The MAPS Awards Gala celebrates the many successes of our communities and honors individuals or organizations who greatly contribute to the empowerment of Portuguese speakers and others in Massachusetts.
Our Annual Awards Gala is our main fundraising event. With the generous support of great businesses and organizations who sponsor it, every year we host a wonderful evening filled with lively musical performances, a red-carpet cocktail reception, delicious food and, most of all, inspiring stories and words of community engagement and dedication.
MAPS Awards:
The MAPS Jorge Fidalgo Community Service Award is presented to someone who has demonstrated by his or her actions a strong commitment to the social, educational, cultural and political welfare of the various Portuguese-speaking communities in the Greater Boston area. In 2001, the year of his untimely death, MAPS Board of Directors voted to name the annual Community Service Awards in honor of Jorge Fidalgo, a distinguished member of Boston’s Cabo Verdean community.
The MAPS Mary & Manuel Rogers Lifetime Community Service Award is presented to the individual who best exemplifies the spirit of lifetime service to the Portuguese-speaking communities that Mary & Manuel Rogers demonstrated throughout their lives. The late Mr. Rogers was a longtime Cambridge resident, owner of the Rogers Funeral Home and a steadfast community benefactor. His wife, Mary, son Manuel Rogers Jr. and their family have continued that tradition throughout their lives as well.
The MAPS Manuel N. Coutinho Outstanding Volunteer Award is presented to individuals who follow the outstanding example of the late Manuel N. Coutinho, Volunteer Citizenship Teacher, in unselfishly volunteering time and energy on behalf of the Portuguese-speaking communities of eastern Massachusetts. Mr. Coutinho helped prepare Portuguese speakers and other immigrants for American citizenship at MAPS from 1969 until 2002, as well as volunteering for many other community groups.
The MAPS Álvaro Lima Outstanding Business Award honors businesses that, through their own regular activities or by supporting others’ initiatives, have made the lives of the Portuguese-speaking communities easier. The award is named after Álvaro Lima, the Director of Research at the Boston Redevelopment Authority, who was chosen for his longstanding commitment to help small businesses thrive in the greater Boston area.
The MAPS Person of the Year Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to helping MAPS and the communities we serve. It is the highest honor bestowed by the agency each year.