Adelante Festival Impact

The second virtual Adelante Festival made an impact for AMIGOS through a valiant community effort. Over the past three weeks, we raised $140,000 to support the $1,000,000 Annual Fund goal and our international youth leadership programs. 

 

Highlights from the Festival 

2nd Virtual Adelante Benefit  

335+ alumni, parents, and supporters tuned in for the live event on Saturday, September 18th. If you missed the program, do not fret; you can watch the recording here and see below a few excerpts from a few of our inspiring event speakers. 

 

“…This program was there to support me as I fought to create real changes to increase representation of Black and Indigenous people of color in my school and state curriculum, while working to make my school a more welcoming place for students of color…”  

–Mya Brown, 2nd Virtual Adelante Benefit Student Speaker  

 

“…There are many benefits to participating with [AMIGOS]. It personally helped me grow as a person, develop leadership skills and problem-solving skills, and understand the importance of community development…”  

–Cristhofer Ureña, 2nd Virtual Adelante Benefit Student and Project Staff Speaker

 

“I think traveling in this planet is an extraordinary experience. If you leave your phone for a second and just sense the essence of every single place in the world, it would manifest this essence that is life. And it is important to shift your focus on that and see that this essence is in all living beings and in all people regardless of age, race, color, and all of that…”  

–Gabriela of Rodrigo y Gabriela, 2nd Virtual Adelante Benefit Feature Performer

 

2nd Virtual Adelante Festival Silent Auction

There was so much fun and creativity in the Silent Auction this year. With more than 80 items, the auction raised over $32,000. Thank you to all the individuals and companies who donated auction items and to all the auction bidders.  

 

2nd Virtual Adelante Festival Alumni Fundraising Challenge

A dedicated group of alumni took on the challenge to raise funds for AMIGOS. They shared the power of AMIGOS with their networks and raised funds to support our programs.  

 

Thank you for joining us in making the second virtual Adelante Festival a success and for supporting AMIGOS! 

P.S. If you missed the festival, you can still donate now to support AMIGOS mission and young leaders across the Americas.  

 

¡Gracias a todos!

Adelante Benefit 

If you missed the show, or just want to watch again,click here! You can even listen to a one-of-a-kind Adelante Benefit playlisthere. Highlights included 

  • Inspiring volunteer speeches from Mya Brown and Cristhofer Ureña 
  • Special alumni guest appearances from University of Texas at Austin student Mia Cooper and NPR Chief Economics Correspondent Scott Horsley 
  • An update from AMIGOS President & CEO Sara Nathan 
  • A remembrance of the 2021 Philip C. Johnson Alumni Service Award recipient Joe Crownover 
  • A “Fund a Need” call to action by AMIGOS Bay Area Director Krista Boscoe 
  • And our feature performer and Grammy award-winning Mexican acoustic-rock duo Rodrigo y Gabriela (not featured in the program recording)!  

 

With the active chat box during the event, it sure felt like we were together to drive the AMIGOS mission forward and to invest in young leaders throughout the Americas! Check out a few of the celebrations, connections, and reflections during the benefit.  

 

Adelante Benefit Chat Box

 

“So grateful for AMIGOS…50 years of speaking conversational Spanish after only one month in Honduras at age 17! If that was the only thing that helped me, it would be enough…though so much more… many wonderful memories!”  

-Kathleen Sawyer, AMIGOS alum 

 

“Welcome, everyone! We are so thrilled to spend the evening with you celebrating AMIGOS! Thank you all for your support!”  

-Sara Nathan, AMIGOS President & CEO, alum (volunteer, project staff, and senior staff), and Board of Directors Ex Officio  

 

“Hi from Philly! Great to see some familiar names with wonderful memories!”  

-Matthew Closter, AMIGOS alum (volunteer, project staff, and senior staff) and former AMIGOS Philadelphia Chapter Board President  

 

“Congratulations, AMIGOS, on your many years of excellent work in the Americas! Hello, AMIGOS friends!”  

-Sarah Johnson, AMIGOS parent, former AMIGOS Board of Directors member,  

and AMIGOS Advisory Council member  

 

“Thank you, Mya! You have a great future ahead. ¡Adelante!”  

-Stephen Waters, AMIGOS full-time employee parent (AMIGOS Donor Relations Coordinator) and friend of AMIGOS  

 

“Thank you, @Scot Horsley!!! Yes, AMIGOS is a booster to cross-cultural understanding!” 

-Mary Stelletello and Andy Howick, AMIGOS alumni (both), former AMIGOS Board of Directors members (both), former AMIGOS Albuquerque Chapter Board President (Mary), and former AMIGOS Wisconsin Chapter Board President (Andy)  

 

“This is bringing tears to my eyes. In the 90s, the idea of Latin American vols seemed like a distant (maybe impossible) dream. Now it’s here. Congrats, AMIGOS!”  

-Justin Sears, AMIGOS alum (volunteer, project staff, and senior staff), parent, and Advisory Council member  

 

“Those volunteers will return to their countries and change the world!”  

