Rising with Dignity

Acacia Network is pleased to invite you to our Annual Gala on Thursday, October 6, 2022 from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm, at The New York Hilton Midtown Hotel, located at 1335 6th Avenue in New York City.


This year's theme – Still, We Rise – is a salute to the resilience and strength of our communities, who continue to rise with dignity, even while facing the toughest challenges.


Join us for an evening of inspiration, community, and celebration!

PURCHASE TICKETS

Our Mistress of Ceremonies

Our emcee for the evening will be Erin Billups, National Health Reporter for Spectrum News and host of “Exploring Your Health,” a new initiative that will take a deeper dive into major health issues affecting Americans.

Erin Billups

Spectrum News National Health Reporter


Erin Billups has been reporting on health for Spectrum News since 2013. She’s covered a wide range of topics, from the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act to innovations in treatment for diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer. Erin’s coverage regularly highlights public policy responses to health epidemics and widening disparities in access to care.


Erin has held several roles with Spectrum Networks. She hosted Spectrum News NY1’s weekly health program, "City Health Beat," for two years. She was the first reporter stationed at Spectrum’s Washington D.C. Bureau, which launched in July 2011. Before working for NY1, Erin was the political reporter for Spectrum News’ Capital Tonight in Upstate New York. She began her career with Spectrum News as the morning reporter in Albany. Prior to that, she was a general assignment reporter in Elmira-Corning at the ABC affiliate WENY-TV, where she also covered the health beat.

 

Originally from Hollis, Queens, Erin was raised by her mother and grandmother, who was an emergency department nurse. Health and nutrition were regularly a focus of family conversation and a large part of why she chose to pursue the health beat. Erin is a graduate of the State University at Albany. She lives in New York City with her husband and their two children.

Our Musical Guest

Attention Latin Jazz lovers! Our musical guest this year will be Papo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours, led by trombonist, composer, and NEA Master Artist Papo Vázquez

Papo Vázquez


Born in Philadelphia, PA, Papo Vázquez is a GRAMMY-nominated trombonist, composer, arranger, and NEA Master Artist with a career spanning 40+ years.


Vázquez was deeply moved by jazz at a young age. Although his young formative years were spent in Puerto Rico, he moved to New York City at the age of 17, where he recorded and performed with top artists in the Salsa music scene, such as The Fania All-Stars, Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Eddie Palmieri, Larry Harlow, and Héctor Lavoe.


Vázquez became a key player in NYC’s burgeoning Latin jazz scene of the late 1970's, and went on to perform and/or record with jazz luminaries Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, Ray Charles, Slide Hampton’s World of Trombones, Jerry González & The Fort Apache Band, among others.


Today, Vázquez is a key figure in the Jazz, Latin, and Afro Caribbean music scenes. His appreciation and knowledge of the indigenous music of the Caribbean provides him with a unique ability to fuse Afro-Caribbean rhythms with freer melodic and harmonic elements of progressive jazz.

Our 2022 Awardees

Acacia Network's Annual Gala celebrates our longstanding history and commitment to our communities, while honoring extraordinary champions and partners who have made a lasting impact on our mission and those we serve.


Among other critical initiatives, this year we will highlight the robust humanitarian and relief efforts that took place in Puerto Rico after Hurricane María, as well as the transformative efforts in the City of Buffalo in the wake of the mass shooting that claimed the lives of ten African American community members. We will also celebrate Second Chances, featuring individuals who have reclaimed their lives post-incarceration thanks to Acacia.


Our honorees this year are:

Byron W. Brown, Mayor of Buffalo

Transformative Leadership Award


We are proud to present Mayor Brown with our Transformative Leadership Award, in recognition of his longstanding commitment and public service to advance the wellbeing of underserved communities in the City of Buffalo, with special acknowledgement of his commendable efforts following the mass shooting at Tops Supermarket.


