Local DECA Chapter Helping to Raise Funds
for
'Monumento Tejano'

Story by DAVID ROBLEDO
Photos by GERMAN GARCIA
The Monitor

EDINBURG - There's only one school organization in the state helping to raise money for the Monumento Tejano, and that's the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) chapter at Edinburg North High School. The Monumento Tejano was conceived by Cayetano Barrera from McAllen, who took a stroll through the Capitol grounds in Austin last year, and realized that, among the many Texas-related statues, memorials, and commemorations, there was no monument marking the contributions of Tejanos to Texas culture. Thus, Barrera approached State Representative Ismael "Kino" Flores with the idea of building such a monument. Flores loved the idea, and petitioned the Texas Legislature for permission to build a work of art commemorating the contributions of the Spanish and Mexican pioneers who have influenced Texas life. In May 2001, the Legislature ap-proved the project.

"It's exciting. We didn't know what to expect. We went up to tell a bunch of northerners, 'Hey, we need a monument saying Tejanos were here,' " Flores said. Edinburg North's DECA chapter became involved when DECA advisor Melba Zaremba saw Flores promoting the monument on television. Zaremba thought that asking the DECA chapter to come up with a promotional campaign to raise money for the cause would fit well with the purposes of DECA, a marketing association. "The kids told me - 'Miss, did you know that nobody knows there's not a monument about Tejanos?' " Zaremba said.

DECA started raising money by creating a campaign called "The Power of One," in which club members asked fel-low students to tell one person about the monument, and to encourage those that were told to spread the word along to one other. The chapter then asked everyone who heard about it to contribute their spare pennies. The chapter collected $565.79 in pennies. "I made announcements and collected pennies and weighed the pennies - a lot of pennies," explained member Rose Molina, 18, a senior.

The penny drive was just the first step in DECA's promotional plan. Now, they're asking local businesses, such as Carmike Cinema, to give DECA space to advertise the monument. "It's important because at the Capitol grounds, there's no representation of Mexican-Americans. It's important to honor the contribution Tejanos have given to the state of Texas," Molina said. Fellow DECA member Alejandra "Alex" Flores, 17, a senior, agreed. "I'm doing something for my heritage. … I love this project," she said.

In November 2001, DECA member Juan Carlos Munoz, along with Zaremba, traveled to Austin to attend a Tejano legacy gala at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, where the chapter was recognized for their efforts. To get involved with DECA's promotion, call Zaremba at 316-7683. To find out more about the Monumento Tejano, log on to www.tejanos.com.

"This copyrighted story from the Feb. 2, 2002 edition of The Monitor has been posted with permission."