PALCUS to Celebrate Portuguese-American Success at 23rd Annual Leadership Awards Gala

Weekend-long celebrations to include reception, wine tour, and CPAC Lusitanian Forum

Joaquim de Almeida

​​​​​​​The Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States (PALCUS) announces that the full program of events is now available for the 23rd Annual PALCUS Leadership Awards Gala. This year’s festivities will take place in and around Sacramento, California.

The 2019 PALCUS Leadership Awards Gala will be held on Saturday, October 12, at the Elks Tower Casino and Events Center and will honor 14 awardees, including businesses, organizations and international celebrities. The weekend festivities include a welcome reception and special movie preview on Friday, October 11, and a wine tour on Sunday, October 13.

“PALCUS is excited to bring the Leadership Awards Gala back to the West Coast this year. It’s been six years since we’ve been able to celebrate with the Portuguese-American community in California, and we are excited to do so with such a packed scheduled of events,” said PALCUS Chair, Angela Costa Simoes. “This year’s 14 awardees are a testament to the success of the national Portuguese-American Community. We hope you can all join us in Sacramento.”

The 2019 PALCUS Leadership Award recipients are:  

Joaquim de Almeida - International Award

​​​Janet Morais - Leadership in Entrepreneurship 

​Paulo Martins, MD, Ph.D. - Leadership in Scientific Achievement 

John Martins, Honorary Consul (posthumous) - Lifetime Achievement 

Jose Ivo, Honorary Consul - Leadership in Community Service 

Fernando & Michael Benevides - Leadership in Business 

​Jerald Silva - Leadership in Artistic Achievement 

Zachery Ramos - Young Portuguese-American "Promessa" 

Lenny Mendonca - Leadership in Public Service 

Lucia Noia - Leadership in Philanthropy 

Isabel Cabral-Johnson - Leadership in Education 

Mary Borba Parente - PALCUS Founder Award

Luis Pires - Lifetime Achievement 

PFSA - Outstanding Organization 

The 2019 Gala Committee is headed by PALCUS Chair Angela Costa Simoes and PALCUS Director Diniz Borges. Honorary Chairs of the 2019 Gala will be Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (California State Assembly– 4th District) and Henry Stern (California State Senate – 27th District). Portuguese-American Andria Borba, from KPIX in San Francisco, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening. There is a Silent Auction currently live and accepting bids at: https://www.32auctions.com/PALCUS.

The PALCUS Leadership Awards Gala Weekend will include the following events:

Friday, Oct. 11, 2019

PALCUS Gala Welcome Reception

6:30 p.m., Citizen's Hotel

Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019

Annual PALCUS Members' Meeting (Members Only) 10:30 a.m., Citizen's Hotel

​Lusitanian Forum

Topic: Encouraging Civic Participation and Public Service in the Portuguese Community, Census 2020 and Make Portuguese CountTM

Hosted by CPAC – California Portuguese American Coalition

Lunch 12:30 p.m. Forum 2:00 p.m. Citizen's Hotel​​​

23rd Annual PALCUS Leadership Awards Gala Cocktail Reception: 6:00 p.m.

Dinner and Awards: 7:00 p.m.

Elks Tower Casino and Event Center

Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019

Portuguese Wine Tour & Lunch

Depart Citizen's Hotel at 9:30 a.m.

Returns at 4:00 p.m.

​​Registration for the various weekend events, as well as ticket purchases and sponsorship opportunities, can be found at: https://www.palcus.org/gala2019

Learn more about PALCUS at https://www.palcus.org/

Source: PALCUS

About PALCUS - Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States

"The mission of the Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States is to be the national voice that advocates for and promotes the advancement of the Portuguese-American community economically, professionally, culturally and politically"

PALCUS - Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States
9255 Center St , #404
Manassas, VA
20110

More Press Releases