Finalists For The 21st Don Quijote Awards Announced
The Don Quijote Awards Gala is the premier business and professional recognition event for the Hispanic business community in Central Florida
ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- With less than three weeks left, excitement builds for the 21st Annual Don Quijote Awards, which recognize businesses and individuals committed to excellence and to the development of Central Florida's Hispanic community. Event co-hosts Prospera and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando (HCCMO) have announced the finalists for four categories recognized at the event, along with this year's Lifetime Achievement and Hispanic Community Champion award recipients. The winner of each category will be revealed at the 21st Don Quijote Awards Gala on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at Epcot's World Showplace Pavilion. More information is available at www.donquijoteawards.com.
The 2018 Don Quijote Awards finalists are:
Hispanic Business of the Year, Five Years or Less:
- Carmona Law, owned by Omar Carmona
- Nebbia Technology, owned by Esteban Garcia
- Towers Construction Corp., owned by Oskar Torres
Hispanic Business of the Year, More than Five Years:
- Creaciones D' Lucy & Bridal Shop, owned by Lucy Cavazos
- Orlando Montessori Bilingual Academy, owned by Lucelis Torres
- TS Skin Care, owned by Caroline Yachan
Professional of the Year:
- Vicki Jaramillo, Orlando International Airport
- Maritza Martinez, University of Central Florida
- Dr. Giorgina Pinedo Rolon, City of Orlando
Excellence:
- Yamile Luna, Florida Hospital
- Maria Martinez, Retired, Rollins College
The Hispanic Community Champion and Lifetime Achievement awards recipients are uniquely chosen by the Don Quijote Awards Selection Committee.
Hispanic Community Champion Award
This award is given to a non-Hispanic individual who has led by example in supporting the progress of the Hispanic community in Central Florida. This year's Hispanic Community Champion is Nancy Gidusko, who passed away earlier this year and left a legacy of service, commitment and leadership in Central Florida.
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award recognizes an individual who has made significant and lasting contributions to the development and empowerment of the Hispanic community in Central Florida. This year the honor goes to Janet Perez Eckles. She is an award-winning interpreter, as well as an author, mentor, ministry leader, radio host, and missionary, spreading her empowering message from Central Florida to South America. In addition to thriving in her award-winning career and despite her blindness, Janet has a deep passion and commitment to serve others and help them see the best of life.
"For two decades, Central Florida has embraced the opportunity to highlight the achievements and contributions of Hispanic professionals and entrepreneurs, consistently growing the event alongside the region's Hispanic population," said the 21st Don Quijote Awards Chair Christina Pinto, partner at MPC Wealth Management. "We will make this year's gala the best one yet to raise funds to support the business development and community outreach programs conducted by the Hispanic Chamber and Prospera."
"We are proud to recognize the contributions of these honorees who have made such a profound impact in our community. The Don Quijote Awards give us the opportunity to celebrate these leaders surrounded by the community they serve," said Gaby Ortigoni, president of HCCMO.
"We are excited to once again host this important event alongside the Hispanic Chamber to celebrate the contributions of local Hispanic business owners and professionals. We are proud to present the 2018 Hispanic Community Champion award posthumously to Nancy Gidusko, whom we hold in very high esteem as a past Board of Directors member and ambassador of our mission for many years," said Prospera President & CEO Augusto Sanabria. "In less than three weeks, we will gather at the Don Quijote Awards gala and discover who the winners are among the accomplished finalists announced today."
The Don Quijote Awards are made possible thanks to the support of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, Wells Fargo, Florida Blue, Florida Hospital, Universal Orlando, AARP, Bank of America, Orlando Health, Orlando Magic, JPMorgan Chase, Nemours, Tupperware Brands, Media Source Imagery and Univision Orlando, among others. For more information, please visit www.donquijoteawards.com.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide leadership and support the economic development of the Hispanic business community of Metro Orlando. For 25 years, HCCMO has strengthened the Central Florida business community by providing quality programs through networking, business development, exposure and recognition. For more information, please visit www.hccmo.org or call 407-428-5870.
Prospera is an economic development, nonprofit organization that since 1991 has specialized in providing bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs who want to establish or expand their business. In the last five years alone, Prospera has facilitated over $36 million in loans, trained over 22,700 entrepreneurs, and helped clients create or retain over 14,500 jobs. Its offices are located across Florida's central, south and west coast regions, and in Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information, visit www.prosperausa.org or call 407-428-5872.
SOURCE Prospera
Share this article