March 2007 Newsletter

The

Hispanic Pulse

March 21, 2007

Hispanic Police Officers Association

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Bill Hernandez As the new President of the Hispanic Police Officers Association I want to thank all of you for trusting me to lead our organization. It is an honor that I take to heart and assure you that I will do my best to guide the organization and to promote our mission. I also want to thank the previous Presidents and their board members for all the hard work and long hours they gave of themselves. Their effort has brought us to where we stand today in our community and department. As I attempt to take our organization forward I see the importance in continuing to build a stronger working relation with the other fraternal organizations in order to bridge differences and create a unity that can better serve all organizations. In order to build a stronger organization it is imperative that we work as a team. We need to look at ourselves as see how we can improve instead of criticizing or complaining. Therefore, I would like to hear from you, the HPOA members, and provide me with at least five things or areas you like about our organization, and at least five things or areas that you would like for us to improve on. I assure you that your input will be kept confidential and will serve only as a guide for your new board. This survey will establish a road map for our association in order for us to grow and succeed. I will collect and evaluate your concerns and post the top five responses on the next news letter. I am a true believer in establishing long and short term goals, and I feel that we, as an organization need to have these goals in place in order to move forward. So step forward, provide me with your response, and together lets make a difference. I look forward to reading your responses at [email protected]. I hope you all had an exciting night at our Annual Valentine’s Dance (take a look at the website and you will see a slide presentation of what a great evening it was). Your new board was sworn in by the honorable Judge Izzy Reyes and then introduced to the audience. We had the pleasure of having international singing star, “Albita” sing for us at this year’s event and the remainder of the night’s entertainment was filled by DJ’s from Southside Production. As many of you are aware the night started off with morning radio hosts Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero. At the beginning of the evening they had the crowd laughing hysterically. We had used Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero at last year’s event and they were funny and not offensive. That is why we chose them to host this year’s event without the need to review their skit. Unfortunately, this year they went off on a tangent and their performance offended many of our members and guests. I assure those who were offended that their remarks and behavior were not condoned by me, my family, and the rest of the HPOA Board. I offer my sincere apology and assure all our members and guests that in the future the President of the HPOA will host the events. On another note, I have many exciting things that I and your new board want to accomplish. First and foremost, we have been writing to our members about the purchase of our own office. Well, I believe that was accomplished. Within the last month we placed a contract on a store front in the City of Doral and the contract was accepted. This new office will have a large open first floor plan where we can hold many of our events, promotional exams, seminars, meetings, and best of all, it will act as a social hall where we interact, build camaraderie, enjoy a game of billiards or watch several sporting events. The second floor plan provides offices for board members, a secretary, secured storage, a conference room, bathrooms, and a prep kitchen. We feel that the purchase will be completed sometime in April and the Grand Opening should be sometime shortly thereafter. I have been pursuing the purchase of this office for several years and I state this as an example on how by staying focused goals can be accomplish. Continue on page 2

Hispanic Police Officer's Association 1414 N.W. 107th Avenue Suite 315 Miami, Florida 33172 Phone 305.594.1173 Email: [email protected] The Hispanic Pulse We are on the Web: www.hpoadade.org

We are available 24 Hours HPOA HOTLINE

(786) 924-0100 Association Attorney's Mark Seiden Tim Martin Toby Soto Joel Kaplan Larry Ploucha Al Milian Next meeting: Will be held at the Doral Park County Club at 7:30pm March 26, 2007. All memebers are welcome to attend.

Continuation of Message from the President There are many new and exciting things that we have in store for the association. As for right enjoy the new Newsletter format and the messages from your board members. Also, take a moment a log on to our new website: www.hpoadade.org. It is a work in progress, but at the end I am sure it will meet all our needs.

SCHOLARSHIP ACCOUNT Bill Hernandez

I am proud to say that we are about to embark on our 3rd scholarship grant. When I first started on the HPOA Board I noticed that we had money set aside for HPOA members whose children had the opportunity to extend their academic future. Unfortunately, the money was dormant in an account that was not making any money. Well, I knew something had to be done and with the support of the board we started the program. That first year we gave away a total of $3,000. The next year we were able to present three recipients at total of $5,000. This year we will be giving away a minimum of $7,500 and possibly at total of $15,000 with the assistance of a donation. My goal is to continue building this account and at the same time provide more scholarships to our members children. So if you are interested in applying for these scholarships, go to our new website, download the requirements, and send them via mail to the HPOA office.

