The non-partisan coalition tasked with encouraging Latino civic engagement and drawing millennial voters to the polls, Voto Latino, just turned 10-years-old.

Chaired and co-founded by actress Rosario Dawson, and operated by President and CEO Maria Teresa Kumar, this organization promotes positive changes in the Latino community by empowering the collective voice of Latino millennials. The establishment's anniversary on Feb. 18 kicked off a year-long celebration that applauds decade-strong effort to appeal to 38 million Latinos nationwide.

The growth of the Latino population created a need for Latinos' views and opinions to be shared with the public. However, prior to Voto Latino's launch, not only was there a shameful lack of Latino politicians, but a lack of Latino voters... greatly due to the fact that the Latinos were not being involved in national matters. And, when outreach was done, it was solely done in Spanish -- an act that would effectively exclude first -- and second-generation Latinos, many of which didn't speak Spanish.

The need for public Latino representation eventually drew Latino celebrities to the forefront, who would use their star power for the betterment of the community. Rosario Dawson was one of the celebrities to step forward, launching Voto Latino, which would play a role in the modernization of elections by launching the first text message voter registration drive. The organization also registered near a quarter-million voters.

"I co-founded Voto Latino to help give future generations of American Latinos the opportunity to follow our forebears' legacy of service and a platform where they can write the history books of tomorrow," adds Dawson. "We're thankful to our supporters like Wilmer Valderrama, America Ferrera, Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark, Dolores Huerta, and many others, who know the work we do together is not only important for the Latino community, but to the country as a whole."

Earlier this week 32-year-old Jessica Alba shared her support of Voto Latino:

The Leadership Conference Tour, tech contest and a red carpet affair are only a taste of what's going to transpire in the coming year in order to keep Latino youth engaged in politics. Voto Latino will host the "Share Your Story" campaign, which will collect and share the stories of individuals who have been motivated to take action due to the organization's efforts. The upcoming tech contest will endorse Latino innovation and creativity. The four-city leadership training conference known as the "Power Summit" will work to embolden Millennials. Also, the "largest-ever online voter registration" campaign for Latino Voters, "Trend Ur Voice," will be a tech-effort to enable Latinos to vote.

The well-received Affordable Care Act Google Hangout series will persist; Voto Latino will once again co-manage National Voter Registration Day; and "Rep Ur Letters," a campaign that encourage Latinos in Greek organizations to register others to vote, will have a culmination event in November, Voto Latino Gala.

"I can't think of a better way to celebrate our 10 years than by taking Voto Latino on the road to train thousands of Latino Millennials and culminating in awarding grants to those who come up with solutions that address their communities' challenges!" says Kumar. "This past decade, Voto Latino not only galvanized millions to the voting booth but we've grown to train leaders, provide tools for Latinos to advocate for themselves and better yet, give them the space to fulfill their great ideas."

More than 15 million Latino millennials reside in the United States and only a small fraction of them are immersed in politics, or issues that directly affect the Latino community. Voto Latino has every intention of changing that, and it thrives on a mission to claim a better future for themselves and their community. The 2024 Presidential Election will coincide with the organization's 20th anniversary, and by that time Kumar hopes to push turnout of Latino voters from 2012's 48 percent to 75 percent by that year.

To learn more about Voto Latino, visit www.VotoLatino.org. Also, engage Voto Latino on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VotoLatino, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VotoLatino and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/VotoLatino. Tweets by @votolatino