Community
thanks its champs Keith Matheny -------------------------------------------------------- “There was nothing like that in the Coachella Valley where we could honor those who have contributed to the Hispanic community, regardless of what ethnicity they are,” he said. Hispanics make up almost half of the Coachella Valley’s population, Al Vasquez noted. “It’s no secret we’re here,” he said. The event’s growth has mirrored the Hispanic culture’s increased presence, strength and prominence in the community, Vasquez said. Having “outgrown two locations,” the black-tie awards event was held in a full ballroom at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort on Saturday. Twenty-one honorees received Sol Azteca, or Aztec Sun, awards for their philanthropic, entrepreneurial or other work in the Hispanic community and the community at large. Richard Milanovich, chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, called the Humanitarian Leadership Award he received “very, very meaningful.” “We are brothers and sisters, Native Americans and Mexican Americans,” he said. “We share the same issues, including sometimes the heartbreak of discrimination.” Jackie Lee Houston of Palm Springs said she wasn’t aware of what her charitable activities meant to the local Hispanic community before receiving the Sol Azteca for Philanthropist of the Year. “It’s a great honor,” she said. “(The Hispanic community) is up-and-coming, a lot of great people.” The fact that honorees each year are not necessarily Hispanic “was a hard concept for people to understand at first,” Al Vasquez said. Nine volunteers — whose identities are not disclosed — spend an entire year considering and narrowing candidates. The 21 Sol Azteca recipients Saturday came from an international pool of 212 candidates, Vasquez said. Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, received the Legislator of the Year award. She took the opportunity to deflect praise back at the hundreds in the audience. “There are so many organizations always vying for your time, and you’re always there,” she said. “We have many people in our community who, regardless of their ethnicity or income, are committed to making it a better community for all of us.” Receiving the Publisher of the Year award was Orange County resident Sergio Velazquez. When, in 1975, he could find no publication in the Los Angeles area that catered to its Hispanic community, Velazquez founded his own. Today his “Miniondas” and “Farandula” publications are highly read, and many newspapers now have their own Spanish-language and Hispanic-oriented publications. “Now it’s a business,” he said. “To be named Publisher of the Year is a special honor because there are so many good publications now.” The Rev. Vahac Mardirosian was honored for his work improving education for Hispanics in California. Mardirosian founded the Association of Parents of University Students, a nonprofit organization committed to significantly increasing the number of college graduates from low-income, Hispanic families. “Hispanic families come to this country, to work the hardest jobs for the worst money, in the hope that their children will have a better future,” he said. “We’re working to help every parent of every child know that the future of their children is in their hands.” Among Saturday’s award recipients was Consul Carlos I. Giralt-Cabrales of the Mexican consulate in San Bernardino, serving San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Giralt-Cabrales said his efforts to promote good relations between the United States and his country are not always easy, with increasing tensions over issues such as immigration. “We, the two countries, have a shared future,” he said. “We’re going to stay in the same neighborhood. And I’m convinced we need to work together to resolve the issues that bring us distance and enhance the issues that bring us together.” Dorys America Halftermyer, a Nicaraguan-born advocate for human rights and equality, received a Sol Azteca as a South American Goodwill Ambassador. Halftermyer has strong ties to the Coachella Valley, including having served as president of the Desert Hot Springs Rotary Club. Halftermyer urged audience members to work to promote the rights and equality of all citizens throughout the world, especially women — “the hands that rock the cradle of humanity.” The International Hispanic Awards show the best of what the Hispanic community offers locally, and positive examples of how the entire community, Hispanic and non-Hispanic, works together, Vasquez said. “It’s a way to really reinforce a positive image and to help bridge two cultures,” he said. |
Some recipients of the 10th Annual Hispanic Awards (from left) Jackie Lee Houston, Richard Milanovich, Bonnie Garcia and Sergio Velazquez at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort in Indian Wells. 2006 SOL AZTECA WINNERS: Humanitarian Leadership
Award Richard Milanovich, chairman, Agua Caliente Band of
Cahuilla Indians. The award notes efforts to stimulate the local
economy through important capital projects while allowing the tribe
to develop self-sufficiency through education, cultural preservation,
housing and health care programs. OTHER HONOREES Carlos I. Giralt-Cabrales,
Consul of Mexico for San Bernardino and Riverside counties |
