Bay Area Hispano Institute for Advancement, Inc. (BAHIA) has been named this year's Leading Change Awardee.

Having served Berkeley and Fremont for 37 years, BAHIA has created “…a place where children feel a sense of family and where parents feel they are valued as contributing members of the community, as well as vital to their children’s learning.” In recent years, funding to retain affordable and accessible childcare in the state of California has been cut. BAHIA has mobilized the community members to reach out to their local representatives. Despite the constant threat to its budget, BAHIA has excelled at building partnerships across sectors to continue to provide a comprehensive learning environment for all its students.

The LCF Leading Change Award, presented by Wells Fargo was created to recognize an organization in the Latino community that has made a significant contribution to improve the lives of Latino children and youth in the Bay Area. Nominees included individuals from all sectors who have played a key role in initiating or participating in community-led, grassroots leadership campaigns to improve the lives of children and youth in their community.

 The cash award will be presented on stage at the 7th Annual Gala Celebrating Philanthropy ¡Con Sabor Latino! on March 22, 2012.