Last month, Centro Romero celebrated 39 years of service to the Chicago immigrant and refugee community at its 2023 Annual Gala: “Building Foundations for the Future”. The event was a tremendous success, featuring a lineup of musical performances, guest speakers and delicious food. We would like to thank Illinois State Senator Mike Simmons who gave our keynote address, as well as Jason Lunderman of Comcast who served as our Master of Ceremony. Special congratulations go out to Jose Artiga and Salvador Pedroza, recipients of our Saint Romero award and Community Leadership awards, respectively.

Mr. Artiga serves as the Executive Director of Share Foundation, an organization that champions human and immigrant rights in El Salvador and Honduras. His important work to advance the cause of immigrants across Latin America is bold and worthy of celebration.

Mr. Pedroza has been a pillar of the Chicagoland Latin American community for over 30 years. His company, Economy Roofing and Siding has been providing expert roofing services to the community for decades. Additionally, Mr. Pedroza serves as a Board Member of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, the largest Mexican American Chamber in the Midwest, where he formally served as president as well. We salute Mr. Pedroza’s hard work and steadfast dedication to his community, and we were honored to have him at this event.

As Centro Romero enters into its 40th year of service to the Chicago immigrant and refugee, we would like to thank our entire Board of Directors, all of our sponsors, friends and staff for their support and hard work. We find ourselves at a critical moment for the immigrant community in our city, and Centro Romero stands prepared to meet the moment with open arms.