The Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, also known as Concilio, celebrated its diamond jubilee gala at the City Winery in Center City Philadelphia. The institution is built on the ideals and morals of treating people with respect, providing resources, and serving as a safe and welcoming environment.

The organization uses the proceeds from the Gala and their silent auction towards their scholarship fund, which provides financial support to Philadelphia residents entering secondary schools and trade schools to improve their overall quality of life.  

During the festivities, several awards were presented to individuals highlighting their honorable actions in communities across Philadelphia:

• Wilma Lebron was named Concilio's Employee of the Year
• Jeran Aldarondo received the Latino Youth Award
• Siempre Salsa Philly received the Vivian Ortiz Community Service Award
• Dr. Sandra Gonzalez received the Citizen of the Year Award
• Maria del Pilar received the Lifetime Achievement Award 

During the festivities, we spotted mayoral candidate Maria Quinones- Sanchez; Loraine Ballard Morrill, Director of News and Community Affairs for iHeartMedia Philadelphia; Bill Ryan, Vice President - Government Relations & Public Affairs for Einstein Healthcare Network; Arturo Perez, Director - Enterprise Procurement, Global Technology and Software at Comcast and State Senator Christine Tartaglione.

For more events throughout the Philadelphia region, go to www.aldianews.com