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| SPRING/SUMMER 2009 |
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 Rick Hernandez could
have retreated into a
shell. An office-products
entrepreneur, he had left
Puerto Rico in the early 1980s
for Houston, where he managed
an office supply company.
A few years later, though, an oil crunch ruined the state's
economy and left him with almost nothing.
Yet, instead of staying down, he moved to Orlando with his
wife and small children. And, not only did he pick up the pieces
of his life, he created a legacy of community giving that continues
today.
Professionally, he worked at the Orlando Sentinel and La Prensa
in a variety of sales-related management positions. While at the
Sentinel, he helped to create El Sentinel, a bilingual publication for
the Hispanic community of Central Florida. Currently, he is community
relations consultant for both Cooperativa de Seguros
Multiples (a Puerto Rican insurance company with branches in
Orlando) and Polytech University
(based in Puerto Rico with a
branch in Orlando).
Mostly, though, through his
many volunteer efforts, he has
helped to give local Hispanics
a real voice.
In the early 1990s, he helped to establish the Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce. Today, his resume is filled with board
memberships, including being chair of the YMCA Achievers
program, which develops young Hispanic leaders, and a
board member of the Hispanic Heritage Scholarship Fund of
Metro Orlando.
Hernandez recalls a time in Orlando when, while shopping
with his wife in a grocery store, he was told to speak English, not
Spanish. Those days, he says proudly, are long gone: “Now I
feel that we Hispanics belong.”
His years of community dedication had much to do with
that transformation.
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 Growing up in Lake
Mary as the eldest
of three children,
Angela Lagos continually
lived with exchange students.
Her mother had a
keen interest in helping
young people from abroad and, through church programs and
community organizations, would take them in for a month or
more at a time.
“My mother encouraged us to not be like ostriches—to get
our heads out of the sand and find out what's happening,”
she recalls.
So, Lagos learned to connect and build bridges with different
people from different places.
That early training has served her well. Officially, Lagos
is senior manager of Diversity and Inclusion at Universal
Parks & Resorts. Unofficially, Lagos, of Colombian descent,
spends much of her time basically living her job—work has
become a way of life. “Everyone
has a story to tell,” says
Lagos, who holds a master's
degree in Industrial Organization
Psychology.
Not surprisingly, Lagos
is an award winner for her
efforts. In 2007, she was nominated by her peers at Universal to
receive the Excellence in Leadership Award. In January 2008,
her team received the Human Resources Excellence award from
parent company NBC Universal.Most recently, under her leadership,
Universal Parks & Resorts was recognized by the
National Association Business Owners with the trailblazing“Beacon Award.” Lagos also is an active community volunteer,
working with the American Cancer Society Relay of Life,
Hispanic Heritage Scholarship Fund, YMCA Achievers and
WMFE Community Advisory Board.
“The most important thing,” she concludes, “is to truly listen
at what people around you are telling you.”
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 Growing up in Puerto
Rico as the oldest
son in a close-knit
family, Tony Ortiz was destined
to be a good community
citizen. His father
retired from the Puerto Rico
Police Department, and his
mother worked as a librarian.
Although divorced, his parents instilled in him a keen sense
of duty.
As it turned out, the city of Orlando has been the beneficiary
of that upbringing.
Moving to town in 1989, Ortiz joined the Orlando Police
Department in 1993 and spent 14 years in law enforcement,
typically serving on special task forces that battled crime,
gang and drugs. During that time, he also helped to bring
residents closer together with city government officials and
the police. Those efforts were a prelude to his election earlier
this year as an Orlando city
commissioner for District
2. There, instead of sitting in
an office, he continues to hit
the streets in search of building
a better community.
“I believe in order for
any society to survive, they
have to have fundamentals,”
he says. “And those fundamentals are law and order.”
As a city commissioner, the results of his work already are
evident. In a district that is roughly one-third Hispanic, he has
established a neighborhood leaders' council, consisting of residents
and government officials, along with a business council
to help entrepreneurs.He also has helped to reduce crime while
adding numerous community aesthetics. And there is time for
even more—his term is four years.
“I'm a doer, not a talker,” he concludes. “I don't like to talk
much. I like working more.”
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 If a film were made about
James Schoepflin, it might be
titled Passionate Commitment or Making a Difference or Unlikely Hero.
Since arriving in Orlando
about four years ago, Schoepflin
has passionately committed
himself to making a
difference in the local Hispanic film scene—and he has effectively
carved a niche in the Hispanic community despite the last name
of Schoepflin.
One-quarter Cuban (his mother's last name is Dominguez),
Schoepflin has worked 100 percent to create the Orlando Hispanic
Film Festival, which enjoyed its second annual event in October.
The festival is a celebration of Hispanic independent filmmaking.
A total of 57 films were showcased this year.
As least for the local industry, the biggest star was Schoepflin,
who first made a name for himself as a film promoter in Arizona.
When his wife's job was
moved to Orlando, he followed.“When I got here, I
talked to people, a lot of
people, and I realized there
wasn't anything [in films]
for Hispanics,” says Schoepflin,
who also directs and
produces films. “The need
was so apparent that I just went ahead and started and built
what has turned out to be a really big event.”
Aside from showcasing films, Schoepflin helped to establish
a teen film festival last summer, and the Downtown Orlando
Library hosts two workshops that he organizes monthly to
educate people interested in independent filmmakers.
With commitment, a difference is being made among
Hispanics by a guy named Schoepflin.
“There is opportunity here,” he says. “Or, if there isn't, there
will be soon.”
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 Raquel Tacon looks back
on her career with great
satisfaction. She began
performing Flamenco and
classical Spanish dances at age
6 in her hometown of Valladolid,
Spain. By 15, she was
dancing professionally in Madrid. Eventually, her stage brilliance
took her to tours across the world.
Tacon was “born to dance,” and her light shined brightly.
These days, Tacon still dances, although her performances
mostly are limited to special events. The fluid grace remains, but
the soreness afterward is a reminder that the clock continues to
tick on her career. As she describes, “Sometimes, I think that is
enough. But it has been difficult, like any artist, to say bye-bye [to
the career].”
Yet, Tacon's impact on the dance community hasn't softened.
Instead of entertaining, she is teaching others—typically young
girls—to entertain.“That's my life,” she says. “It doesn't matter if it's
flamenco or classical or ballet,
I think [teaching dance] is the
best thing a family can do for
a girl. It helps them with confidence
and self esteem, and
they can carry that throughout
their life.”
Her community help extends outside of arts, too. Since
2002, she has been the local Honorary Vice Consul of Spain.
Recently, her service area was expanded north to Jacksonville.
As part of her duties, Tacon receives as many as 40 call per day
from people seeking help. Some of these calls even come from
Spain. Also, during the 1980s, she founded La Casa de España
(the House of Spain). Seeking nothing in return, she has
continually given, on and off stage.
“It's better to give things than to receive things,” says Tacon,
who has been in Orlando for 25 years. “The feeling I get is
worth a million dollars. Maybe one person in the future will
remember me. That's very satisfying.”
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