Plano corporate residents, along with government leaders, Plano ISD members and representatives of the faith community, will meet for a special invite-only city reception and panel discussion Oct. 5 to discuss the importance of diversity in the workplace and the city as a whole.

Hosted by the Mayor’s Diversity Committee, the #WeArePlano event will take place from 5-7 p.m. at the Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park, 5805 Granite Parkway. Companies in attendance will include representatives from  Capital One, Bank of America, JCPenney, Hewlett-Packard, Toyota Motor North America and FedEx Office.

Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere created the idea for the event, which is the first of its kind in Plano. The city’s Multi-Cultural Outreach Roundtable assisted LaRosiliere by helping organize the event.

“We want citizens to be inspired by where they live,” he said in a news release. “With Plano being diverse and inclusive, we can recruit from anywhere across the nation and globe.”

MCOR co-chair Mary Alice Garza said the group helped the city reach out to a number of organizations and religious groups in Plano to provide an accurate representation of Plano's demographics.

“All four of us [co-chairs] felt very important because that’s what we are about," she said. "We’re trying to find ways to have new residents—particularly, immigrant residents— to learn to participate in their community.

MCOR will hold citizenship workshop for students about how to obtain a visa. For more information about the Plano Multi-Cultural Outreach Roundtable and its programs, call 972-941-7747 or visit www.planomcor.org.