15th Anniversary Gala: UMMA Heroes
On October 29th, 2011, UMMA held a Gala dinner at the Anaheim Hilton to mark our 15th anniversary of service to South Los Angeles.
More than 1,000 community members and friends joined us to celebrate past successes, and to reflect on our ongoing efforts to promote healthy living in our service communities – including plans for the John C. Fremont High School Community Garden and Wellness Center.
US Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA, (pictured above) delivered the keynote address. She praised UMMA’s commitment to expanding its broad range of primary and preventative care, in order to serve Fremont High School students and their families.
“Congratulations for not only 15 years of service, but for continuing to break new ground,” she said, “and for being a leader in community health care.”
Dr. Saeed Ahmed, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, was one of three UMMA Hero award recipients for the evening.
The theme of the event was “UMMA Heroes: Celebrating Works of Inspiration” and three inspiring individuals in our community were recognized during the program for their service and leadership: Saeed Ahmed, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, for his humanitarian work helping children with AIDS in Africa; Mrs. Hoori Sadler, Chair, Friends of UMMA, for her philanthropic support of our work and commitment to cancer prevention; and Jerome Barbour, an English teacher at Fremont High School, for his educational leadership in South Los Angeles.
The evening included entertainment by the Fremont High School Jazz Band and other performers. In addition, Fremont High School students Shaquera Johns, Derjuan Jacocks, and Cristian Salazar delivered a moving spoken-word performance about what it means to be a hero.
Click here to view the full program from the evening. Thank you to all who came out and made our fifteenth anniversary Gala a success, and for your continued support.
From left: Fremont High School students Cristian Salazar and Derjuan Jacocks, Chair of Friends of UMMA – Mrs. Hoori Sadler, and Fremont student Shaquera Johns.