ORLANDO, FL- April 27, 2017- (HISPANICIZE WIRE) - The Laurita Spina Bifida Project (The LSB Project), a non-profit organization whose mission is to start a global conversation about spina bifida, while connecting individuals and families living with it around the world, celebrated the one-year anniversary of its official launch on April 6th during Hispanicize 2017.

Launched during Hispanicize 2016 and attended by journalists, notable social media influencers, TV personalities, and marketing executives in Miami, The LSB Project celebrated another milestone on its anniversary when the organization’s founder and president, Laurita Tellado, was awarded The Jewel Award for Best Creator Doing Social Good during the 2017 Tecla Awards.

Additionally, Tellado was surprised onstage by Manny Ruiz, founder and CEO of Hispanicize Media Group, Cristy Clavijo-Kish, Chief Development Officer of Hispanicize Media Group and 2017 Tecla Awards Chair, Vanessa James, founder of Vanessa James Media, and Felipe Arango, partner at BSD Consulting and leader of the #ParteDeLaSolution campaign that unites the Calvert Foundation, Kiva and the Latino Community Credit Union to connect people with opportunities to support Latino communities in the U.S. and Latin America through saving, lending, and investing. Together, they announced that Tellado and her organization will be offered a platform to promote their work, and Tellado will additionally be collaborating with Arango to create a network for content creators doing social good.

'Hispanicize is proud of Laurita's work with The Laurita Spina Bifida Project, and we congratulate her on receiving this accolade which is very special to the Hispanicize team,” said Cristy Clavijo-Kish, Hispanicize Tecla Awards Chair and the company's Chief Development Officer. 'We are more committed than ever to supporting and elevating social good initiatives and offering social good creators a platform, and I believe the Hispanicize Tecla Jewel Award symbolizes Jewel's legacy of philanthropic work, as well as the power in unity that helps propel causes like Laurita's forward. "

“It is truly a humbling privilege and an honor for me to be awarded the first-ever Jewel Award at Hispanicize 2017,” Laurita Tellado, Founder and President of The Laurita Spina Bifida Project, said. “Not only is this award very meaningful to me because of my close bond with the entire Hispanicize community; it meant so much to me that it is named in memory of my friend Jewel Figueras. She and I were very close, and I miss her so much. But, I felt her spirit that night, cheering us on.”

The Laurita Spina Bifida Project raised $1,000 over the 2016 holidays, which was sent to the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Tanzania (ASBAHT) for the purchase of wheelchairs and other orthopedic supplies for children with spina bifida in dire need.

In March, The LSB Project received an update from ASBAHT on how the funds are being used.

“So far, the LSBP Tanzania project has supplied two wheelchairs to Halima, a primary school pupil, and Nsia, who is out of school due to [lack of] mobility aid. Nsia has also received a walker. She [has] yet to receive orthopedic shoes, which will protect her wound from further infection,” Sifa Sylvia, ASBAHT Administrative Officer, reported.

“Besides Halima and Nsia, the funds have also been used to buy medicine for a child that is in need. Angel is almost 2 years old. She has hydrocephalus and has been operated 7 times so far, but her health progress is deteriorating each day. She is supposed to receive medicines, but her mother can’t afford the price because she was abandoned by her husband and family members. They claim they are tired of spending on a child that doesn’t heal,” Sylvia said.

Tellado says she hopes the next fundraising initiative The LSB Project spearheads will involve helping people living with spina bifida in Latin America.

About The Laurita Spina Bifida Project
The LSB Project is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization established in 2014 with the mission of starting a global conversation about spina bifida, while connecting individuals and families living with it around the world, and to educate health professionals from all fields on the issues affecting this community, including mental health and adult-centered care as part of the action plan.

The Laurita Spina Bifida Project can be found on Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/Laurita-SpinaBifidaProject/), Twitter (@TheLSBProject) and instagram (@TheLSBProject).

About Laurita Tellado
Laura “Laurita” Tellado is a freelance writer, editor, and blogger, and the founder of Holdin’ Out for a Hero and Espresso con Leche blogs, as well as the Founder and President of The Laurita Spina Bifida Project, a non-profit whose mission it so promote positive awareness of spina bifida and unite spina bifida communities across the globe.

In addition, Tellado is Editor of Hispanic PR Blog, and she manages social media and influencer relations for several clients.

Tellado was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. An only child, she was three years old when her parents decided to move the family to Orlando, Florida, where she has resided ever since.

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @Laurita Tellado.

About The Hispanicize Event
Now in its 8th year, Hispanicize 2017 Week (www.HispanicizeEvent.com) (#Hispz17) is the iconic, largest annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in digital content creation, journalism, marketing, entertainment and tech entrepreneurship.

Hispanicize 2017 is expected to gather more than 3,000 of the nation’s most influential Latino professionals from the industries of digital content creation, journalism, music, marketing, film and business over four days. The event will take place in downtown Miami’s JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, April 3-6, 2017.

The Hispanicize event is a launch pad for creative endeavors, new products, technologies, marketing campaigns, films, books, music and more targeting Latinos in the U.S. and/or Puerto Rico.

The Hispanicize event is owned and operated by Hispanicize Media Group, LLC, the parent company of DiMe Media, Hispanic Kitchen and the Hispanic PR Blog.

The Hispanicize Event can be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hispanicize, Instagram (@HispanicizeEvent) and Twitter (@Hispanicize).