Our History
The DeLeon Club of Victoria has contributed to the community since it was first chartered in 1965 by a group of Hispanic businessmen. The organization's name honors the founder of the city Don Martin DeLeon. The objectives of the Club are as follows:
• To enhance education through scholarships and
• To participate in civic (non-political) community involvement in an effort to promote H
ispanic Cultural pride. In order to align itself to the objectives of the organization, the membership works diligently throughout its fiscal year for educational scholarships, involvement in the community, and the DeLeon Symposium on the Humanities. Scholarships, for Victoria area graduating seniors, are a big service project. Each scholarship is in the amount of $1,000. Over the years, the Club has awarded well over one hundred fifty thousand dollars in scholarships thus enabling many students to embark on their dream career pathways into higher education. The Annual Christmas Dance is the vehicle that generates funds to finance the scholarships. December 2013, mark the 47th year of the event inwhich its held on the second Saturday of December. Involvement in the community of Victoria is key to driving the motivation of the organization's membership. Well-grounded on the philosophy of contributing to the positive well-being of the City, past contributions include:
• The naming of DeLeon Elementary in the Victoria Independent School District after its City founder,
• The $10,000 donation to the building of Hopkins Park,
• The $10,000 donation to the Victoria Public Library; the DeLeon meeting room named in the Club's honor,
• The $5,000 donation to the present Victoria Boys' and Girls' Club facility; a DeLeon room named in the Club's honor,
• The $5,000 donation both to the Senior Citizens Center, and
• The $5,000 donation to the Salvation Army; the DeLeon meeting room named in the Club's honor. In May 2012, the organization held its first Mother's Day Dance fundraiser. The second is planned for May 11, 2013. Through the generosity of business sponsorships and community attendance, Christmas food baskets were donated to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) foster families and another to the family of senior high school girl with a terminal illness. Monetary donations were also made to the Golden Crescent Food Bank, the Senior Citizen's Center, and three elementary schools in the Victoria Independent School District. For the past twenty-six years, to commemorate and embrace the past and present significant accomplishments of Mexican-Americans plus value-adding to the Cinco de mayo celebrations, the DeLeon Club in collaboration with the University of Houston-Victoria host an Annual DeLeon Symposium on the Humanities, traditionally, the last Saturday in April. The goal of the Symposium is to educate the community and bring about cultural pride as a result of the rich heritage and long-lasting contributions of Mexican-Americans in the foundation, history, and prosperity of the City of Victoria. A few topics that have been accentuated in past presentations comprise of: The DeLeon Family, Mexican-American Films, Victoria's History; a Look Back in Time, the Mexican-American Revolution, Immigration, Victoria Mexican-American Local Organizations and Their Contributions, Mexican-Americans and Mental Health, Health Issues Impacting the Mexican-American, Mexican-American Literature and Poetry, etc. The focus of the 2013 Symposium will focus on the contributions of Mexican-American Women to Literature and the Arts. The members of the DeLeon Club of Victoria, without a doubt, strive to continuously find projects that serve the needs of those in the community of Victoria. Through its service of providing educational scholarships to graduating high school seniors, involvement in community events, and educating its citizens through the DeLeon Symposium on the Humanities, the membership aspires to fulfill the objectives of the organization.
