Boston, MA – Far from the typical sit-down fundraiser, ¡Cultura Viva! the annual gala of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) will take guests on a Latin American dream vacation without leaving Boston.
Taking place at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts on April 10, 2010, guests will receive a «passport» to a lively Latin American fiesta of music, dance, art and cuisine. Featuring La Timbistica, an All-Star Latin band composed of Berklee College of Music’s top young musicians, as well as performances by IBA’s own Las Pleneras de la Villa, a folkloric elders dance troupe and youth from the IBA-Cacique Youth Learning Center, this is sure to be a great event, while raising critical funds for IBA’s arts and educational programming!
Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, IBA’s Chief Executive Officer said, «We are so excited about ¡Cultura Viva! We can’t wait to celebrate with our friends and neighbors, build upon this year’s successes and raise funds that will help us make a deep impact upon the lives of families in need as we improve the neighborhood.»
The past year has been an exciting one for IBA as: Calderón-Rosado was named a Barr Foundation Fellow, honoring twelve of the most gifted and experienced non-profit leaders in the Boston area; the organization launched StreetSafe Boston, funded by The Boston Foundation, to prevent youth violence among proven risk youth; and IBA expanded its GED program and partnership with Bunker Hill Community College to Lower Roxbury with support from the Hyams Foundation’s Teen Futures Initiative.
During this troubling economic climate, money raised through the gala specifically will help IBA continue to offer high-quality programming and services that: educate more than 80 children through our bilingual preschool; employ 50 teens during the summer and 40 during the school year through a youth development program serving 175 youth annually; empower more than 70 elders with basic needs, social and recreational programming; educate more than 100 participants through our partnership with Bunker Hill Community College; and provide arts and cultural programming to thousands through Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, including The Tito Puente Latin Music Series, free outdoor concerts offered in partnership with the City of Boston ParkArts and Berklee College of Music.
With a small amount of tickets still remaining, guests attending ¡Cultura Viva! will support arts and educational programming that benefits families of Villa Victoria, the broader South End/Lower Roxbury neighborhood and the city as a whole. In addition to the food and entertainment, IBA will honor Latinos (through the Jorge Hernández Leadership Awards) who have made significant contributions in four areas: civic, corporate, artistic and Villa Victoria community founder.
