Hometown Hero

Babe Laufenberg is Oscar Arrieta Agency and Allstate Hometown Hero for Friday, September 23.
A former quarterback who played for the Dallas Cowboys is now one of the best color analysts in football, making him one of the most popular sports personalities in Texas.

His love and passion for the game go beyond boundaries; he volunteers his time to teach at youth football camps across the country.

He has shown his love to UTEP; ever since his son Luke came to El Paso, Babe became a faithful supporter of the MINERS, and sadly, In 2019, Laufenberg's son died at age 21 of lymphoma.
Even with a busy schedule traveling with the Dallas Cowboys, Babe Laufenberg makes time to watch almost every UTEP game online and, when possible, attend the games.

Babe wants to share his son's spirit with the #LiveLikeLuke motto. He and his family have created the Luke Laufenberg FIGHT excellence fund. You can support him by going to www.riseup915.com and making a donation.

He and the organization have convened Hugs Not Walls, an event that brings together thousands of families from the United States and Mexico who have not seen each other in many years, embracing their loved ones for a brief moment on the Rio Grande.

Fernando García honored on September 10th.

Ms Joselyn Zuñiga is this year's region 19 Elementary Teacher of the year:
Joselyn Zuñiga teaches reading and science to 5th-grade bilingual students at Lorenzo G. Alarcon Elementary in the San Elizario school district, where she has taught since 2016.
Teaching through a pandemic has been a challenging year for Joselyn. One week before starting the 2021-2022 school year, she lost her husband due to COVID-19.
Through this difficult year, she has taught her students to be resilient despite the difficult circumstances. Joselyn hopes that her example will help students persevere in all their endeavors and strives to create a safe learning environment where children feel loved and supported in all areas of their life.
She also volunteers as the Garden Club teacher and organizer of the Cultures Around the World Extravaganza. Her passion and drive to motivate and encourage her students has inspired her to create educational opportunities, inside and outside the classroom, for students to become self- sufficient and productive citizens. Zuñiga 's passion for teaching stems from working with at-risk families while attending New Mexico State University. Zuñiga believes family is essential in life and makes her classroom an example of a supportive family.

Joselyn Zuñiga honored on August 31st.