Mrs. Esmeralda Hetrick

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to recognize Mrs. Esmeralda Hetrick for her continuous, tireless and dedicated service to the community--and for earning the Estamos Unidos Lifetime Achievement Award.

Esmeralda Hetrick was born in Texas as one of six children--where they lived on welfare and government assistance--but fortunately had an amazing mother that instilled integrity, values, hard-work and a strong belief in God in her children. She was the first in her family to graduate post-secondary education earning a bachelor's degree and an MBA. Esmeralda married in her twenties but her late husband, Max's tragic death left her a widow and single mother with a five-year old to raise. She then moved to Pennsylvania in 1988, where she's found her home.

Esmeralda worked as a Health Equity Consultant for an insurance company where she influenced corporate strategy, product development, and healthcare disparity issues, while leading the community outreach and small business minority procurement of the company. Her expertise enabled the insurance company, to tailor effective messages and ad campaigns to inform the community of their healthcare options. Perhaps most importantly, she mentored disadvantaged Pennsylvanian students to help create future leaders. Mrs. Hetrick also owns an English and Spanish newspaper, La Voz Latina Central of PA, and is the personal talent manager for her husband Graham S. Hetrick, a Dauphin County Coroner who has a TV show ``The Coroner--I Speak For the Dead.''

Her continuous community efforts garnered media attention and positioned her as a go-to spokeswoman in Pennsylvania--earning her selection in the 2005 YWCA ``Women of Excellence'', her selection in the 2006 Harrisburg Magazine's ``Movers and Shapers'', a feature story in 2009 in the first Issue of ``Women Connect--Connecting Women All Over the World'', and the Jefferson Award Medal for Public Service in 2006, 2007, and 2009. She is also just the third person to receive the Estamos Unidos Lifetime Achievement Award--an award serving for serving the Latino Hispanic community for at least 15 years--it's certainly well-earned.

Mr. Speaker, I'm honored and privileged recognize Mrs. Esmeralda Hetrick for her tireless service to Central Pennsylvania in her myriad roles, and her earning of the Estamos Unidos Lifetime Achievement Award. Her dedicatIon to family, community, and country is the standard by which we should all be judged--and I wish her contInued success in all her endeavors.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source