MESSAGE FROM THE 2nd VICE PRESIDENT Jose Gonzalez This is my second term serving the association and I am extremely excited about the direction we are headed. The Doral Park Country Club has donated their hall the last Monday of every month to hold our monthly meeting. This month the meeting will be held on Monday, March 26, 2007 at 7:30 pm. Come join us at the meeting and have drinks and hors d'oeuvres on us. Remember, the HPOA is a member driven organization and it is through the participation of members such as yourself that this organization is able to move forward and advance our causes. If you are new, or are again becoming involved, I encourage you to attend the monthly meetings. Some of you have been asking when the next Domino Tournament will be. I am in the process of coordinating with the Doral Park Country Club to facilitate this event. I hope to have a confirmation by our next newsletter or just log on to the website. *The Doral Park Country Club is located at 5001 NW 104 Court in the City of Doral. This will be our meeting place until the new home of the HPOA is completed. I hope to see you there. [email protected]

MESSAGE FROM THE 1ST VICE PRESIDENT Hiram Rodriguez DRIVING FOR DONORS: National Marrow Donor Drive Driving for Donors is a project that was started by an 11 year old named Patrick Pedraja, son of Narcotics Bureau Detective, Willie Pedraja, in which he is hoping to enlist an additional 2007 names to the National Bone Marrow Registry this year. Patrick was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in March of 2006 and is undergoing chemotherapy three days a week. During this time, Patrick lost a friend (Greek Gray), who was African-American to Leukemia because she was unable to find a matching donor. The National Marrow Donor Program Registry especially needs minority donors. Patrick is half Hispanic and took her death really hard, worried that he might someday need a marrow donor and find no match available. Wanting to do something, Patrick first thought of a bone marrow donor drive. But that was not enough thought Patrick, instead he wanted to do a nationwide drive where he and his family would visit numerous cities throughout the country and thus created “Driving for Donors.” Driving for Donors is set to kick off on May 5, 2007 in Miami. Patrick and his family will drive across the country in an RV, the “Donormobile,” where they will be making stops in 25 cities, throughout the country, in order to raise awareness and enlist as many donor names onto the registry as possible. This will be the First National Law Enforcement Marrow Donor Drive of its kind. Law enforcement departments in 25 cities have agreed to help them with drives in their cities. The HPOA will be reaching out to Latin and Hispanic organizations in those cities and asking them to support the drive and help Patrick by enlisting as many minority donors as possible. The project needs to raise $125,000 which will cover the cost of tissue testing the 2007 donors, publicity costs, and travel. They need our help in funding this great project. If you have nay questions, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected]. On April 29, 2007, the POAT will be having their Semi-Annual Motorcycle Run to the Keys. All of the donations will go towards the Driving for Donors project. More information on this ride is available at www.poat.org.

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President Bill Hernandez First Vice- President Hiram Rodriguez Second Vice-President Jose R. Gonzalez Secretary Eric Garcia Treasurer Arnold Palmer Sergeant At Arms Alex Alfonso

The Hispanic Pulse

MESSAGE FROM THE TREASURER Arnold Palmer As your new treasurer, I have been developing relations with the several account holders we have in our organization. I am glad to report that the association is in good hands. One of the companies we have our money invested with is Morgan Stanley. I am happy to inform you that they will be sharing their knowledge with us next month at our monthly meeting. Many of our members have taken advantage of their services and I recommend that you come to the April 30th meeting, have a meal and drink on them at the Doral Country Club, get informed and make an intelligent decision on how you should set up your retirement. I hope to see you their [email protected] Morgan Stanley Presents: “Managing Retirement Risk” Did you know Morgan Stanley is currently managing the Hispanic Police Officers Associations Cash Management accounts? And as members of the association, Morgan Stanley is here to help you with your retirement planning needs!

