PROVIDENCE – The Genesis Center, an immigrant advocacy group, today announced the winners of its first Independent Man Awards, recognizing businesses and individuals that support the immigrant community.
Mike Ritz, the center’s development director, said the program sprang in part from a desire to counter the negative press immigrants have received in recent years. “Why not a positive story about how immigrants are helping the community?” he said.
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Five winners will be honored April 27, at The Hilton Providence Hotel, for their contributions at the local, business and national levels.
* The Emerging Leader Award, for an outstanding immigrant under 21, will go to Manuel Ortiz of the Dominican Republic. An honors student at La Salle Academy, he co-founded a group that promotes artistic expression of social justice.
* The Community Service Award will go to Haitian immigrant Alemy Mondestin, a teacher and counselor for the developmentally disabled at Life Works Inc. who also has taught cultural awareness at the Providence Police Department.
* The Entrepreneur Award will go to Dominican native Juana Horton, who has owned and operated Horton Interpreting since 1994. Her company serves Lifespan and the R.I. Attorney General’s Office, among others.
* The National Impact Award will go to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. Genesis praised his commitment to assisting the U.S. immigrant community through thought and action.
* The Corporate Award will go to Hope Global, the Pawtucket-based textile technology company, for providing equal opportunities for career advancement and professional growth.
The ceremony next month will feature as keynote speaker Paul F. Oreffice, the author of “Only in America: From Immigrant to CEO.” Oreffice, an Italian immigrant, graduated from Purdue University in 1949 with a B.S. in chemical engineering and went on to become president and CEO of the Dow Chemical Co.
The Genesis Center provides literacy, English-language and job training and other services to hundreds of immigrants, refugees, low-income adults and children each year. Additional information is available at gencenter.org.
