The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) will honor Gilda M. Nogueira, President and CEO of the East Cambridge Savings Bank, with the MAPS 2022 Person of the Year Award at the organization’s April 9, 2022, fundraising gala at the Boston Marriott Hotel, in Cambridge, MA. Julia Evora, former MAPS Senior Center Coordinator, will receive the Jorge Fidalgo Community Service Award, and Debora Guimaraes, founder of the Share Your Love Foundation, will be honored with the Manuel Coutinho Outstanding Volunteer Award.
A longtime supporter of MAPS and many other community organizations, Portuguese-American Gilda M. Nogueira is a perfect example of outstanding success among the immigrant community and of strong leadership in a typically male-dominated sector. Her career in the Cambridge community-based bank started in 1978 as a teller while still in high school. Since then, the immigrant from São Miguel, Azores, has become the institution’s President and CEO, all while taking on other important roles in several statewide and national banking industry organizations.
“Gilda is a great friend of MAPS and the Portuguese-speaking community, especially in the Cambridge area,” said Paulo Pinto, MPA, MAPS Executive Director. “Not only has she built a very impressive career as an outstanding immigrant community business leader and role model, but she is also a passionate and vocal supporter of the importance of businesses giving back to the communities to which they belong. Her MAPS Award is long overdue, and we couldn’t be happier to honor her as our 2022 Person of the Year.”
Cape Verdean-American Julia Evora will receive the Jorge Fidalgo Community Service Award. She is a beloved member of the MAPS family, having worked as the coordinator of the health and social services organization’s Cambridge Senior Center for 11 years until 2018 when she decided to pursue her love of cooking and start her own catering business. She frequently donates meals to people dealing with homelessness in Boston, and remains a familiar face at MAPS, visiting her dear seniors often and delighting them with her home-cooked treats.
“We are so happy to honor Julia for her many years of loving and dedicated service to so many Portuguese-speaking older adults who attend our Senior Center,” said Pinto. “It is always so heartwarming to see them react with so much joy whenever she visits them now, which is a testament to the great impact that Julia’s compassion, empathy, and commitment made in their lives during her time at MAPS.”
Brazilian-American Debora Guimaraes will be honored with the Manuel Coutinho Outstanding Volunteer Award. She is the founder of the Share Your Love Foundation, a non-profit organization created in 2014 to provide support to families living below the poverty line in Brazil that has since expanded to include the Inspire Aspire Youth Program, an initiative providing guidance and support to youth in Boston seeking post-secondary education and their parents.
“Debora and her team have created a wonderful organization providing such critically needed services in Brazil, but also right here in Massachusetts, which in itself is a great accomplishment worthy of recognition,” said Paulo Pinto. “To achieve all of this as a volunteer is simply outstanding, and we are proud to honor her in April of next year for her dedication to serving our communities.”
The Annual Awards Gala is MAPS’ main fundraiser and supports all of the organization’s many free health and social services. To learn more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, please contact Andrew Carten, MAPS Development Manager, at acarten@maps-inc.org, or by calling 617-864-7600.