ALMA winter salsa has dancing, awards

The Association of Latinos/as Motivating Action held a second annual winter salsa on March 23 (after being postponed earlier this year because of weather) at Chicago’s Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center.

Delicious tacos and an open bar kicked things off in the welcoming space for the five hour party. DJ X-Tasy and DJ OCD provided the tunes before announcements and the award ceremony began. Comcast funded the mixer as a major sponsor and a 50/50 raffle helped raise money for the organization.

ALMA’s 2018 Community Awards were handed out by board president Julio Rodriguez, with a short speech from each of the award winners. He stressed the importance of ALMA celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019 and spoke of the humble beginnings with four men banding together to form the original group.

Jessica Carillo-Guerrero was given the Individual Community Award for her outstanding work in building community and celebrating the Latinx spirit.

Vives Q, described as “a series of events aimed at encouraging intergenerational dialogue,” was honored by taking home the ALMA Spirit Community Service Award. The founder of Vives Q, Emmanuel Garcia, was mentioned but was not in attendance.

The ALMA Spirit Corporate Partner Award went to Molson Coors Brewing Company for investing in the community. The award was accepted by representative Justin Bedi.

Members of the associate board spoke of the political climate and plans for the future.

The night ended with a live band playing tropical salsa music and dancing from the crowd.

Visit AlmaChicago.org for upcoming events and more information on the organization.