This Giving Tuesday Latintias invited supporters and sponsors to their home office for some cozy festivities at their annual open house event. The theme was Navidad Tropical, and true to it the organization had fun holiday music, beautiful decorations, and a tiki hut courtesy of Texas Tiki Time. As guests mingled and discussed their love for the organization, they also got to participate in festive activities from painting and creating ornaments to making scrapbook pages filled with memories from this past year at Latinitas.
And if they wanted to do some good with their wallets, they could bid on the various raffle items available from incredible supporters like Consuela, Kendra Scott, Antonelli’s Cheese, Book People, and so many more. If guests got a little peckish following their good deeps, they were rewarded with some delicious foods courtesy of JD’s Supermarket and Suculenta Cocina Mexicana. And if they were feeling a tad adventurous, guests could also pop by the Owlchemy Labs booth and try out some fun VR headsets. All in all, the night was shaping up to be holly and jolly. A time filled with community, celebration, and true purpose!
As the evening began winding down, Latinitas Executive Director Gabriela Kane Guardia wanted to share some exciting news, “After years of empowering girls to innovate through media and technology, we’re evolving! This is Latinitas 2.0.” She joked, “Thanks to the incredible dedication of our Board of Directors, we’ve crafted a new mission to lead Latinitas into a new era. And you all are going to be the first ones to hear it, how ‘bout that?” Guardia said to resounding whoops and cheers. Once the applause died down the attendees got to hear Latinitas new mission and vision for the very first time, and it’s safe to say everyone was a fan. Readers can look forward to hearing all about this exciting evolution in the New Year!
Following Executive Director Guardia’s announcement, longtime Latinitas supporter and Consuela’s Community Relations Manager Summer McAfee stepped up to share a few words about why she joined Latinitas Empowerment Circle, “It really was kind of a no-brainer when I became a member of the Empowerment Circle. I believe in the work that Latinitas does, I’ve seen firsthand what the camps can do for the girls–I’ve been here for many camps, I’ve seen just the sparkle in their eyes. I’ve seen the impact that the staff has, the impact that the volunteers have, and being half Latina myself I just see this is the place that we need for the community. This is a place that the girls need, this is a program that they need, and I just know that it takes dollars y’all, right? Just being really honest.” McAfee states, “You can’t have programs like this and you can’t have impactful work like this without dollars. So, that’s the big reason why I joined and that’s the reason why I continue to come back and give back to Latinitas because I believe in their work, I believe in their mission.”
As the Navidad Tropical came to a close, and the raffle winners were announced, people clambered to get photos together, exchange information, and look back on another successful year of inspiring girls and empowering the masses. If you’d like to donate to Latinitas Giving Tuesday “Gadgets for Girls” fund, please click here.
Latinitas would like to thank all the event sponsors:
Atlassian, Consuela, Kendra Scott, Book People, Hill Country Resort, Katie Kime, Paperboy, Anonelli’s Cheese, JD’s Supermarket, Suculenta Cocina Mexicana, Texas Tiki Time, hbk engineering, and Glimmer Austin.
