{"id":240293,"date":"2026-05-22T07:11:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/240293\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T07:11:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:11:27","slug":"la-colmena-hosts-5th-annual-gala-spotlighting-immigrant-empowerment-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/240293\/","title":{"rendered":"La Colmena hosts 5th annual gala spotlighting immigrant empowerment and community"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A Staten Island nonprofit marked a milestone Thursday evening with a gala celebrating immigrant workers, community resilience and ongoing advocacy efforts across the borough.<\/p>\n

La Colmena <\/a>hosted its fifth annual gala on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at the Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island, bringing together community members, advocates and local leaders for an evening of recognition and fundraising.<\/p>\n

Organizers said the event centered on honoring the organization\u2019s members and highlighting the strength and resilience of Staten Island\u2019s immigrant community.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s keynote speaker was Dr. Helen Arteaga, though remarks were delivered on her behalf by Gabriela Mayorga.<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyKerry-Ann Henry, the master of ceremonies, addresses the crowd. (Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)(Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)<\/p>\n

Honorees included Yesenia Mata, who received the Legacy Award, and LinkNYC\u2019s Nicole Etienne-Robinson, who was recognized as Contributor of the Year. <\/p>\n

Jose Luis Mendoza was honored as Day Laborer of the Year, while Isabel Roman received the Domestic Worker of the Year award.<\/p>\n

\u201cChampions of the Year\u201d awards were also presented to City Council members Tiffany Cab\u00e1n, Crystal Hudson, Linda Lee and Lynn Schulman.<\/p>\n

Organizers said the gala came at a reflective moment for the organization as it looked back on its growth while focusing on its future direction and continued advocacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a beacon of hope and resilience for the immigrant community and for those who believe in the American Dream and the values of our human and civil rights,\u201d said Arlette Cepeda.<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyArlette Cepeda, interim executive director, addresses the crowd, as Sasha Foster-Andres looks on. (Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)(Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)<\/p>\n

\u201cOur commitment to empowering immigrant workers through education, culture, organizing and economic development remained stronger than ever,\u201d added Cepeda.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continued to provide resources and opportunities that contributed to improving the quality of life for all Staten Islanders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded in 2014, La Colmena worked with day laborers, domestic workers and other low-wage immigrant workers through programs focused on organizing, education, culture and economic development.<\/p>\n

The organization served a diverse immigrant population from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru, among other countries, including members who speak indigenous languages and who have varying levels of literacy.<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyYesenia Mata, Commissioner of Department of Veterans Services, was awarded the Legacy Award by Arlette Cepeda, interim executive director. (Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)(Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)<\/p>\n

In addition to advocacy and workforce initiatives, La Colmena operated several community-centered programs, including the Staten Island Butterfly Effect, Staten Island L\u2019Unicorns and La Colmena\u2019s Folkloric Dance Group.<\/p>\n

The organization also provided services such as safety training, English classes, childcare vouchers and food pantry access.<\/p>\n

Proceeds from the gala supported the organization\u2019s ongoing programs and services aimed at expanding opportunities for immigrant workers and their families.<\/p>\n

La Colmena said the annual event served both as a fundraiser and as a celebration of community accomplishments and advocacy efforts throughout Staten Island.<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyLinkNYC was awarded Contributor of the Yeat. (Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)(Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)\"(CourtesyGuests enjoy La Colmena’s fifth annual gala on Thursday, May 14, 2026 at the Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island, bringing together community members, advocates and local leaders for an evening of recognition and fundraising. (Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)(Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)\"(CourtesyBoard chair, Sasha Foster-Andres, addresses the crowd. (Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)(Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)<\/p>\n

MORE BY DR. GRACELYN SANTOS<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyScene from La Colmena’s fifth annual gala on Thursday, May 14, 2026 at the Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island, bringing together community members, advocates and local leaders for an evening of recognition and fundraising. (Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)(Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)\"(CourtesyJose Luis Mendoza receives the Day Laborer of the Year. (Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)(Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)\"(CourtesyGuests enjoy La Colmena’s fifth annual gala on Thursday, May 14, 2026 at the Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island, bringing together community members, advocates and local leaders for an evening of recognition and fundraising. (Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)(Courtesy of Charista Mroczek)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A Staten Island nonprofit marked a milestone Thursday evening with a gala celebrating immigrant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":240294,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-240293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}