HispanicBusiness

DALLAS, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanford Financial Group's (SFG) CEO, R. Allen Stanford, announced that he is donating $100,000 and joining Dallas Mavericks' star Eduardo Najera in launching the Eduardo Najera Foundation for Latino Achievement, which will provide college scholarships for outstanding Latino students facing barriers to their educations.

Mr. Stanford's gift, the first to the Foundation, was presented at a halftime ceremony during yesterday's game between the Mavericks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Eduardo Najera's inspirational effort to overcome language barriers to obtain a college education and star in the NBA epitomizes the central role of education in Latino achievement," said R. Allen Stanford. "I am especially committed to the development of the region and its most precious resource -- its young people. I am proud to be part of his efforts. This foundation is an effort to give back by helping a new generation of outstanding Latino students achieve their own educational and career aspirations."

Eduardo added, "I deeply appreciate Mr. Stanford's generosity. I had a dream and the establishment of the Foundation helped make it a reality. If we make a difference in just one child's life, it will have been a success."

Eduardo Najera, the youngest of seven children, is only the second Mexican-born athlete to play in the National Basketball Association and one of Mexico's most popular athletes. Having graduated from high school in Chihuahua, Mexico, with little knowledge of English, Eduardo played two years at Cornerstone Christian Academy in San Antonio to learn the language in order to enter the University of Oklahoma, where he was named Third-Team All-America by The Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He helped Mexico achieve fourth place finishes in the 1999 World Games and World University Games. Eduardo received the Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award from the Basketball Hall of Fame, an award given to a player who has demonstrated personal character both on and off the court, and has served as a United Nations Drug Control Program Goodwill Ambassador for Sports Against Drugs.

About Stanford Financial Group

Stanford Financial Group is an international network of affiliated companies that together provide a wide range of coordinated financial services to more than 40,000 clients in 79 countries. With assets under management, advisement or on deposit of approximately $20 billion, the Stanford organization offers its clients financial planning and investment management, investment advisory, trust, commercial banking, international private banking, and real estate investments services. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Stanford Financial Group has some 2,000 employees in the United States and worldwide. More information about Stanford Financial Group is available online at http://www.stanfordfinancial.com/ Stanford Financial Group

CONTACT: Susan Herman, +1-305-960-8528, for Stanford Financial Group

Web site: http://www.stanfordfinancial.com/