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Mexican
Movie Star Eduardo Verástegui Goes to Texas Prison
30
de septiembre 2009
Manto
de Guadalupe launches new prison ministry in conjunction
with the
Human Rights Education and Relief Organization (HERO) and
Discipleship Unlimited
Los
Angeles, CA—Manto de Guadalupe in partnership with the
Human rights, Education and Relief Organization (HERO) is
proud to announce the launching of its newest program: Jose’s
Second Chance. The central character of the Toronto Film
Festival’s People’s Choice Award winner Bella is Jose, a
man given a second chance at life after a tragic accident
that resulted in his imprisonment. Based on this central
character’s story, Jose’s Second Chance offers those in
prison an outlet for healing and an inspiration to start
over.
Eduardo
Verástegui, the Mexican star who portrayed Jose, will be
at Gatesville Prison today in Gatesville, TX, to share his
personal story of how acting in Bella gave him a second
chance at life and can be a sign of hope to them as well.
“During my preparation for this role, I realized I was not
the man that I had been raised to be and that I wanted to
be,” shared Verástegui. In addition to his acting, Verástegui
is a producer and active humanitarian. “Portraying Jose
solidified in my mind that I too could change my ways and
live a life that I could be proud of. And this wasn’t just
a question of how I led my private life, but how I conduct
my public life as well. I’ve dedicated my acting career
to only portraying men that are heroes—not like Batman or
Superman—but real heroes. Men who are hard-working, men
of faith, men who are faithful to their wives…men like my
father, and to stop perpetuating stereotypes often associated
with Latino actors. The next act of our lives has not been
written. We can write those chapters by the decisions we
make and I want to share this truth with those I will meet
today.”
Jason
Jones, founder of HERO and a producer of Bella will join
Verástegui at today’s event. Inmates at Gatesville Prison
have previously screened the film. “We are grateful for
the impact that Bella has made on people. There are many
stories of lives saved through this film’s theatrical release,
as well as through the Bella HERO and Campus HERO programs,
so we are excited to share it in this new setting where
it can be a real instrument of healing,” stated Jones.
“At the core of all that HERO does is a recognition and
respect for the intrinsic dignity of every human person.
Sadly, that simple truth is often forgotten when it comes
to those imprisoned—by the public and the inmates themselves.
It is our hope that this effort will help inspire the inmates
to valiantly lay claim to their second chance, as Jose did
in Bella.”
Verástegui
and Jones will be appearing at the invitation of Discipleship
Unlimited, a Christian prison ministry that seeks to bring
healing of body, mind and soul to inmates.
HERO is a “whole-life”
multi-platform non-profit organization, pursuing 501(c)3
status, dedicated to defending the dignity of the human
person while working towards a culture of life, love and
beauty.
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