Southwest Airlines Proudly Celebrates Hispanic Heritage In The Community

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Sep 17, 2014, 03:38 ET

DALLAS, Sept. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) recognizes Hispanic heritage and culture this month as a part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Southwest partners with the Latino community to show its passion for diversity and inclusion; to highlight those efforts, the Company proudly sponsors events throughout the year geared toward the Hispanic community.

"Southwest is proud to support the Hispanic community and to celebrate its heritage," said Ellen Torbert, Southwest Airlines' Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion. "At Southwest Airlines, we've always believed in putting People first and as a part of that belief, we proudly recognize the unique backgrounds and cultures of our Customers and Employees."

To learn more about Southwest Airlines' commitment to the Hispanic community, please visit: www.southwest.com/hispanicoutreach.

2014 activities include:

April 4, May 16, and June 6 | Hispanics Inspiring Students' Performance and Achievement (HISPA) Youth Conference: Take Action! Achieve your Dreams, Princeton, New York, and San Antonio
Southwest Airlines was proud to be the Official Airline Partner of HISPA for three Youth Conferences where National leaders travelled to different cities around the U.S. to participate as role models for 400 Latino middle school students.

April 16-18 | South Florida Hispanic Foundation, Youth Scholarship Trip, Miami and Seattle
The South Florida Hispanic Foundation promotes and enhances the quality of education of Hispanic students and empowers and creates leaders among minority youth. The South Florida Hispanic Foundation offers scholarships, together in partnership with Southwest Airlines, to those students who have improved the most and demonstrated a commitment to hard work and academics.

May 9 | Valle del Sol, Mom of the Year, Phoenix
"Mom of the Year" is an event designed to honor women of diverse backgrounds for service to the community and their exemplary roles as mothers. This annual event raises funds to supplement uncompensated care for families and children seeking primary care assistance at Valle del Sol.

May 16 | Conexion Americas, A Cup of Coffee for Conexion Americas, Nashville
Southwest Airlines proudly sponsors A Cup of Coffee for Conexion Americas, or el cafecito, Conexion Americas' annual fundraising breakfast, which showcases program participants and their successes.

July 16 | Latin American Educational Foundation, Annual Golf Tournament, Denver
Southwest Airlines was the 2014 Presenting Sponsor of the 2014 Latin American Educational Foundation Golf Tournament, which raised $75,000 to support Hispanic scholarship recipients.

Sept. 13 | Smithsonian Latino Center, Family Day, Washington, D.C.
This year's Family Day highlighted contemporary Latino art related to identity and culture, drawing from the Smithsonian's current exhibit, Portraiture Now: Staging the Self, on view at the National Portrait Gallery. A portion of the travel of the Smithsonian Latino Center and Portraiture Now series, Staging the Self is provided by Southwest Airlines.

Sept. 21 | Taller Puertorriqueno, 30^th Annual Feria del Barrio Festival, Philadelphia
Southwest Airlines is a premier sponsor for the 30th Annual Feria del Barrio Festival, which celebrates Latino culture and the economic and educational aspirations of Philadelphia's Latino community.

Sept. 26 | Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast,
Atlanta
Southwest Airlines is a proud sponsor of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast, featuring American poet, public speaker, author, and civil engineer, Richard Blanco.

Sept. 27 | Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, Premios El Josco, Orlando
Southwest Airlines is proud to sponsor the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce in Orlando as they honor outstanding individuals in key areas such as Education, Health, Business, and Communications.

Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 | Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), Public Policy Conference and Gala, Washington, D.C.
As the Official Airline of CHCI's leadership programs and Alumni Association, Southwest Airlines proudly supports CHCI's mission to develop the next generation of Latino Leaders®.

Oct. 2 | Southwest Airlines, The Power of Inclusion: Telling our Stories, Dallas
Southwest Airlines is proud to highlight Employees: Lorelei Windeler, Manager, People; Liz Gonzalez, El Paso Customer Service Agent, Ground Operations; Isaac Munoz, Manager, Marketing; and Sergio Hurtado, Senior Director, Ground Operations as they share their personal stories at Southwest Airlines' headquarters in Dallas. Employees of the Company will be invited to learn from their fellow Employees and celebrate diversity and inclusion in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Oct. 6 | National Puerto Rican Leadership Education, Leadership Summit, Orlando
The National Puerto Rican Leadership Education Fund, in collaboration with Southwest Airlines and the University of Central Florida's Multicultural Student Center, reaches out to youth and recognizes illustrious Puerto Ricans who set the bar higher for future generations.

