconomica e cultural nos Estados
Unidos."
Little Rock has changed dramatically over the past decade. When I am downtown, it's hard to believe this is the city that I grew up in. It makes me proud that my hometown has done so much to welcome the LULAC convention and all of the attendees. Everywhere I have gone, I have seen signs and banners showing support for the organization. As one of the city officials said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, "This is a major step for Little Rock." From the positive reaction of the LULAC guests, I think he was right.
What a powerful speech given today by Mr. John Tyson, CEO and Governor Mike Huckabee at the LULAC Partnership Luncheon. During both speeches, there was a common theme of building relationships with the Latino community and as Governor Huckabee stated “we must run to them, rather than run from them”. Mr. John Tyson, CEO along with the senior level executive staff met with the President of LULAC Mr. Hector Flores and his staff to have an open dialogue about the issues Latinos face in the workplace and in our country. Mr. Flores commended Mr. Tyson for embracing diversity in the appointment of the first Latino to the board of directors and hiring Al Gonzalez-Pita as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Tyson Foods. Mr. Flores stated that “the south is changing and is becoming a growing Latino market”. He was being sarcastic in stating that Latinos could be found in a small town called Toad Suck, Arkansas. Mr. Flores was very complimentary of Mr. John Tyson and the company for listening and taking action on important issues pertaining to the Latino community and incorporating the core values in all aspects pertaining to every team member regardless of status. Mr. Flores also stated that “Tyson Foods was a model for LULAC and for other corporations to follow” after Mr. Tyson explained the company’s commitment to diversity, change, opportunities for every team member to grow, and develop. Mr. Tyson talked about the core values and how diverse Tyson Foods has become and how Tyson Foods has already translated its core values in eight different languages.
Governor Mike Huckabee who is from Hope, Arkansas stated that as a child when he was eight years old, his mother told him that the Governor of Arkansas then was coming to Hope and wanted him to see the governor because he might never have the opportunity to see a governor again. He humorously stated that he wished his parents were alive to tell them that he did not have to worry about seeing the governor because he was the governor! Mr. Huckabee talked about the many appointments he has made to address the Latino issue and the rapid growth of its new residents. He was also very adamant about the need to afford Latinos with academic excellence the right to a higher education in public universities and colleges. He stated that “the starting line was not by choice” as he made reference to children of Latinos, but that “the finish line is their choice and deserve an equal chance to the educational system in the state”. Mr. Huckabee reflected back on his working parents, his childhood, and background in Hope, Arkansas and how a commonality exists today with Latino children who hope to become productive members of society and have more than what their parents had and the need to provide that opportunity.