SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Padres will honor the recipient of the third Hispanic Heritage Comunidad Award for 2016 in a pregame ceremony prior to tonight's game vs. the Baltimore Orioles. Janett Gaytan, a community activist and aspiring architect, has been selected as the recipient of the award by members of the Padres' Hispanic Community Advisory Council (HCAC). Each Comunidad Award winner will also receive $1,000 from the Padres Foundation to be donated to the charity of their choice.
Gaytan was selected to receive the award in the area of PLAY (youth fitness) for her work advocating the rehabilitation of Los Niños Community Park in San Ysidro. Ground was recently broken on the transformation project, with the completed park expected to be ready later this year. The new park will provide a safer place for families to be able to bring their children, making it easier for kids to be active and play. The renovation project is due in large part to Gaytan's campaigning, which led to the San Diego City Council awarding a grant of more than $500,000 to the San Diego Parks & Recreation department for the construction of the project.
In addition to her work rebuilding the park, Gaytan has served as a liaison between her community and law enforcement agencies including the San Diego Police Department and Customs and Border Protection. Gaytan has facilitated numerous presentations by both departments to local high school students. She has also worked with these organizations to fix street lights, install pedestrian crosswalks and implement new security programs in the community making the neighborhood a safer place for kids to be active. 
The Padres' Hispanic Heritage Comunidad Award series celebrates its 5^th anniversary in 2016. Established in 2012, the Comunidad Award looks to recognize and pay tribute to individuals or organizations whose work makes a positive impact on those who live and work in San Diego's Hispanic community. In support of the Padres Foundation's community vision, four awards will be given throughout the year, one each in the areas of children's health (LIVE), children's education (LEARN), youth baseball/ softball or youth fitness (PLAY) and supporting our law enforcement and military communities (SERVE). To submit a nomination, visit www.padresbeisbol.com/comunidad (Please note: English nominations can be made by pressing the English nomination button).