Cheryl Burke to receive role model award

LOS ANGELES – Cheryl Burke of “Dancing with the Stars" will be honored with the Role Model Award at the Filipino American Library’s (FAL) 7th Annual Gala on Saturday, October 20, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel (506 S. Grand Ave.) in downtown Los Angeles. Past recipients of this award include Allan Pineda Lindo (Apl.de.Ap), Rob Schneider and Tia Carrere. This year’s gala will commemorate Filipino American History Month and the 22nd anniversary of FAL. Burke is a two-time Emmy-nominated professional dancer. She is best known for winning the second and third seasons of ABC’s American version of “Dancing with the Stars" with Drew Lachey (February 2006) and Emmitt Smith (November 2006). Her celebrity partner for Season 5 is none other than Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton. Other awardees that evening include Maria Quiban (Role Model Award), Jannelle So (Community-Building Journalism), Congress member Xavier Becerra (Public Service), FilAm ARTS – Association for the Advancement of Philippine Arts & Culture (Community Service), and Bank of America (Corporate Philanthropy). The performers will be Charmaine Clamor, the first Filipina jazz singer to find success on American radio; Angelo “Gelo" Francisco, “Three of a Kind" member, and “Karim at Jasmin" lead; Dessa, recognized as “Divette" in the Philippine music industry; and Joni Feliciano, who was honored as the Aliw Awards’ “Most Outstanding Female Performer." Cocktails will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner and program at 7 p.m. Guests will be treated to an elegant night of entertainment with a grand silent auction. More than 450 people are expected to attend the 7th Annual Gala to benefit the first and largest Filipino library in the country. Numerous sponsorship and advertisement opportunities are still available. Pre-sale dinner tickets are $125 each and $150 at the door. Founded in October 1985 by “Auntie Helen" Agcaoili Summers Brown, FAL is one of the most comprehensive repositories of Filipino and Filipino American works with a collection of more than 6,000 titles. Its mission is to actively promote the history, culture, and professional achievements of Filipinos and Filipino Americans through the book collection, leadership development, and cultural programming, thereby contributing to the achievement of a culturally dynamic, multiethnic America. The sponsors of the 7th Annual Gala include Burger King (Platinum), Bank of America (Gold), Van Gerard Dichoso, CPA (Silver), Sony Pictures Entertainment (Silver), Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (Silver), and Global Strategies for Diversity and Inclusion department of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (Silver). For more information, contact Jonathan Lorenzo at 213-382-0488, filamlibrary@sbcglobal.net, or online at www.filipinoamericanlibrary.org or www.myspace.com/filamlibrary. - Philippine News