GALLERY 2015:
Leslie Huerta, Maia Hito and Ronald Eleazar –Winners of the 2015 Letter to My ParentsTM Contest in Los Angeles.
The Final Presentation and Reception for the 2015 Letter to My ParentsTM Contest in Los Angeles was held on Thursday, March 28, 2015 at the Silver Lake Medical Center where ten finalists recited their letters dedicated to their parents.
For this year’s contest, Leslie Huerta won the first prize where she received $500 cash scholarship. The second prize winner was Maia Hito and third prize was awarded to Ronald Eleazar. Maia received $300 and Ronald $200 cash scholarships. All prizes were sponsored by the Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown. Jovanny Lopez and Mabel Aceves received a special recognition by the judges.
Other finalists included Mireya Del Campo, Renz Eleazar, Perla Marisol Flores, Christine Marroquin and Deborah Zuleta. Finalists received a small gift courtesy of Reiyukai America along with their certificate of participation as one of the finalists sharing their message dedicated to their parents.
Besides the ten finalists, Johnson Nghiem received a special recognition on behalf of the organizing committee for the courage of sharing this stories filled with emotions, struggles, and with the positive intention to overcome those challenges that he has endured while in the pursuit of his dreams.
The Letter to My ParentsTM Contest in Los Angeles is organized by the Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown and Reiyukai America.
The Judges were Roman Mosqueda, Attorney at Law; Cecilia Ramos, Administrator of Burlington Schoon Inc. and President Elect of the Rotary of Historic Filipinotown; and Shige Higashi, Journalist, Editor, and Publisher of Cultural News.
“On behalf of the Rotary, I would like to thank the families and finalists joining us to this contest. At the Rotary, we look for what we call the ‘Rotary Moment.’ While the letters were written, recited or heard, we hope everyone at the contest had a Rotary Moment. We will make this contest as our signature event!,” said, Terry Gubatan, President of Rotary of Historic Filipinotown.
“Reiyukai America is all about family. Reiyukai means ‘heart-to-heart’ and this contest represents our message as a non-profit organization. It is a great opportunity for the youth to express their feelings through a letter. But not only that, it is a great opportunity for us adults to know and learn about the things that they feel inside themselves.” said Katsuko Nakagawa, Reiyukai America National Committee member.
For more details and photos of the event, please visit www.lettertomyparents.com
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