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Latina Philanthropist Maria Eugenia Maury: Saving Lives One By One

Fri, 31 May 2013 13:16:40 -0400

Venezuelan Maria Eugenia Maury’s elegant apartment, almost 1,000 feet above the bustling East Side of Manhattan, has become a philanthropic hosting spot.

She and her husband, former Harvard professor William Haseltine, share a love of science, the arts and music, serving on the boards of many New York organizations — the Metropolitan Opera, the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and El Museo del Barrio, among others.

Their biggest event is their annual winter ball, known as ‘My Hero Gala.’ It honors some of the year’s best advocates and attracts famous celebrities, like fashion designers Carolina Herrera and Marc Jacobs and well-known actors like Eva Mendez and Gael García Bernal.

And the powerful couple shares a passion to give back. Dr. Haseltine, a scientist who has done pioneering work on cancer and AIDS, created a foundation called Access Health International.

“There is nothing more rewarding than saving lives and empowering people, nothing more wonderful than making this a healthier, better world for everyone to enjoy,” Maury says.

Maury has been the president of the board of AID for AIDS International since 2001. This non-profit organization is trying to improve the quality of life for individuals across the developing world dealing with HIV/AIDS, focusing on those living in Latin America and the Caribbean.
AID for AIDS has sent nearly $90 million worth of medicine to beneficiaries in over 37 countries worldwide.

Maury said she became involved after hearing heart-wrenching stories about young people infected with AIDS.

The whole family has been great supporters of the cause. Her daughters Karina, Manuela and Camila walk with her in the annual Aids Walk of New York since they were young.

Maury’s mission is to continue fighting against the stigma and discrimination toward people living with HIV/AIDS. And to continue granting health access to Latino communities, and saving lives, one by one.

Latina Philanthropist Laura Giadorou-Koch: It Is Time to Give Back

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:18:51 -0500

In her native Argentina, Laura Giadorou-Koch was one of a few high school students who volunteered for HELP, an organization that tends disabled children in orphanages. Early on she started yearning for a country with more “opportunities.”

She came closer to her dream when, after graduating from law school in Buenos Aires, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study law in the U.S.

Now, after working in Wall Street for many years, Giadorou-Koch feels that now is the time to give back, and not only with donations but also with encouragement and dedication.

She found her true cause and passion in a microfinance organization that gives small loans to female entrepreneurs, being that it represents all that she believes in: hope, opportunity and empowerment.

Five years ago, she was invited by Diana Taylor, chair of ACCION to be part of the organization.

She said she was inspired by Taylor’s words: “When you meet our client, all of those perceptions about poverty completely dissipate because you meet people that have such intelligence and initiative, have learned to cope with very difficult circumstances, particularly women. What women want is the same everywhere, they want to be able to feed and shelter their family.”

Laura became involved by donating and by volunteering at fundraising events at her Park Avenue apartment.

One of her favorite cases is Ana Lucia, a woman she met in Brazil who used to spend half a day walking to the market to buy material to make dresses that she would try to sell that same day. A mother of four, if she didn’t sell dresses that day her children would go hungry.

Accion gave Ana Lucia a $300 loan, which changed her life. A year later, she opened her own store.

“Ana Lucia knows she was given a lifetime opportunity. She now goes once a week to the market and is able to feed her family,” Giadorou-Koch said.

In 2011, Laura co-founded Accion’s VIA program (Volunteers in Action). She also offers microfinance seminars as an after-school program at high schools.

She said her life mission encompasses three goals – spreading philanthropy ideals to Latin America, engaging more Latino women philanthropists in the U.S. and passing on her message through educational seminars for future generations.

Philanthropic Latina: Meet Yaz Hernandez

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:27:56 -0500

She has been listed by the New York Post as one of New York’s top 25 Latino movers and shakers.

Born to a prominent Puerto Rican family, Yaz Hernandez tends to be described as an adventurous, passionate Latina. She always dreamed of living in New York City. Her favorite song: "New York, New York."

After studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), located at the very heart of New York's garment district, she entered the runways world and in just nine years became the president of Mondi, a German fashion label. Next in her to-do list is to launch an Internet company.

Today Yaz gives back. She is a trustee for the FIT College, serves as vice chair of the board of trustees of El Museo del Barrio, New York’s leading Latino cultural institution and museum, and is a member of the Tate Modern’s Latin American Acquisitions Committee in London.

Considered one of the most influential Latino philanthropic women in NY, Yaz is well known for orchestrating some of the most prominent events on the Big Apple's social calendar. El Museo del Barrio’s annual spring gala, for example, is one of the top events in the city, where —if you are lucky enough to get invited— you can mingle with Kate Winslet, Carolina Herrera, Placido Domingo, Oscar de la Renta, Mario Testino, Eleonora Kennedy to name a few. She definitely knows how to throw a party.

Hernandez loves people. She brings people from different cultures and interests together. And her generosity is well known: no month passes by without at least one event at her Park Avenue apartment, and most likely for a good cause.

Her soul mate and husband, Valentin Hernandez, and her share the same passion, art. They are prominent collectors, especially of Latin art, hence her passion for sharing Latin culture with kids that have been born in the United States. She wants them to learn about their heritage.

But things have not always been easy for her. She survived breast cancer with courage and a smile.

Hernandez’s legacy is to pass on to the new generations, starting with her son Valentin Jr., her love of the arts. She is currently forming a new group of young professionals and educating them on being effective junior board members.