Byron W. Brown is Buffalo’s 62nd mayor and is the first Black mayor in the city’s history. He began his term in 2006 and, in addition to being Buffalo’s first Black mayor, he is also its longest serving chief executive. Over the course of his tenure he has successfully led Buffalo through a renaissance that has generated over $8 billion dollars in economic development investment, achieved record low-unemployment, demolished nearly 8,000 abandoned and dilapidated houses, improved the City’s credit rating, oversaw the construction of 4,000 units of affordable housing, streamlined city government, launched Buffalo’s first residential lead water-service line replacement program, and invested over $100 million in city parks, playgrounds, and green spaces in historically underserved neighborhoods.


Mayor Brown was first elected to the Buffalo Common Council in 1996 and remained a Councilmember until being elected to the New York State Senate to represent Buffalo at the State Capital in 2001. In addition to his leadership roles in Buffalo, Brown served as the chair of the New York State Democratic Party from 2016 through 2018, and he is currently the Treasurer of the African American Mayors Association.

Hispanic Federation

Orgullo Nuestro Award


We are proud to present the Hispanic Federation with our Orgullo Nuestro Award, in recognition of their invaluable contributions to Latinos at the national level, and their humanitarian efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Accepting on their behalf will be Frankie Miranda, President & CEO of HF. 


Hispanic Federation is the nation’s premier Latino nonprofit membership organization. Founded in 1990, HF seeks to empower and advance the Hispanic community, support Hispanic families, and strengthen Latino institutions through work in the areas of education, health, immigration, civic engagement, economic empowerment, and the environment.


Hispanic Federation serves as a national model for Latino social, political, and economic empowerment. With a strong presence in New York, Florida, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and other key states throughout the U.S., HF works to uplift millions of Hispanic children, youth, and families across the country. In addition, our Washington, DC office gives HF a true national advocacy presence. HF works locally, state-wide, and nationally to strengthen Latino nonprofits, promote public policy advocacy, and bring to scale a portfolio of innovative community programs.

Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham

Government Leadership Award


Acacia Network is thrilled to present OASAS Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham with our 2022 Government Leadership Award, in recognition of her longstanding commitment and public service to advance the wellbeing of underserved communities across New York State.


Dr. Cunningham is a physician, researcher, and public health professional who brings over 20 years of expertise in substance use treatment to OASAS. Prior to joining OASAS, she served as the Executive Deputy Commissioner of Mental Hygiene at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, was a practicing physician at Montefiore Health System, and a Professor of Medicine, Family and Social Medicine, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.


Dr. Cunningham has more than 20 years' experience in research, care, and program-development that focuses on people who use drugs. She has also partnered with community-based organizations to develop pioneering programs to promote the health of this population. Dr. Cunningham led one of the first clinics in New York City to integrate buprenorphine into primary care. She has trained hundreds of doctors to treat substance use disorders in primary care. She has also led several research studies and published numerous research articles that focus on treating substance use disorders.

Support the Acacia Network Annual Gala
Funds raised through the Acacia Network Annual Gala support a wide array of programs and initiatives in the areas of health, housing, social services, economic development, and cultural revitalization. Become an Acacia Ally today!

Ways to Give:

ONLINE: Purchase your tickets online by CLICKING HERE!

TEXT TO GIVE: Simply text the code WERISE22 to 44-321

CONTACT US:
To learn more about our sponsorship packages and ticket pricing, please reach out to:

Julia Jones
300 East 175th Street, Bronx, New York 10457
T: (347) 649-3291 | jjones@promesa.org
DONATE NOW
Photo Gallery: Acacia Network Annual Gala 2021
About Acacia Network
For over 50 years, Acacia Network and its affiliates have been committed to improving the quality-of-life and wellbeing of underserved Latino communities by providing access to integrated health and housing programs, and by reinvesting in communities through innovative programming, employment opportunities and affordable housing ownership, among other initiatives. Acacia Network’s offices are located in New York City, Buffalo, Albany, and Syracuse in New York State, as well as Florida, Maryland, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Connecticut, and Puerto Rico. Acacia Network’s extensive array of community-based services are fully integrated, bilingual and culturally competent, while ensuring easy access and actively incorporating consumer and community level input. For more information, visit: www.acacianetwork.org
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