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February 6, 2002
Hispanic TV anchor to get award for community service
Anne Trujillo among those to be honored at scholarship gala
By Alwen Bledsoe
Anne Trujillo, co-anchor for 7NEWS at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. is an award-winning journalist, and it's more than Emmys (though she's got those too) that she wins. She's also won more than her share of Denver's hearts as she's dedicated reams of time to working in the community.
On Feb. 9 Trujillo will receive the Latin American Educational Foundation's Community Advocacy Award. She is being honored alongside Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar, and Dave and Gail Liniger, co-founders of RE/MAX International, at the LAEF Gala 2002, a fundraiser for Hispanic scholarships.
"When her name came up we didn't even think of anyone else," said Larry Romero, executive director for LAEF, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing scholarships and support for college-bound Hispanic students.
"Anne was chosen for the award because of her passion and commitment to the community," he said, adding that LAEF's board of directors wanted to acknowledge her work to further educational opportunities for Hispanic and Latino youth and for her five years of service on the LAEF board.
Though born in New Mexico, Trujillo spent most of her growing up years in Littleton and is a life-long member at St. Mary Parish in Littleton, where her children now attend school. Her upbringing and Catholic faith taught her to approach others with love on and off the job, Trujillo said.
"As a journalist you have tough questions to ask, but at the same time, you can do it in a caring way," she explained.
Trujillo is the only Hispanic currently anchoring weekday newscasts in Denver, and that gives her what she considers a unique responsibility.
"I think it gives the Hispanic community a voice and a certain level of, I guess a level of achievement, much like having someone like Ken Salazar be our attorney general, much like that, where you realize you have a responsibility to people in general, but also to your community to say, `I worked hard to do this and that means you can do it too.' I think anyone in a position of being a role model, whether a basketball player or a governor, has an obligation to do the right thing and show people what that means."
She paused, and with characteristic humility added, "Now, I'm not a saint, but you know what I mean."
Trujillo is known by admirers and friends for small and sweeping gestures of good will.
Mention Anne Trujillo's name to Rosemary Rodriguez, clerk and recorder for the City and County of Denver, and she seems to overflow with delight.
"I love Anne Trujillo with all my heart," she gushed.
The two worked together on the board of Mi Casa Resource Center for Women in 1995-1996, but that's not the first thing Rodriguez mentions when she explains her admiration for Trujillo.
She loves, she said, the fact that Trujillo answers her own phone. She also loves that Trujillo recently visited Presentation of Our Lady, a small Catholic elementary school she didn't even attend, to be the keynote speaker for a fundraising event for the alumni.
"She spends good quality time with her family, but when the community needs her, she's available," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez also applauded Trujillo for shattering a once solid "glass ceiling" for professional Hispanic women.
"I think the fact that she's an anchor is a professional accomplishment that is important to the broader community because it shows Hispanic women in an unusual kind of role," Rodriguez said. "It's not the cookie cutter image the public has about what a Hispanic woman does. By doing such a good job as an anchor I think she's removed a barrier for Hispanic women in the media."
Alice Daly, career development program director at Mi Casa, called Trujillo a "true role model," especially for young women.
"She's a compassionate person, she's got children and a husband, she balances her work and her family and her community service," Daly said. "She continues to give back to the community, not just because it's her job. I've seen her at so many things that you know are not a part of her job."
Trujillo first lent her voice to the airwaves as a high school student when she accompanied her mom to work at KBNO, a Spanish language radio station. Her real interest in journalism and broadcasting, however, took hold during a college internship at the office of former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong. Trujillo worked in the press office and found herself fascinated at the interactions between reporters and the press secretary, she said.
Now Trujillo sees community service as an extension of her responsibilities as a journalist.
"I think that part of my obligation with my job is that I need to be able to see what is going on in our community, not by just sitting at a desk and reading stories," Trujillo said. "I need to be out there and seeing what needs are out there and what people are thinking and feeling about issues."
Trujillo's service to the community has included sitting on the boards of LAEF and Mi Casa Resource Center for Women, which recognized her in 2000 for her service. She is also a member of Colorado Hispanic Media Association and Friends of Families First. She often donates her anchoring talents and voice to organizations that need emcees or voice-overs for videotapes. She can sometimes even be found on "playground duty" at St. Mary's School.
"I'm really flattered and really honored," Trujillo said of receiving the LAEF award. "I just think it's my obligation to be of service to the community, and I know that a lot of people do that and more than I do. I feel very honored that they have chosen me."
Earlier she said, "I think the knowledge that the community feels that I have done something to make a difference, that means a lot to me because I just feel I'm doing what every person should, helping those who need an extra hand."
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