National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) declared July as the National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.  According to NAMI, mental illness is a leading cause of disability that is not being treated within two thirds of people with a diagnosable mental illness. What is more evident is the low percentage of racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. getting help with mental illnesses.

The National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health (NRCMH) reported that the number of untreated people with mental illnesses within the Hispanic population has risen in the past ten years. To learn more about National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, visit: www.nami.org and www.nrchmh.org

For U.S. Latinos, Biculturalism is Key to Self-Identity

A study done for the Horowitz Associates Annual FOCUS: Latino report revealed that many Hispanics in the U.S. feel culturally connected to their U.S. and Latino identities. The study found that when U.S. Hispanics were asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 whether they identified themselves as “completely Latino” or “completely American,” 18 percent of Hispanics identified themselves “completely American,” 43 percent as “completely Latino,” and 39 percent feel they are a mix of both.To learn more about the study’s statistics, visit www.nsc.org

Hispanic E-Business Initiative Launches to Help Small Business Owners

The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce is launching a new program to help small business owners called ‘The Hispanic e-Business Initiative.’ The program was created to enhance the understanding and accelerate the adoption of Internet business solutions among home-based, micro and small companies. To learn more about the initiative, visit The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce www.hiscec.com

“The numbers speak for themselves – Fairfax County is the place for minority-owned and woman-owned companies to locate and thrive,” said Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA).Fairfax County companies proved to lead the way in latest national rankings of the largest fast-growing businesses owned by Hispanics, African-Americans and women.

Ten Fairfax County-based companies are among the 500 largest Hispanic-owned businesses in the nation based on revenue, according to the June issue of Hispanic Business magazine. To learn more about the 500 largest Hispanic-owned businesses in the nation, visit: www.hispanicbusiness.com

LITERARY CORNER

“The New Southern-Latino Table: Recipes that Bring Together the Bold and Beloved Flavors of Latin America and the American South” by Sandra A. Gutierrez.
This July, bring the flavors of Latin America combined with those of the American South by following the recipes of Sandra A. Gutierrez. In her new cook book titled, “The New Southern-Latino Table: Recipes that Bring Together the Bold and Beloved Flavors of Latin America and the American South,” Gutierrez blends ingredients, traditions, and culinary techniques, creatively marrying the

FOOD

Summer is officially in full swing and what
better way to keep cool in the hot heat than
by enjoying some homemade popsicles!

Ingredients:
1 (3 ounce) package fruit flavored gelatin mix
1 unsweetened, flavored soft drink mix package
1 cup of white sugar
2 cups of boiling water
2 cups of cold water
Popsicle molds or small plastic drinking cups
Popsicle sticks (if using plastic cups)

Directions
1. Dissolve gelatin, soft drink mix and sugar in boiling water. Stir in cold water and pour into Popsicle molds or small plastic drinking cups. Freeze until hard. (If using plastic drinking cups, freeze until firm, insert popsicle sticks, then freeze completely.)
2. Enjoy!