Ranch & Coast Magazine

92 APRIL 2022 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE PORTRAIT: PHOTO BY DAVE SICCARDI Dedicated Changemaker A life of leadership and a commitment to serving others G ROWING UP IN LOGAN Heights, Connie Ojeda Hernández grasped very early the importance of education, service to the community, and a commitment to social justice. She learned by watching her parents' involvement in community and political causes. eir actions showed her the way. While an active stay-at-home mom — caring for her five children until her youngest child began school, then involvement with the PTA, her children's team sports, and other related community projects — a life-changing moment came when her son Matthew was diagnosed with leukemia. e bitter news was that Matthew had a 50/50 chance of surviving a week and that he would not live to celebrate his first birthday. Hernández and her husband, Nicholas, lost Matthew in 1976, which led them, with other parents and a social worker at Children's Hospital, to form a support group for parents and, four years later, with the help of the McDonald's Corporation, Children's Hospital, and community benefactors, the San Diego Ronald McDonald House was the 20th house to open in the United States. Hernández is a founding member of Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego and she is the only remaining board member of the original group still involved in the charity. Many other organizations have benefited from Hernández's active participation. She has served as an executive board member of MANA de San Diego and as a member of e San Diego Union-Tribune's Latino Advisory Board. She was the first Latina board president of Centro Cultural de la Raza and served as Vice Chair of the Alliance Healthcare Foundation. She has been involved in the San Diego and Imperial Counties San Diego Voter Registration and Education Project, was state co-chair of the National Council of La Raza's California Affiliate Network, and is a Class of 1992 graduate of LEAD San Diego. Hernández insists that the wide array of community activities has been possible only because of the strong support of her family. Her many awards, which cover a broad spectrum of specialties, include the San Diego Star Award from the San Diego Performing Arts League, Superior Achievement for Latinas in the Media from Hispanic Publishers, the Excellence in Community Service Award from Rayos Del Sol, El Sol de San Diego, and the Community Service Award from Partners for Prevention. ere are more, certainly, but these awards communicate the wide appreciation for the selfless service of this 2022 Woman of Dedication, an honor bestowed to Hernández and 11 other deserving women by e Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary. wod2022.givesmart.com DARLENE G. DAVIES Connie Hernández The Hernández family at San Diego's Ronald McDonald House Connect philanthropy

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