Oct. 9 | Mujeres Latinas en Accion, Maria Mangual Leadership Conference, Chicago
Named after Mujeres' founder, this full-day conference brings together approximately 400 Latinas and features professional development and leadership training, networking, and celebration of Latina accomplishments. Southwest Airlines serves as the Official Airline of Mujeres Latinas en Accion and is proud to support this conference and the Latina leaders it empowers.

Oct. 11 | MANA de San Diego, Latina Success Conference, San Diego
Southwest Airlines is proud to be the Official Airline of MANA de San Diego. The Latina Success Conference is designed to empower each participant to succeed by presenting experts who understand the challenges Latinas face and how to overcome them.

Oct. 16 | Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC), Annual Esperanza Latino Teacher Awards, Phoenix
Southwest Airlines is proud to join CPLC in recognizing more than 100 outstanding Latino educators who have inspired students of all backgrounds to learn and achieve their aspirations.

Oct. 18 | Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Noche de Exitos Gala and Bi-National Awards, Tucson
Southwest Airlines proudly sponsors the annual Noche de Exitos Gala and Bi-National Awards, which will honor the Hispanic Business Man and Woman of the Year and many other awardees.

Oct. 22 | Latino Leaders Network, Latino Leaders Luncheon Series, Washington, D.C.
The Latino Leaders Luncheon Series™ consists of quarterly events to provide a platform for prominent Latino leaders to share their personal stories of overcoming obstacles to achieve success. In addition, it provides a network opportunity for elected officials, policy makers, corporate executives, opinion leaders, community activists, industry experts, and political insiders. Southwest Airlines is the Official Airline of the Latino Leaders Network.

Oct. 30 | Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee, Leadership Conference, Milwaukee
Southwest Airlines is proud to support the Leadership Conference, which provides programming for Hispanic Professionals to advance in their careers by showcasing hot topics in organizational and professional development, providing opportunities for individuals seeking new opportunities, and connecting individuals with powerful role models who can help motivate and inspire.

Nov. 5 | Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), Awards Gala, Los Angeles
Southwest Airlines is the Official Airline of MALDEF and is proud to sponsor the awards gala, which highlights MALDEF's commitment and dedicated service to the community and recognizes individuals, corporations, and law firms who have been instrumental in advancing justice for Latinos.

Nov. 6 | The Unity Council, 50th Anniversary Gala, Oakland
Southwest Airlines is the Official Airline of The Unity Council. During the 50th Anniversary Gala, The Unity Council will honor the leaders who built the organization and celebrate 50 years of service to the community.

Nov. 7 | South Florida Hispanic Chamber, 20^th Annual Sunshine Awards, Miami
The South Florida Hispanic Chamber recognizes individuals and companies for their leadership, contributions, successes, and community involvement. Southwest Airlines joins in this celebration through its chamber partnership as a Platinum Sponsor.

Nov. 8 | Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA), 16^th Annual National Cuatro Festival Puertorriqueno, Chicago
Southwest Airlines is proud to be the Official Airline of the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance. PRAA's Annual National Cuatro Festival is a celebration of Puerto Rican music that has become tradition for thousands of people throughout Chicago.

Dec. 4 | Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), Annual Dinner, Los Angeles
As the Official Airline of HOPE, Southwest is proud to sponsor the Annual Dinner as they celebrate HOPE's 25th anniversary and continue the dialogue on Latina empowerment.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 44th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 45,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually. Based on the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Southwest is the nation's largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded. The airline also operates the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world to serve 93 destinations in 40 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and five near-international countries. Some flights are operated by wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways. Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for its triple bottom line approach that takes into account the carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities it serves, and its commitment to efficiency and the planet. The 2013 Southwest Airlines One Report™ can be found at southwest.com/citizenship.

From its first flights on June 18, 1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented affordability in air travel described by the U.S. Department of Transportation as "The Southwest Effect," a lowering of fares and increase in passenger traffic wherever the carrier serves. With Southwest Airlines, Bags Fly Free ® (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply), and there are no change fees (fare difference may apply) when you need to change your flight. Southwest's fleet offers leather seating and the comfort of full-size cabins, a majority of which are equipped with satellite-based WiFi connectivity over the United States, which enables live and video-on-demand TV currently FREE compliments of DISH, and a new, sustainable cabin interior. Southwest acquired AirTran Airways in May 2011 and by the end of 2014 intends to complete the full integration of the AirTran network into Southwest. With 41 consecutive years of profitability, the People of Southwest and AirTran operate more than 3,600 flights a day. Southwest Airlines' frequent flights and low fares are available online at southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.

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