On Friday night, September 30, a new edition of the Hispanic Heritage Month Gala took place. The Hispanic Media Group’s event that year after year pays a well-deserved tribute to those people who, with their effort and dedication, promote other Hispanics while making Philadelphia a better place with their work.
The Live! Casino & Hotel welcomed Emilio Buitrago, co-founder of Casa de Venezuela; Danilo Burgos, Pennsylvania State Representative; Maria Gonzalez, President and CEO of HACE; Jennifer Rodriguez, President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Daly Blanco, community leader; and Christine Tartaglione, Senator for the 2nd District of Pennsylvania, this year’s honorees.
The Hispanic Heritage Month Gala has become an event of tradition in Philadelphia. Hispanic Media has honored the best of the Latino community in the city and the state of Pennsylvania for the sixth consecutive year, as part of the celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States.
This prestigious gala was sponsored by successful companies such as PECO, Aurora Home Care, HACE, Aetna, Live! Casino & Hotel and El Sol Latino Newspaper, a Spanish-language media outlet that is part of the Hispanic Media publishing group.
Representing these companies were Mayra Bergman, vice president of communications for PECO Exelon Company; Tanya Hall, executive director of community affairs for Aetna; Lola Mananova, executive director of Aurora Home Care; and Ricardo Hurtado, president and CEO of Hispanic Media. All of them addressed the audience.
Also in attendance were important personalities from the “City of Brotherly Love” such as Luz Colón (Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs), Evelyn Núñez (Chief of Schools of the School District of Philadelphia), Elizabeth Ayala (Vice President of Hispanic Community Counseling Services), Bill Ryan (Vice President of Public Affairs and Relations of Einstein Healthcare) and Councilman At-Large David Oh.
Music was provided by Mariachi Villaseñor and the Swing Sabroso orchestra, who were in charge of entertaining this pleasant gathering of the Latino community in Philadelphia.
During the gala, attendees took a moment to remember Philadelphia salsa icon Jesse Bermudez, a member of Siempre Salsa Philly and promoter of Latin artists for four decades, who passed away in September and left an unforgettable legacy on the local music scene.