KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Community leaders, changemakers and other East Tennessee trailblazers all gathered in the Mill and Mine Thursday night for Centro Hispano's annual celebration — the Latino Awards.
This year, Centro Hispano marked 18 years of work in the community, helping uplift East Tennessee Latinos and providing valuable food security services, health services, education equity advocacy and more. During the Latino Awards, the organization highlights the people who made the biggest impact in East Tennessee and celebrates the work they've done.
The awards recognize individuals and groups in three categories — the Corazón Award, the Latinidad Award and the Comunidad Award.
The Corazón Award honors restaurants and food trucks that offer food and service that speaks to the heart of Hispanic and Latino culture. The Latinidad Award honors an individual who acted as a catalyst for meaningful change in the Latino community. The Comunidad Award goes to an organization in the Knoxville area that goes above and beyond to further opportunities for Latinos and Latinas in the community.
"Centro really does help out a lot. Now, I refer my own students to them when they need help with something. They might have somebody who can interpret for you, they might help you out with English classes if you need those extra English classes. So, it's super important, it's very important," said Nancy Gonzalez, the winner of the Latinidad Award.
Two members of the WBIR team hosted the ceremony — María Marta Guzmán and Fernando Garcia-Franceschini.