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Supporting the Lucero Legacy: An Evening to Benefit MSPP’s Dr. Cynthia Lucero Latino Mental Health Program

MSPP’s annual gala, this year benefitting the Lucero Latino Mental Health Program, was held on Friday, April 29th at the Newton Marriott. The lively event raised valuable funds while providing over 320 guests, friends and supporters with an evening to remember, featuring salsa dancers, a cigar roller and New England Patriots star player Aaron Hernandez, a new, enthusiastic supporter of MSPP and its Lucero Program.

The event also served as an opportunity to honor Latino community organizer and media executive Jerry Villacres, who received MSPP’s Mental Health Humanitarian Award, as well as MSPP alumnus Joe Gorin, who was honored with the Dr. Florence H. Lerman Mintz Alumni Award, and MSPP student Michelle Contreras, who received the Community Service and Training Award. After moving introductions by Professor Ilan Stavans, Michelle Contreras and Professor Jodie Kliman respectively, all three honorees shared with a rapt audience their personal experiences within and in service to the Latino community, and how these experiences dovetailed with the strong need for mental health and humanitarian services here and abroad.

Aaron Hernandez, who earlier in the day visited the Gardner Elementary School in Allston to talk to the young students there about the importance of asking for mental health help, introduced a powerful video about the too-short life of Cynthia Lucero, for whom the Latino Mental Health Program is named. Cynthia, an exceptionally compassionate and gifted MSPP student from Ecuador, died in 2002 while running the Boston Marathon, days before her graduation from MSPP. Since then, some 46 MSPP students have been trained under the auspices of the program named in her honor to become culturally-competent mental healthcare professionals who can provide specialized services to the Latino community.

The event, which also featured a cocktail reception, silent auction and much dancing, was a success on many levels: financially—almost $100,000 was raised towards Lucero Scholarships and the important Summer Immersion Program in Ecuador and Costa Rico; socially—MSPP student volunteers, faculty and staff met and mingled with representatives from Boston’s growing Latino community; and as an enjoyable means of community-building and awareness-raising about the growing need for mental health professionals trained in cultural sensitivity.

Many guests reported enjoying the evening immensely, and many left with autographs and pictures of Aaron Hernandez, who plans to continue to support the MSPP community! Stay tuned for details on next year’s gala, also to support the Lucero program, and in honor of the 10th year of Cynthia’s passing. We hope to see you there!

> Click here for more photos of the event

Updated 5/11/11