LOS ANGELES (September 2007) – LA-18 “Kababayan LA’s” Jannelle So will be honored with the Community-Building Journalism Award at the Filipino American Library’s (FAL) 7th Annual Gala on Saturday, October 20 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel (506 S. Grand Ave.) in downtown Los Angeles. Past recipients of this award include Denise Dador, Mona Lisa Yuchengco, and ABS-CBN Global. This year’s Gala will commemorate Filipino American History Month and the 22nd anniversary of FAL.
“It’s a great joy for me to be honored by the esteemed group behind the FAL Gala,” said Ms. So. “When I started my broadcasting career in LA a few years ago, one of my first assignments was to cover this event. And it immediately became my wish, hope, and inspiration to someday be a part of this gathering. I’m thrilled to be a part of this impressive Fil-Am community tradition.”
Ms. So is an accomplished media practitioner in the Philippines where she had a six-year print and broadcast journalism career before moving to Los Angeles, California three years ago. She recently celebrated her first anniversary as host and producer of “Kababayan LA,” Southern California ’s first and only locally-produced show for and about the Filipinos. It airs Mondays through Fridays at 4:30 pm on KSCI – LA 18.
Other awardees that evening include Cheryl Burke (Role Model), Maria Quiban (Role Model), Congressmember Xavier Becerra (Public Service), FilAm ARTS – Association for the Advancement of Philippine Arts & Culture (Community Service), and Bank of America (Corporate Philanthropy). The performers will be Charmaine Clamor, the first Filpina jazz singer to find success on American radio; Angelo “Gelo” Francisco, “Three of a Kind” member and “Karim at Jasmin” lead; Dessa, recognized as “Divette” in the Philippine music industry; and Joni Feliciano, who was honored as the Aliw Awards’ “Most Outstanding Female Performer.”
Cocktails will begin at 6:00 pm followed by the dinner and program at 7:00 pm . Guests will be treated to an elegant night of entertainment with a grand silent auction. More than 450 people are expected to attend the 7th Annual Gala to benefit the first and largest Filipino library in the country. Numerous sponsorship and advertisement opportunities are still available. Pre-sale dinner tickets are $125 each and $150 at the door. The dress code is formal; Filipinaña for ladies and barong tagalog for gentlemen is requested.
Founded in October 1985 by “Auntie Helen” Agcaoili Summers Brown, FAL is one of the most comprehensive repositories of Filipino and Filipino American works with a collection of more than 6,000 titles. Its mission is to actively promote the history, culture, and professional achievements of Filipinos and Filipino Americans through the book collection, leadership development, and cultural programming, thereby contributing to the achievement of a culturally dynamic, multiethnic America.
The sponsors of the Filipino American Library’s 7th Annual Gala include Burger King (Platinum), Bank of America (Gold), Van Gerard Dichoso, CPA (Silver), Sony Pictures Entertainment (Silver), Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. , Inc. (Silver), and Global Strategies for Diversity and Inclusion department of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (Silver). For more information, contact Jonathan Lorenzo at 213-382-0488, filamlibrary@sbcglobal.net, or online at www.filipinoamericanlibrary.org or www.myspace.com/filamlibrary.