Latino Learning Center 40th Anniversary Humanitarian Awards Ceremony “Inaugural Legacy Awards Barbara Bush”

It was my honor to be invited by Angelo Ferrari and Larry Smith of Beviamo International to the 40th Anniversary of the Latino Learning Center in Houston.

During the luncheon, Humanitarian Awards were presented to leaders from across the city in honor of their philanthropic service. We congratulate the Latino Learning Center on its 40th Anniversary serving the Houston community and all of the award recipients for their selfless acts of kindness and generosity. The individuals who made this celebration possible are:

Master of Ceremony Awards: Mr. Hector Villarreal
Chairs – Humanitarian Awards: Mr. George Strake Jr. & Annette Strake
Co-Chair – Humanitarian Awards: Lawyer Raed Gonzales Oliviri

To open the program, the Pledge of Allegiance was led by the Commissioner of Precinct 2, Adrian Garcia. Speakers included Mr. Mitchel M. Contreras, 1st Vice Chairman of the Board of the LLC and Mr. Rodolfo Gonzales, President and CEO of the LLC.  During the program, the U.S. National Anthem and classical favorites such as,” Be My Love,” “Granada,” and “Nessun Dorma” were performed by internationally acclaimed tenor Angelo Ferrari, accompanied by pianist Shawn Heller.

There were10 categories of awards presented during the luncheon.  The following four are examples of the generosity and philanthropy of the recipients.

• Philanthropic in Education
Dr. Juan Sanchez Munoz, President and CEO, UH Downtown
Fr.  Jeff Johnson S.J., President, Strake Jesuit Preparatory

• Young Philanthropist
Ben Shamoelian, President, River Oaks Plant House
JJ Watt, Houston Texans
Elisa Garnica, Marketing and Promotions Manager

• Humanitarian Action in the Community
Richard S. Figueroa, SVP, UBS Financial Services
Rodney Ellis, Commissioner, Precinct 1
Cesar Rodriquez, Owner, Doneraki’s

• Special Recognition “Helping Hands”  Barbara BushDavid Loving, President and General Manager, Univision 
Roderick Brown, General Manager, UPS Houston Region

International Focus congratulates the Latino Learning Center and the recipients of the Humanitarian Awards. We wish them another 40 successful years!

For more information go to www.latinolearningcenter.org.

By: Heidi Powell, International Focus Magazine “Seen on the Scene”