42nd Anniversary Spring Gala

I also want to express my gratitude to our 2022 participants and sponsors. Thank you to all our Honorees for accepting our invitation to be part of our history and supporting the Gala. Gracias. I want to thank the Gala’s Planning Committee for supporting our honorees and our Gala. Their support has been essential in the always stressful work of implementing a successful event. Thank you Círculo’s Board members, staff, colleagues, volunteers and friends for supporting the journal, the raffle and selling tickets. I also want to give a special thanks to Leslie Kringel, Gala Coordinator, as well as Nancy Iglesias, our consultant for the Gala. As always, I want to thank my family for their encouragement. They have helped me to face the many difficulties that I have encountered this past year and over the years. Gracias Sarah Brewster, my partner in work and in life. Gracias por todo, thank you for everything. You continue to inspire me and I enjoy working with you every day. Gracias to my deceased parents, brother, niece and sister-in-law. I miss them. They have always inspired me in my difficult times. I want to thank my three children, Deborah, Daniel and Gil Miguel for their support. They share not only my happy moments but also my challenging ones and they continue to give me encouragement to persevere. I continue to enjoy spending time with my grandchildren, my precious Rebecca, Sofía, Giuliana, Isak, Gabriella and Sebastián. My special thoughts are with Barbara Dubow Bernardino, Co-Founder of Círculo de la Hispanidad. She passed away in August 2021 and is deeply missed. Her contributions to our organization, the Hispanic Community and the community at large, are countless. Without Barbara, the mother of my children, Círculo de la Hispanidad could not have been founded. I am grateful forever!!! You will always be close to my heart.

Message from the Founder & Executive Director Círculo de la Hispanidad Gil Bernardino

This past year has not been without challenges. Certainly, the pandemic has continued to impact our lives in big and small ways.

Our last Gala was in 2019, more than three years ago. During those years we had to face a pandemic – Covid-19 – that brought a lot of tragedy in our county, state and country (1,000,000 deaths). We lost friends and family members, the most vulnerable faced unemployment, hunger and many, many challenges. Certainly, we could not have the Gala. Círculo was able to support those in need, especially immigrants who could not qualify for any relief. We were able to support them through grants and donations to help them pay for rent, utilities and food. Our food pantry, that has been in operation throughout our history, distributed thousands of meals during the pandemic to individuals and families. Thus far, we have been able to sustain programs and we continue to provide important services to clients affected by HIV, mental disabilities, domestic violence, and families with limited resources. The good news is that we have not yet experience significant cuts. We continue to search for alternative funding sources to prepare for difficult times. Evergreen Charter School, funded with the support of Círculo de la Hispanidad, continues to grow. We now serve 850 students from kindergarten to tenth grade. We continue to expand and will serve 975 students this fall from grades kindergarten to eleventh grade. Sadly, we continue to have over 500 students on the waiting list. You may ask why I report the news of Evergreen Charter School in my letter about Círculo. Círculo founded Evergreen. Evergreen would not have existed without Círculo. While we maintain separate boards and funding sources, we celebrate Evergreen’s success as our success. In conclusion, Evergreen’s vision of providing hope and a future for children’s right to an excellent education is the result of the same vision and mission of Círculo de la Hispanidad. Thank you to all Círculo de la Hispanidad supporters, current and past, who in different ways, have impacted the establishment of Evergreen Charter School by supporting our organization. In the name of the many students who are and will benefit throughout the years, gracias. As the Founder and Executive Director, I understand the importance of Círculo’s staff and their contributions through our history. They supported the organization with their daily work and ensured that programs and activities have been implemented in a financially sound manner. Having good evaluations and audits allowed me to keep the dream alive. GRACIAS .

"Cambiar el mundo amigo Sancho, que no es locura ni utopía, sino justicia".

" To change the world my friend Sancho, is not madness nor utopia, it's justice".

A thousand thanks for all participants and sponsors over the years. You have helped us achieve our mission.

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