-Raja Chatterjee, AMIGOS alum (volunteer and project staff) and parent  

 

“Thanks to you, Sara, and your incredibly strong team! You impress us all daily.”  

-Kevin Lanier, AMIGOS parent and AMIGOS Board of Directors Chair  

 

“Seeing vols and community members wearing masks is the ultimate AMIGOS flexibility. Love that spirit!”  

-Jenny Brodsky, AMIGOS alum (volunteer, project staff, and senior staff) and former AMIGOS Board of Directors member  

 

“Sara, Vanessa, Krista, April (and other AMIGOS staff I don’t know) – your resilience, creativity, persistence, and vision have allowed AMIGOS to thrive in the most challenging of circumstances, allowing so many youths to have transformative experiences. Congratulations!”  

-Mindy Nierenberg, former AMIGOS program partner and friend of AMIGOS  

 

“Phew! Thanks for being here – it is making me a little emotional to see so many people that I miss all together.”  

-Krista Boscoe, AMIGOS Bay Area Director, alum (volunteer, project staff, and senior staff), parent, and AMIGOS San Francisco Chapter Recruiting Coordinator 

 

“Joe is the spirit of AMIGOS – he has touched all of our lives in such positive ways. His kindness, humanity, generosity, leadership, friendship made this world better. We love you, Joe!”  

-Andrew Springer, AMIGOS alum (volunteer, project staff, and senior staff), and former AMIGOS Austin Chapter President  

 

“¡Adelante!!!! Thank you, AMIGOS, for leading us to a brighter future!”  

-Andrew Haas, AMIGOS alum (volunteer and project staff), AMIGOS Board of Directors member  

 

“Beautiful event!!! So grateful to be part of this organization 🙂 ️” 

-Taylor Martin, AMIGOS Board and Policy Manager, Office of the CEO, and alum 

Sponsors

Please visit the Sponsor tab for more information.

 

$10,000 – THOUGHTLEADER 

Anne Morriss and Frances Frei  

  

$5,000 – CATALYST  

Doug and Stacy Alexander

Geof and Anne Barker  

David Baron and Pamela Mann 

Kate Janeway and Howard Wright 

Steve and Susana Sharpe 

  

$2,500 – VISIONARY  

Mike Gridley

Wade and Donna Lamson 

Patricia Rosenberg and Scott Nichols

Stephen Schafer and Lisa Brogan Schafer  

  

$1,000 – BELIEVER  

Jennifer Brodsky and Kumar Dandapani 

Charlie Evans, MD  

Josh and Mollye Fryday

Sarah and Andy Heck 

Holly and Chris Hollenbeck  

Fred and Karen Hulting

Jane Schussler and Mike King

Missa Thumm and Chris Thayer

AMIGOS Washington D.C. Chapter

  

$500 – HERO  

Sierra Hawthorne and Krishna Esteva

Phil and Linda Johnson

Milton and Lisa Roney 

Co-Chairs

Josh and Mollye Fryday

Adolfo Jiménez and Ulrike Falkenberg

Anne Morriss and Frances Frei

Steve and Susana Sharpe

Host Committee

Doug and Stacy Alexander  

David Baron and Pamela Mann 

Peter and Margie Benziger  

Elizabeth Blowers-Nyman and Jay Nyman  

Jennifer Brodsky and Kumar Dandapani  

Ed and Suky Cazier 

Ellen and Crane Curran 

Madelaine Delgado and Patrick Reed 

Mateo Eaton and Mayumi Yagi 

Charlie Evans, MD 

Mike Gridley 

Holly and Chris Hollenbeck 

Kate Janeway and Howard Wright 

Kristin Kaper 

Wade and Donna Lamson 

Russell Langsam and Anne Sherman  

Tomás Magaña and Leti Marquez-Magaña  

Milton and Lisa Roney  

Carlos and Diana Sanchez 

Stephen Schafer and Lisa Brogan Schafer  

Matthew Travers 

Marvin and Cassandra Trotter  

Dorn and Dominique Wenninger 

Rising Alumni Host Committee

Bryan Bonilla 

Mia Cooper 

Kevin Danfelser 

Finley Davis 

Nicolás Dreyer 

Emma Fredricks 

Ashley Lin 

Emma Link 

Anna Morokutti 

Mateo Rojas

Samuel Shain 

We are committed to making alumni relations at AMIGOS more inclusive through the Rising Alumni Host Committee. We want to uplift the voices of the alumni of a new generation and highlight their leadership in the AMIGOS community. The Rising Alumni Host Committee will encourage other alumni between the ages of 15 and 25 to participate in Adelante Festival activities and attend the headlining Adelante Benefit. 

Auction Sub-Committee

Doug and Stacy Alexander

Peter and Margie Benziger

Ellen and Crane Curran 

Milton and Lisa Roney

Steve and Susana Sharpe

Marvin and Cassandra Trotter