Midn. 1/C Victor Perez, second from right, dances with other Midshipmen and local children at the 2nd Annual Block Buster Party Sept. 19. The event, hosted by the Boys & Girls Club of Annapolis, was held to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. USNA photo by Lance Cpl. Chris Stone.

The event was hosted as a part of the nation-wide observance of His-panic Heritage Month and was made possible with the assistance of Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy.

The festivities in-cluded food, face pain-ting, live music and dancing for the His-panic children of the area. The organizers of the event hope that these kinds of activities will encourage local children to become more involved in the Boys and Girls Club.

‘‘The ratio of Hisp-anics in the Boys & Girls Club is significantly less compared to their attendance in local high schools,” said Dr. Corky Graham, a retired U.S. Navy captain and a volunteer at the club. ‘‘We use events like this to increase retention.”

Midshipmen from the Academy’s Midshipmen Action Group and Latin American Studies Club (LASC) were present to volunteer.

‘‘I came out to volunteer because I am a Hispanic, and I want to show these kids what they can achieve in life,” said Midn. 1⁄C Victor Perez, the president of LASC. ‘‘I want to inspire them to better themselves.”

LASC is an extra-curricular activity that provides Midshipmen the opp-ortunity to cultivate an appreciation for and learn more about the growing Hispanic⁄Latino community across the United States and the in the Navy and Marine Corps.

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 every year and was first established in 1968 as a week long period to acknowledge the con-tributions of Hispanic Americans and celebrate the Hispanic culture. It was expanded to cover a full 30-day period in 1988.

Sept. 15 was chosen as the start date because five Latin American countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – declared independence on that date in 1821. Mexico, Chile and Belize also celebrate their independence days in September.