Adelante Newsletter - September 2008

RIBBON CUTTINGS

A ribbon cutting was held for Dr. Juan A. Maldonado Family Practice on July 31, 2008 in celebration of their new office location. The ribbon cutting was conducted by the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber and Harlingen Area Chamber along with staff, family and guests. Everyone enjoyed great food, tours of the new office and networking. Juan A. Maldonado, M.D. Family Practice is located at 2106 Hale Ave. in Harlingen, next to Valley Yamaha. For more information call (956) 423-9111.

A&M Nursing Services, LLC held a ribbon cutting and Hawaiian Luau on August 21, 2008 in celebration of the opening of their Home Health agency. The ribbon cutting was conducted by the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber, Harlingen Area Chamber, and the San Benito Chamber along with owners Roland and Mary Flores, family and friends. Everyone enjoyed great food, music, door prizes and networking. A&M Nursing Services is CHAP Accredited, Medicare licensed and certified proprietary home care company. They currently serve urban and rural areas of the Rio Grande Valley, which includes Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties. If you would like more information about their services, call (956) 421-3999 or stop by their offices at 222 W. Adams Ave. in Harlingen.

SENATOR HUTCHISON KICKS OFF TEXAS GULF COAST TOUR IN HARLINGEN

United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison kicked off her Gulf Coast Tour of Texas at a breakfast reception hosted by the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Over a hundred local community leaders gathered at the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen to hear Senator Hutchison touch on some very important issues, such as the energy crisis, Veteran's Medical Center, and most importantly, the effects of Hurricane Dolly. During a special meeting with area city officials, it was decided that a regional task force be composed to looke into issues with the drainage systems, levee repairs, and a solution that can aid in storing storm water that can be used in times of drought. At the breakfast, Senator Hutchison was presented with the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce "Person of Honor" Award. Senator Hutchison continued her Texas Gulf Coast Tour to Raymondville and ended her 600-mile tour in Houston.

CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: SEPTEMBER 15 - OCTOBER 15

In September 1968, the request to celebrate Hispanic heritage on a national scale was first made by Congress authorizing President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim the week of September 15 and 16 National Hispanic Heritage Week. The designated week was selected because Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua celebrate Independence Day on September 15, and Mexico celebrates Independence Day on September 16. in this same resolution, the Senate and the House of Representatives requested that the American people observe the celebration by organizing activities in accordance with the spirit of the week.

However, it was soon clear that because the designated week fell at the beginning of the school year, educators were too occupied with the resuming school session to enthusiastically celebrate Hispanic heritage.

To encourage more participation from the educational community and the U.S. community as a whole, President Gerald R. Ford issued a call in 1977 to all schools and human rights organizations to more actively observe Hispanic Heritage Week. "When the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock, Hispanic civilization was already flourising in what is now Florida and New Mexico," Ford noted. "Since then, the Hispanic contributions to America has been a consistent and vital influence in our country's cultural growth."

Echoing Ford's earlier proclamation, and calling it an "honor well deserved", President Ronald Reagan further expanded the celebration in 1988 by authorizing a congressional request that National Hispanic Heritage Week be turned into Hispanic Heritage Month.

Latinos' impact and influence on the United States is, as former President George Bush once said, "a living legacy" that has profoundly impacted the history and development of the United States. As the President noted, "the values passed from generation to generation in Hispanic American families are values central to the American experience."

America celebrates the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. While Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on September 16 and September 18.

National Hispanic Heritage Month now officially lasts from September 15, including October 12, known as Columbus Day in the U.S. and El Dia De La Raza in Latin American countries.

9TH ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT

Get out your golf clubs and start warming up! it is time once again for our Annual Hispanic Chamber Golf Tournament. Come out and join us for some fun in the sun. The tournament will be held at the Treasure Hills Golf Club on Friday, October 3, 2008. Registration begins at 11:30 am with a Shotgun Start at 12:30 pm. Player fees are $85 per person or $340 for a team of four. Tournament fees include golf cart, green fees, goody bag, dinner and prizes. Sponsorship levels are also available. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three teams. First Place is $1,000 per team, Second Place is $400 per team, and Third Place is $300 per team (based on 120 players). Immediately following the tournament, will be a players party, dinner and awards ceremony. We are also looking for volunteers to help at the registration table and setup at the golf site. If you would like to play, sponsor a team, volunteer or donate a door prize, please call or stop by our office at any time and ask how you can help make our tournament a great success.

JOIN IN ON THE PRE-TOURNAMENT FUN!!

Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 9th Annual Golf Tournament Mixer will take place Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 5:30 pm (day before tournament). The mixer is graciously sponsored and hosted by the Valley Race Park located at 2601 S. Ed Carey Drive in Harlingen.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! ANNUAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Thursday, September 25, 2008 | 5:30 pm

Courtyard by Marriott | 1725 W. Filmore Ave. | Harlingen

Our General Membership Meeting and Election of Officers is coming up on September 25, 2008. According to our bylaws, our officers are elected by our paid membership and it is an opportunity for you to take an integral part in deciding this year's leadership. With this said, we urge you to make arrangements to attend this very important meeting. To verify status of your membership of if you have any questions, please call our office at (956) 421-2400.

A LITTLE LABOR DAY HISTORY

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New Yor City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later on September 5, 1883. In 1884, the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate and "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Through the years, the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York Legislature, but the first to become law was passed in Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year, four more states---Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York---created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade, Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday --a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern of the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production of the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy.

It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership---the American worker.

"Labor Day differs in every essential from the other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race or nation". - Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president American Federation of Labor.