Vonage Recognizes Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized each year from September 15th - October 15th in the United States. This is a time to acknowledge and honor the contributions made by people of Hispanic descent (people with ancestry from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America).
¡Vamos Vonage! Employee Resource Group
¡Vamos Vonage! is an Employee Resource Group focused on building and empowering the Hispanic/Latinx community within and outside of Vonage through fostering and maintaining an inclusive and supportive environment.
¡Vamos Vonage! ERG is a vibrant community of team members, sharing similar Hispanic and/or Latinx backgrounds, and their allies. Together, they are united in working to support the development and engagement of Vonage’s Hispanic/Latinx team members while reinforcing a corporate culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Gio Rojas, Key Account Manager, and a member of the ¡Vamos Vonage! Leadership board commented, “I was ecstatic about the opportunity to create a Latin-based ERG because I’m naturally passionate about Latin culture and inclusion, and I wanted anyone else at Vonage that is equally passionate about it to have an opportunity to come together and organize what is now ¡Vamos Vonage!.”
During the past year, ¡Vamos Vonage! members have displayed a lot of passion in advancing the mission of their ERG. As a group, they’ve celebrated Cinco de Mayo (a day to commemorate the victory that the Mexican Army had over France during the Franco-Mexican War) with external speakers and a live musical performance from Rodriguez, hosted a Latin-themed cooking workshop featuring team members showcasing their recipes of significance to their families and culture and held sessions where Latinx leaders share their experiences and discuss timely topics including the potential for biases in artificial intelligence and how minorities can be affected. The community also hosts popular Cafecito/cafezinho (virtual coffee chat) meetings that offer an additional forum where members can discuss anything on their minds.
Speaking about the importance of ¡Vamos Vonage!, Pedro Medina, Mid-Market Account Manager, emphasized that “having a Latino ERG at Vonage supports team member belonging and retention, reinforces Vonage’s committed investment in diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, and also allows members to grow professionally and personally by maximizing resources and giving back to the community.”
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Throughout the Year
Amplifying the many rich cultures and traditions is one of the ways we can continue to celebrate diversity throughout the year. ERGs like Vamos Vonage are just one of the ways diversity can be celebrated and shared with those of a similar background or people who are allies. Some of the benefits of ERGs are that they are communities that support learning and development and create visibility for involved members. To learn more about the Employee Resource Groups at Vonage, visit our website.
Join us in recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month now and all throughout the year by learning more about the history, tradition, and achievements made by those a part of the Hispanic community.
