Community leaders Edith Sayre Auslander and Richard Miranda will be honored at a scholarship fundraising dinner for Los Changuitos Feos on Sept. 27 at Desert Diamond Casino Hotel.
The mariachi youth group, founded in 1964, is recognized as "Ambassadors of Goodwill" throughout the United States and Mexico.
Members have performed internationally, at the White House and for the presidential inaugurations of Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.
Auslander recently was hired by the UA Foundation as a consultant for the Arizona Assurance scholarship program. The program aims to help more state residents attend college, said Martin Camacho, an organizer for the fundraiser.
Auslander is a former University of Arizona vice president and senior associate to the president. She was appointed to the post in 2003 by then-UA President Peter Likins. Auslander served in that position through June 2008.
She also served on the Arizona Board of Regents from 1984 to 1992 and was the first Latina to serve on the board. She is a former reporter and editor for the Arizona Daily Star, where she worked from 1973 to 1981.
Miranda joined the Tucson Police Department in 1975 and climbed through the ranks. He worked as a patrol officer, sergeant, captain and assistant chief before he was appointed chief of police in 1998.
Miranda stepped down as Tucson's top cop earlier this year and in July went to work as an assistant city manager. He is Tucson's highest-ranking Hispanic city employee.
Miranda oversees police and fire, City Court, the City Public Defender's Office, Parks and Recreation, and Community Services among other areas.
Organizers hope the event will raise $15,000 for scholarships to be awarded to students in the spring, Camacho said.
More than $70,000 in scholarships has been awarded to the mariachi students, Camacho said.
Scholarship fundraiser
What: Los Changuitos Feos Scholarship Dinner
When: Sept. 27, 6 p.m. reception and 7 p.m. dinner
Where: Desert Diamond Casino Hotel Conference Center, 7350 S. Nogales Highway
Cost: $80 per person; tickets must be purchased by Tuesday by calling Martin Camacho at 419-1676.
