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Forum honors leaders(The Eagle Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 20--The Hispanic Forum of Bryan-College Station recognized businesses, community leaders and students Saturday night during a fundraising gala and awards ceremony at the Brazos Center in Bryan. The top awards included Hispanic Business of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Hispanic Person of the Year and Student of the Year. Marie Portales Rodriguez, the host for the event, said the mission of the forum was to unify residents and address social, educational and political issues that affect Hispanics in the area. Lifetime Bryan resident Gabriel Garcia was presented the Hispanic Business of the Year award. Garcia owns Traditions Oil and Lube and Texas Oil and Lube in Bryan. With the success of his businesses, he has been able to donate to many local organizations, Rodriguez said. "I'm very humbled and appreciative," Garcia said, noting the effort it takes to maintain a healthy business. "Just the thought and recognition, I love this community. I am very happy." Puerto Rico native Jose Antonio Caraballo, also known by his radio name, "El Maestro," won the Hispanic Person of the Year award. Caraballo is a Spanish teacher at Texas A&M University and DJs for 1620 AM's Radio Alegria. "There are no words to describe this," he said. "It's due to the influence of so many professors, students and the community." Twenty-five individual student scholarships were handed out, Hispanic Forum President Carlos Medina said, the smallest of which was $1,000. "We really are working to give the children an opportunity to grow," he said, and members from the forum will work to stay in touch with the students to monitor their success. "We're able to give back now, get our name out there and get the Hispanics to go vote." Myrna Limon, an aspiring bilingual elementary teacher and soon-to-be freshman at Texas A&M University, was awarded Student of the Year. Limon said she was raised in a low-income household and wanted to go to college to make her parents proud. "I was counting on this," she said of her $5,000 scholarship and award. "Now I don't have to worry about paying $5,000 for school anymore." Lifetime Bryan resident Eddie Rodriguez, 65, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts to improve conditions for Latinos and for the community. Rodriguez has worked with the National League of United Latin American Citizens to encourage motion picture studios to make Latinos more visible in the mainstream media, helped increase membership in that organization from 1,500 to 3,500 youths and served as a national coordinator for the Jesse Jackson presidential campaign. Rodriguez also helped raise thousands of dollars to support the Hispanic community. "It was a pleasure for me to do what I had to do," he said, tears welling in his eyes as he thanked his wife. "I'm a little bit older now, but I'm still there to help people." Hispanic Forum spokeswoman Irma Pineda said last year's event raised $30,000. Proceeds from the event will go toward scholarships for Bryan and A&M Consolidated high school students. --Cassie Smith's e-mail address is [email protected]. To see more of The Eagle or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theeagle.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Eagle, Bryan, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |