The theme
for this year's Gala was "Illuminating Identity" and there
were plenty of people who shined on November 18 at the Holy Redeemer
Center in Oakland, CA. The
annual gala celebrates new Americans and the work that
AnewAmerica and others have done in helping to further the
endeavor.
This
celebration of entrepreneurship, community and culture included
keynote speaker Oakland Mayor, Jerry Brown. Other speakers were Ana Chretien, Board Member and Gala Chair, and Maria Gallo, of
Union Bank, the gala corporate leading sponsor this year. Maria Leticia Gomez, news anchor, Noticias Univision
14 was the Emcee.
Heartfelt
thanks to our event sponsors this year: Union Bank, O.O. & L.E. Orrick
Family Foundation, Anthony LaFetra, RBC Dain Rausher Corporation,
Washington Mutual, Cathay Bank Foundation, Citibank (West), ABC Security
Service Inc., Bank of the West, California State University-Hayward,
Comerica Bank, Port of Oakland, and Wells Fargo.
Every year at the
gala AnewAmerica recognizes amazing individuals in
government and the business community who have greatly contributed to the
well-being of low-income and minority new Americans in the area.
This year's recipients of the AnewAmerica Angel Award included Alameda
County District 3 Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker; Vice President of
Corporate Giving of Washington Mutual Foundation, Antonio Manning and
Chief of the Microenterprise Development Branch of the U.S. Small
Business Administration, Jody Raskind. Also
acknowledged as volunteer of the year was Sandeep Puri.
The event also
featured a microbusiness exposition where entrepreneurs in our program
showcased their new or expanded businesses strengthened by AnewAmerica's
services. Our special guest
this year was our new project partner,
Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association, (ALBA).
Farmer entrepreneurs displayed their organic produce and sustainable
agricultural model. ALBA farmers and AnewAmerica's entrepreneurs
are working together to develop the Green Market project this year.
Kudos to
microbusinesses who exhibited their innovative products:
Julio Leiva, Memorias (Personalized Handmade Books)
Lourdes Rodriguez, Lourdes' Linens
Carlos Rodriguez, Tiger's Auto Body
Fernando Guerra & Jesus Lopez, CIMA Custom Cabinets & Best
Furniture
Julio Lopez, Centurion Marble & Granite
Bernina Contreras, Gaby's Cakes
Adriana Moreno, Adriana's Crafts & Things
The
delicious food prepared for the gala was coordinated by
AnewAmerica's Food Incubator project consultants Andrea Baker and Chely Romero.
This catering production was part of the experiential training for
food incubator entrepreneurs: Mariela Alfaro, Adriana Moreno, Bernina Contreras, Cecila Lopez, Juana
Flores and Maria Jimenez.
Photography services were donated by AnewAmerica's entrepreneur, Ana
Vilanova of Sparks of History Photography and Carlos Marambio who will
be launching his photography business this year.
Our 300
guests were entertained with Vietnamese
music by Vu Hong Thinh, Brazilian music and dancing
by Fogo Na Roapa and Afro-Cuban music and dancing by Grupo Proyecto Folklorico.
A million
thanks to our volunteers and everyone who helped to make Gala 2004 a
success!
To our
guests, thank you for your support. Together we are building a
new America!
We hope to
see you all next year!
