David Ortiz joins forces with State Farm to promote U.S. Citizenship to Latinos

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David Ortiz joins forces with State Farm to promote U.S. Citizenship to Latinos

Written by www.latinosportslegends.com

September 16, 2008 -- In celebration of National Citizenship Day, Wednesday, September 17th, legendary slugger David Ortiz is joining forces with State Farm to assist legally documented Latinos who want to become U.S. Citizens. Born in the Dominican Republic, the five-time All Star took the Oath of Citizenship on June 11, 2008 in Dorchester, Mass.

"The United States is a great country and I'm proud to be a citizen," said David Ortiz. "My family cheered me on every step of the way. Now it is my turn to help others who share the dream of becoming a citizen."

Ortiz spoke about his personal citizenship story during a satellite media tour yesterday targeted toward Hispanic media. "As a new citizen, I appreciate what it means to be an American -- the freedom we enjoy, the opportunity we have, and representative government," said Ortiz

"In baseball you need courage, confidence and perseverance and the same is true with becoming a citizen," said Aymee Ruiz, corporate public affairs at State Farm. "David is a great role model for Latinos and National Citizenship Day is a way for all of us to honor those who have become citizens through the naturalization process."

State Farm is one of the lead sponsors of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) Ya Es Hora (It's Time) national civic engagement campaign to inform, educate and motivate Latinos to participate in America's democracy. NALEO's efforts include providing eligible permanent residents with information about applying for U.S. citizenship, assisting U.S. citizens in registering to vote and encouraging people to vote and be active in the civic affairs of their community.