| The March of Dimes National Capital Area Chapter will honor three individuals for their service to the Latino community during the fourth annual Celebrando el Espíritu Latino (Celebrating the Latino Spirit) on Friday, October 20, in Washington, D.C.
The event is a fundraiser for the March of Dimes. Proceeds from the evening will support local programs of research, community services, education and advocacy to reduce the occurrence of birth defects and premature birth.
The three honorees are Aldo Avanzini, consultant, Accenture; Ted Loza, chief of staff to D.C. Council member Jim Graham; and Gloria Rodriguez, president and CEO, Comunicad, Inc./MAPA Communications.
The 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient will be announced during the event.
Teresa Rodriguez, co-host of Univision’s prime-time newsmagazine program “Aquí y Ahora,” will serve as mistress of ceremonies. The Palenke Music Company will perform at the event, courtesy of the CALPRO Group.
The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Hilton Washington Embassy Row, 2015 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. The program includes testimonials, live and silent auctions, dinner and live entertainment. Individual tickets are $150; tables of 10 begin at $2,500. To purchase tickets and tables online, go to www.marchofdimes.com/metrodc. For more information, call (703) 824-0111, ext. 19.
Presenting sponsors are Mariano Claudio/Pinnacle Financial Corporation and DC Latino. Corporate sponsors include American Airlines, BB&T, Citibank, Vista Magazine and the Washington Post. Media sponsors include El Tiempo Latino, Washington Post Radio, WFDC-TV (Univision), WLZL-FM (El Zol) and WTOP Radio.
Local programs funded by the March of Dimes include the March of Dimes/Mary’s Center Mama & Baby Bus, which provides free prenatal and dental care to pregnant women in wards 1, 2, 4 and 5 in Washington, D.C. The bus operates with a grant from the March of Dimes National Capital Area Chapter in partnership with Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish-language Web site at nacersano.org.
### |
