This Saturday’s UMOS Hispanic Awards Banquet is one of the premiere annual events in the state of Wisconsin honoring the contributions of Wisconsin Latinos to their communities.
“This will be the 38th annual Hispanic Awards Banquet,” Rod Ritcherson, Special Assistant to the President of UMOS, tells Madison365. “We’re very excited about it. This is considered one of the premiere events in Milwaukee.”
United Migrant Opportunity Services(UMOS) is the largest Hispanic-managed nonprofit in the state of Wisconsin. Their annual Hispanic Awards Banquet will be held Saturday, Oct. 20 at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, 1721 W. Canal Street in Milwaukee. Reception starts at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:15 p.m., and the awards program at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s an event that will have many elected officials, community leaders, civic leaders, and corporate executives, as well as other CEOs from other non-profit organizations,” Ritcherson says. “Many of the people will be from Milwaukee but also [from] Madison and all around the state.”
“This really gives everyone a chance to meet and greet and network and take care of some business but also see those who are being honored from around the state. It’s also a chance to enjoy a nice show.”
After a statewide search for nominations that lasted months, UMOS has determined that the following awards will be presented at the annual Hispanic Awards Banquet on Saturday: The UMOS Hispanic Man of the Year will be presented to Milwaukee Alderman Jose Perez, the Hispanic Woman of the Year to Vanessa Vasquez, the UMOS Hispanic Youth of the Year to Valentina Loeder and the UMOS Hispanic Family of the Year to Pedro, Sayra, and Isabella Albiter.
“Each year we are delighted about the caliber of the folks who have been selected to be honored in that they have made great contributions within the communities that they live and work,” Ritcherson says.
UMOS, a non-profit advocacy organization based out of Milwaukee, provides programs and services which improve the employment, educational, health and housing opportunities of under-served populations. Last month, the Green Bay Packers honored UMOS President and CEO Lupe Martinez before the Packers-Vikings game as the recipient of the annual NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award.
“Everything has been going really well with UMOS. We are very fortunate to have the reputation of being a performance-based, data-driven, customer-focused organization and that helps us as we try to secure funding, not only throughout Wisconsin but at the federal level, as well,” Ritcherson says. “We were just awarded an $800,000 grant from the Federal Department of Justice to provide legal assistance for victims of sexual assault … which is very timely.”
There are still some tickets available for the annual UMOS Hispanic Awards Banquet.
“As one who’s on the inside helping to put together this show every year, my favorite part is learning about the award recipients and how unique each one of them is and has been throughout the years,” Ritcherson says. “Since I am the one who writes their bios in the program books and do the videos that are shown that night, I really get a chance to get peak inside to find out not only what the award winners have done, but who they really are.
“For me, I’ve been really fascinated every single year over the past 20-plus years that I have done this,” he adds. “I am always impressed every year as far as the dedication and devotion that each of the individuals and families devote back to their communities.”
For ticket information about the UMOS Hispanic Awards Banquet, go online here or call Carmen Lerman at (414)389-6002.
