Gov. Jared Polis rang in Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Wednesday, by noting what Latinos have contributed to the state and what his administration has contributed to the Latino population.

“Colorado’s history is woven through with the remarkable accomplishments of our Hispanic… community,” the governor said in a statement. “My administration is committed to building a Colorado for All, a state where everyone has an opportunity to succeed, and we can celebrate our shared values.

“Our Hispanic community is helping Colorado build back better and I look forward to working with the community to continue to improve the lives of Hispanic families across our state.”

A press release noted three members of the governor’s cabinet are Hispanic. Polis appointed the state’s first Hispanic poet laureate, Bobby LeFebre. He also signed into law a bill creating the Office of New Americans and is the first Colorado governor to appoint a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient, Marissa Molina, to a state board. Molina serves on the Metropolitan State University of Denver Board of Trustees.

Polis was endorsed by most Latino leaders in his run for governor in 2018. On Tuesday, Heidi Ganahl, the University of Colorado regent at-large, announced she would seek the Republican nomination to face Polis next year.

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The governor’s office said the state has added about 225,000 people who identify as Latino or Hispanic since 2010. About 1 in 5 Coloradans are Hispanic or Latino.

The observance begins in middle of September to coincide with the national independence days of Belize, Chile, Costa Rica Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.