An exciting evening of inspiring award recipients, cultural entertainment, glamorous red carpet arrival, silent auction and grand raffle, and an elegant banquet helped the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) raise nearly $200,000 at the nonprofit organization’s 2018 Awards Gala in Cambridge on April 28th. Click here to check out our 2018 Awards Gala page
The MAPS 2018 Awards Gala was once more sponsored at the highest level by Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees Apres Management Group (Serpa family), Cafua Management Group (Cafua family), Couto Management Group (Couto family) and Riverside Management Group (Carvalho and Rodrigues families), who were joined this year by a new Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee, the Sardinha Family Trust, represented by Fernando Sardinha.
From its “paparazzi”-lined Red Carpet to its awards ceremony, the black-tie-optional Gala was a festive evening punctuated with entertainment from the Portuguese-speaking world. Distinguished guests, including the Boston area Consuls of Brazil, Cabo Verde and Portugal, members of the extended MAPS “family” and supporters from the business and professional communities, were greeted by the warm rhythms and sounds of Brazil, Portugal and Cabo Verde performed by local band Spencer & Band, as they took their seats for dinner in the elegant Royal Sonesta Hotel’s ballroom.
Executive Director Paulo Pinto and Board President Paula Coutinho congratulated all the honorees and gave special thanks to all the staff, Board members, business sponsors, media sponsors, advertisers, donors, guests and entertainers who made the Gala a great success.
“I see our sponsors and generous donors here tonight, many of whom are immigrants or children of immigrants, who share with MAPS the fruits of their hard work and success so that we can help others build a better life free from violence, abuse, neglect, loneliness, depression and poverty,” said Pinto. “I hope that you too feel inspired and that this inspiration continues to motivate us to make this world a better place – it’s within our reach. We all can volunteer, make a donation, small or large, be kind and helpful to others, vote, run for office, use our success to create opportunities for others – and guess what, we are already doing it. So please, let us continue to spread this inspiration.”
Following the Awards ceremony, guests got to show off their dance moves at the Gala’s after party that ran until midnight under the command of award-winning DJ Melo and the rest of the Melo Musik team.
MAPS 2018 Person of the Year: António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
MAPS presented its Person of the Year Award to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in recognition of his outstanding diplomatic and political career and his life of dedication to immigrant and refugee rights and dignity. Secretary-General Guterres was represented at the event by Miguel de Serpa Soares, the UnitedNations Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs.
In a recorded video message, the Secretary-General greeted the more than 420 community and business leaders and public dignitaries who attended the event, and thanked MAPS for the recognition.
“Many people, particularly those who need it the most, have benefited from the support and advice that MAPS provides, which makes a difference in the lives of so many people”, said Guterres. “MAPS’ support contributes as well to the integration of many members of the immigrant Portuguese-speaking communities in American society. Therefore, I want to commend the admirable work carried out by MAPS and leave a message of support so that they carry on with their work, which clearly shows that we can transform, for the better, the communities in which we live.”
MAPS 2018 Manuel N. Coutinho Outstanding Volunteer Award: Regina Rodrigues, MAPS Volunteer
Regina Rodrigues, a Brazilian-American who has volunteered for many years with the MAPS HIV/ STI Services, was awarded the MAPS Manuel N. Coutinho Oustanding Volunteer Award. For eight years, Regina has volunteered her time to collaborate with MAPS Health Educators in providing outreach, free HIV/STI testing, and information about the program to the hundreds of clients she interacts with at the Boston nightclub where she works.
“I want to thank MAPS for this recognition, and for giving me the opportunity to help our community,” said an emotional Regina, as she received her award.
MAPS 2018 Álvaro Lima Outstanding Business Award: Fernando Castro, owner of Income Tax Plus
Fernando Castro, the Brazilian owner of Framingham-based Income Tax Plus, Inc., was honored with the MAPS Alvaro Lima Outstanding Business Award. A perfect representative of the immigrant success story, the generous philanthropist and supporter of several community-based organizations is also a co-founding member of Digaaí, a cultural space in Boston dedicated to preserving and promoting Brazilian culture.
“I want to tell the younger people here tonight that you can make all the money in the world, but that money is only worth something when you give back to the community,” said Castro, recalling his own immigrant experience and the challenges he had to overcome. “When people say to you that they don’t believe that immigrants pay their taxes, ask them to talk to me,” he joked.
MAPS 2018 Mary & Manuel Rogers Lifetime Community Service Award: Osvalda Rodrigues, MA, Former MAPS Program Director
Osvalda Rodrigues, MA, a Portuguese immigrant from São Miguel, Azores, received the MAPS Mary & Manuel Rogers Lifetime Community Service Award, in recognition of the 13 years of outstanding work with MAPS as a Director of several of the organization’s programs, and her deep commitment to helping the Portuguese-speaking communities. She was also instrumental in growing both Family Support and Domestic Violence services at MAPS, and she was responsible for adding much-needed Sexual Assault services as well—creating the state’s only linguistically and culturally competent, dual Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault program serving an immigrant community.
“I am happy, humbled and honored to receive this award tonight,” said Rodrigues. “I want to give a big salute to all the other award recipients this evening. Each one of them has made an incredible contribution to our communities, and we are very proud of that. I’m proud and happy to say that I am part of the MAPS family.”
MAPS 2018 Jorge Fidalgo Community Service Award: Dr. Lourenço Garcia, Principal of the Revere High School
The MAPS Jorge Fidalgo Community Service Award was presented to Doctor Lourenço Garcia, Principal of the Revere High School. Since taking over as Principal, Garcia led Revere High School’s transformation from a good school that the state called “low-performing,” to one that won national educational awards—including the 2014 High School Gold Award from the National Center for Urban School Transformation, a Silver ranking from U.S. News and World report’s survey of best U.S. high schools, and more.
A Cabo-Verdean immigrant himself, from the island of Fogo, Garcia reminded the audience that “no human being is illegal.” Invoking Jorge Fidalgo’s dedication to immigrant rights and the Portuguese-speaking community, Garcia noted that “there is one thing that defines all of us immigrants – it’s called ‘resilience’. We never give up.”