Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008

Hispanic Chamber to host banquet

The Merced County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will host its 32nd annual Installation and Awards Banquet on Sept. 5 at the Merced County Fairgrounds.

The chamber said it will honor the following for their contributions to the county:

Man of the Year, Larry Salinas, assistant vice chancellor for governmental relations at UC Merced. The chamber said he's had a long history of volunteer work in Merced and has been a member of the Merced County Hispanic Network;

Woman of the Year, Vicky Ramirez, chief financial officer of the Le Grand Elementary School District. She was recently elected the first Latina president-elect of the Merced County Business and Professionals Women's Organization;

Business of the Year, Travis Credit Union, which partners with the Sun-Star in Newspapers in Education and the Merced Police Activities League. The credit union also sponsors and participates in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, A taste of Livingston and the annual Fall Festival in Merced/Atwater. It also sponsors the county Hispanic chamber's installation banquets.

Member of the Year, Golden Valley Health Centers, which has been in operation more than 35 years. This year it was accredited by the Joint Commission, a benchmark that reflects Golden Valley's reaching certain performance standards. Its Poder Popular has taught leadership and other skills to farm workers in Planada, Le Grand, Dos Palos and Los Banos.

Said Joe Ramirez, Hispanic chamber president, "This is just one of the ways the chamber has the opportunity to recognize and say thank you to individuals and businesses for their positive contributions to the local community."

The Sept. 5 event will begin with a no-host bar at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m.