Morgan Stanley Presents: “Managing Retirement Risk” Did you know Morgan Stanley is currently managing the Hispanic Police Officers Associations Cash Management accounts? As members of the association, Morgan Stanley is here to help you with your retirement planning needs! Who:

James Enea Financial Advisor (305)347-6748

Peter W. Howard, SVP Wealth Advisor (305)347-6724

What: Free Dinner and Presentation on “Managing Investment Risk” Where: Doral Park Country Club, 5001 NW 104th Ave, Doral, Florida 33178 When: April 30, 2007 (At the Monthly Association Meeting) How:

Please RSVP to Morgan Stanley by calling Carmen Drake at (305) 347-6751

This seminar is offered solely by Morgan Stanley DW, Inc. and is neither endorsed nor co-sponsored by Hispanic Police Officers Association Investments and services are offered through Morgan Stanley DW Inc., member SIPC

A thank you from one of our members Thank you all, members of the Board and membership, for your generous donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. All of us have at least someone in our families that is struck by diabetes and this is one effective way to arrive at a possible cure. Trust me when I tell you, my friends, that it is not easy to live with this disease or even worse, have one of your own be stricken with it. Again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. J.A. Fernandez

The Hispanic Pulse

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY Get the 411… I hope this newsletter finds all of our members and their families well and in good health. We are currently in the process of creating a new website for our members that will be full of Eric Garcia information and keep you posted on the latest events and current issues. If you have not been receiving the newsletter or need to update your personnel information please contact me or go to the website. For those of our members that are planning on taking the upcoming sergeant’s promotional exam we encourage you to take advantage of the HPOA’s promotional prep courses. Currently, the test is being given on line at WWW.HPOADADE.ORG and they are also given and reviewed every Tuesday, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the MDPD Headquarters Cafetorium. If any members are retiring in the near future or if you know of any members that are retiring, we would like to be notified in order to acknowledge them and present them with our Hispanic Police Officer’s Association medallions in token of appreciation for retiring honorably from the HPOA. In Unity there is Strength, is a philosophy that has worked throughout history. It is the basis of our membership. The HPOA is an exclusive organization of law enforcement professionals. We draw our strength from those who choose to join us. We are also a very inclusive organization in that we embrace the diversity of our membership which makes us even stronger. From the rookie to the old timers, active or retired, no matter the gender, race, religion or any other thing that makes us different. It is exactly those differences that provide us the strength, talent, knowledge and skills to earn the recognition as one of the finest professional law enforcement organizations. As I look towards the exciting year ahead of us, we need your support and ideas. This is your organization and only you can make it better. If you have information you would like to share with the members, our web site is a forum that is available. Please feel free to contact me at: [email protected]

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MESSAGE FROM THE SERGEANT AT ARMS Alex Alfonso As new member of the HPOA Executive Board, I want to thank all of you for allowing me the opportunity to serve. I have been a member of the HPOA for almost twelve years. After so many years sitting back and enjoying the privileges associated in being a member of this organization, I decided to lend a hand. Will my contributions to the organization be deep and history-changing? Perhaps not, but it will be far better served than sitting back in bleachers. Organizations need much more than monthly dues, they need members who are willing to take time out of their hectic and busy schedules to lend a helping hand. Not because someone is forcing/begging you to, but because you care enough to. Singularly my involve ments may be trivial; collectively we can all make difference and make this a greater organization for all. Updated / Upcoming Events: In next upcoming months we will all have little bits and pieces of different events that the HPOA has and will be involved in. Last month the HPOA contributed to the following notable charitable events: • • • • •

Make a Wish Foundation Cutler Ridge Band-Booster Program Rising Star Band Program at SouthWood Middle School Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Muscular Dystrophy S150 Bike Tour

Liga Contra El Cancer “League Against Cancer” Annual Telethon 2007: League Against Cancer / Liga Contra el Cancer (LAC) was founded in Miami 1975 as a community-based, not-for-profit organization providing free medical care to needy Cancer patients. More than 350 Florida physicians, who are board-certified in their specialties, volunteer their services to the LAC and is the last resort for cancer victims who have no financial resources or health insurance. Annually, the LAC conducts a telethon in order to raising funds to continue this noble cause. As such, the HPOA has devotedly participated in this function. This is year; the telethon will take place on Sunday, June 3rd, 2007. The HPOA is asking volunteers who are willing to donate their time to provide security presence during the event. This is on a voluntary basis and, short of doing a good thing for others; no compensation will be received by those who elect to participate. Any one interested may contact Alex Alfonso at [email protected]. Your help is not only wanted, but it is greatly needed to make a difference. To find out more about the LAC, visit http://ligacontraelcancer.org.