Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network (CACEN) recognized the 2013 Asian American Heroes of Colorado on Saturday, June 1 at Kings Land Chinese Seafood.
Hosting the awards ceremony was Fox 31’s Chris Jose. He welcomed Executive Director of CACEN, Annie Guo, to share a few words about the history of the awards. Celebrating its fifth year, the recipients were nominated by members of the community then selected by a committee of representatives from a dozen Asian-American organizations.
Rachael Outman presented a letter from Senator Mark Udall’s Office congratulating this year’s heroes. Following the dim sum brunch, the 2012 Miss Asian American Colorado, Stephanie Vi Nghiem, performed “Hero”, a song that proclaims there is a hero within each person.
The 2013 Asian American Heroes of Colorado were then presented a plaque and gift from Isle Casino. Peggy Moore introduced the first recipient, Clarence Low, who was unable to attend the ceremony. She accepted the award on his behalf and the audience watched a recorded acceptance speech from Low.
Pam Sweetser, who nominated 2013 Asian American Hero Namita Khanna Nariani, introduced Nariani to the stage, sharing stories from Heritage Camps of Adoptive Families. Then Tim Higashide welcomed his mentor Jie Zheng to receive the award.
Angela Cho was introduced by her nominator, Suegie Park. And the Aspiring Hero Award was presented to Joie Ha, introduced by her =sorority sister Lena Chhay. Lastly, the audience came to their feet while applauding for the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Kimiko Side, who has truly devoted a lifetime to serving others. Side was introduced by Calvin Hada, President of Japanese American Association of Colorado.
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