Posted on October 27, 2009
This past Saturday, the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce held its 21st Annual Gala and the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale, New York. The LIHCC is a non-profit organization founded in 1988. Its mission is to serve the Hispanic business communities of Nassau and Suffolk Counties by advancing and enhancing their business interests. It is the goal of the LIHCC to provide its members with professional development workshops, resource materials, a constant stream of warm leads, company name exposure, and networking opportunities that will help them grow their businesses.
Although the focus of the LIHCC is to serve the Hispanic business community on Long Island, it is an organization with a varied membership. What drew me to the LIHCC was the fact that it is an organization built on inclusiveness rather than one of exclusivity. You will find active members from a variety of backgrounds working together towards a common goal and that’s one of the things Silke and I love about the LIHCC. Plus, they’re really cool people……and we’re all about being around really cool people.
Our first contact with the LIHCC was at last year’s 20th Annual Gala, which was a great event. The 21st Annual Gala was an even better one. These Galas are big fundraisers with many items offered at auction and raffled off to raise money. There were some really nice sports memorabilia items being offered along with some beautiful jewelry and various types of fine art.
As usual, the food was delicious, but it was the amazing live performances that turned a great night into a wonderful evening. The crowd was treated to some traditional Peruvian dancing by Mosaicos Andinos and some of the most amazing guitar playing I’ve ever heard by Argentinean born-guitarist/composer Alex Fox, who wowed the audience with his Flamenco style playing.
The place was absolutely rocking!
Here are some of the images from the Gala. If you’d like to see more, you can view a slideslow of the entire evening of festivities HERE.
©Alan Abrams Photography – Long Island Wedding Photographer – Specializing in Wedding, Portrait, and Lifestyle Photography
Posted on August 23, 2009
This past Friday, August 21st, 2009, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Class of 2010 held their annual Ring Dance at the fabulous Gotham Hall in New York City.
The Merchant Marine Academy is an institution that is steeped in tradition and the Ring Dance is one of the most interesting of those traditions. Thi Ring Dance is where the graduation class celebrates the beginning of their senior year.
The “ring dipping” ceremony involves the class ring being dipped into a bowl of special water representing waters of each of the Seven Seas. Each Midshipman is accompanied by a date who wears the ring on a strip of ribbon around their neck. Prior to dipping, the date removes the ring, which is dipped into the water, and then placed on the right ring finger of the Midshipmen.
To make things even more interesting, there is another ring involved in the ceremony. This is no ordinary ring…..it is a HUGE replica of the class ring. It’s big enough that it takes at least 10 people just to move half of it. The big ring is set up at the site of the ring dipping ceremony and makes for a wonderful backdrop for this very special event.
And of course, there’s the party (afterall, this is a dance). Although Kings Point may not be known as a party school, nobody (and I do mean nobody!) parties like Kings Pointers party.
Congratulations to the Class of 2010!
You can view all of the Class of 2010 Ring Dance photos by clicking the KINGS POINT PHOTOS link on the menu bar at the top of this page.
The Ring Arrives…
The Venue – Gotham Hall, NYC
Midshipmen and Dates Arrive
Class President, Commandant of Midshipment, and Academy Superintendent Address Class of 2010
The Toast
Ring Dipping
Academy Superintendent Allen Worley and Mrs. Worley
Let the party begin!
Congratulations to the Class of 2010!
You can view all of the Class of 2010 Ring Dance photos by clicking the KINGS POINT PHOTOS link on the menu bar at the top of this page.
Posted on July 1, 2009
In my travels, one of the things I’ve always done is tell people that I’m from Harlem. I do this for no reason other than to show the pride I have for the place where I grew up. Another thing I’m proud of is the fact that I have a very close-knit group of childhood friends who are still my friends to this day. We grew up in a place called Schomburg Plaza, which is located at the northeast corner of Central Park on 110th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Schomburg Plaza
Since 1995, this group has gotten together on Father’s Day for a cookout in Morningside Park in West Harlem. We do this not only to reminisce about the “good old days”, but to celebrate our transition from childhood to fatherhood. Many of the fathers bring their kids and make them listen to us tell stories about how great we were and how tough life was back in the day. You know how the saying goes: “The older you get, the better you used to be.” This definitely describes us and it applies to just about everything we talk about, especially sports.
This year, one of our founding members, Melvin Smith, was honored with a proclamation from the New York State Senate. The proclamation was hand delivered by New York State Senator Bill Perkins, who also happens to be from Schomburg Plaza. In fact, his political career began there as a District Leader in Harlem, representing the neighborhood he lived in…..something he still does today.
Senator Bill Perkins
