CommUNITY en Acción (CEA) is a non-profit with a simple mission: bringing together members of the El Paso business community to work on projects that make El Paso better.

Longtime El Paso businessman and philanthropist Richard Castro co-founded the organization. Castro’s commitment to community service, education and the betterment of El Paso has been unwavering for more than 30 years.

With that in mind, CEA is proud to honor its co-founder with the establishment of the Richard Castro Community Service Scholarship for his dedicated service to the El Paso community.

The scholarship fund was created in coordination with the Paso del Norte Community Foundation.

“The Paso del Norte Community Foundation has been tremendous in guiding us through the process of setting up the fund,” said Rosemary Marin, the CEA board member who helped initiate the fund. “They do a lot of the heavy lifting – setting up and managing the fund – and they’ve been a great partner throughout the process.”

Higher education makes a difference — for the graduates, as well as, the communities that will ultimately benefit from their training and sharpened talents. It’s a lesson Richard Castro knows well.

For more than 30 years, Castro has empowered the next generation by volunteering thousands of hours, leading various community organizations to make lasting improvements to our region. He has also initiated and sponsored numerous educational programs and established scholarship endowments, totaling more than $14 million in scholarships.

Following in Castro’s footsteps are area high school seniors from underserved public school districts who are working hard, too — volunteering and leading projects to improve their community. With the scholarship that bears his name, these community servants will receive a helping hand to reach their dream of achieving a college education and becoming tomorrow’s community leaders.

“There are very few people in this community who have contributed to the educational attainment of students the way Richard has,” Marin said. “For me, it’s been an honor to be around him and his energy, and the passion and the understanding he has for the connection between educational attainment and economic success.”

Marin said that the Paso del Norte Community Foundation has been helpful for non-profits and for educating the community about how important – and easy – it is to give.

“If we can encourage philanthropy and encourage gift giving on a larger scale, there’s a lot we can accomplish in this community.”

To learn more or make a donation click here.