MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire And Major League Soccer Honor Juan Rafael Rangel With The Hispano Distinguido 2009 Award

Published on October 27, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


CHICAGO, IL (Oct. 27, 2009) - The Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer are pleased to recognize Juan Rafael Rangel, CEO for the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO), with the Hispano Distinguido 2009 Award (Distinguished Hispanic Award) for his outstanding service in the Chicagoland community. The Chicago Fire honored Juan Rafael Rangel during a pregame ceremony prior to the Fire's final regular season match at TOYOTA PARK.

Major League Soccer will be presenting 2009 Hispano Distinguido Awards to nine individuals from around the country that have made outstanding contributions to their community. Participating clubs nominated three outstanding individuals and the local club, Major League Soccer, and the MLS Latin American Advisory Board work in conjunction to chose the local recipients.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to present this award to an individual like Juan Rafael Rangel who has made such an impact on the Latino community here in Chicago," said Gonzalez of the MLS Latin American Advisory Board. "Through the United Neighborhoods Organization, Mr. Rangel has focused his attentions on creating opportunities for the youth in our community, helping to create, among many other initiatives, the UNO Charter School Network and the Metropolitan Leadership Institute. Chicagoland youth and young professionals are benefiting from the support systems that Mr. Rangel is helping to develop and we are proud to present him with the 2009 Hispano Distinguido Award for his continued efforts."

Since becoming CEO in 1996, Mr. Rangel has greatly increased the scope and impact of UNO, expanding activities within the city of Chicago, as well as among the quickly-growing suburban Hispanic communities, building on the success that UNO had reached in its first decade of community organizing. Among his accomplishments as CEO, Mr. Rangel opened the Octavio Paz Charter School in 1998, developed the UNO Charter School Network (UCSN) comprised of eight schools across Chicago, opened the Esperanza Charter School in 2007, its first school in New Orleans, Louisiana. Over the next five years, UNO plans to expand its network across Chicago and into other market areas with significant Hispanic populations. This recent expansion makes UNO the single largest charter school operator and management company in Illinois, as well as the largest national Hispanic charter school operator. By 2012, UNO Charter Schools will serve more than 6,200 students nationwide.

In 2001, Mr. Rangel co-developed the Metropolitan Leadership Institute (MLI), aimed at engaging young Hispanic professionals in the public arena, including political, corporate, governmental and non-profit spheres. The MLI is a year-long training program which incorporates UNO's 20+ years of community organizing experience towards the development of Hispanic leaders within metropolitan Chicago. By May 2009, nearly 200 individuals will have graduated from the program throughout its seven-year existence.

Prior to joining UNO in 1992 he was the Training Coordinator for Illinois Fiesta Educativa, a training and advocacy organization for disabled Latinos. He is a past fellow (1997) of Leadership Greater Chicago and, in 1999, Mr. Rangel was included in Crain's Chicago Business "40 Under 40"-a list of prominent Chicago leaders under the age of 40. Mr. Rangel was also the recipient of the 1999 Hispanic American Construction Industry Association's (HACIA) Visionary Award. In 2004, Mr. Rangel received Operation Push's "Public Servant Award" and was honored by the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois for his work in Education Advocacy. Also in 2004, Mr. Rangel was honored as one of the "50 Hispanic Heroes" during the Chicago Fire's Fourth Annual Hispanic Heritage Night. Mr. Rangel has a Bachelor's Degree from Northeastern Illinois University.

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