AAMA's Piñata Bash invites Houston to brunch for a good cause
HOUSTON, TX (KTRK) -- Still need Mother's Day weekend plans? AAMA is getting ready for a Saturday brunch that promises food and fun, all for a good cause.
The adults-only Piñata Bash will happen May 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at El Tiempo on Navigation.
AAMA board member Alexandria Hernandez told ABC13 the brunch party will feature tapas, live music and remarks from its guest speaker, Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Pena.
"Drinks, food and a piñata," Alexandria said. "What more could you ask for?"
All funds from the bash will support AAMA programming, which helps Hispanics and Latinos from Houston and across more than 30 countries achieve their potential.
Visit AAMA's website for Piñata Bash ticket information
For 52 years, the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans has motivated Latino youth to finish school, and encouraged many to go to college.
Over the decades, AAMA has grown to offer assistance and inspiration for everyone from early childhood to adulthood, expanding to include GED and literacy classes, counseling services, the Work & Learn Center, and drug and HIV prevention programs.
Alexandria said she's had a front row seat to all this history. Her father, Froilan Hernandez, was one of seven founders who started the nonprofit.
"I was teaching at the time, and the Mexican-American community was having a lot of problems with their kids in school," he recalled "They were dropping out and didn't want to go to school. We felt we had to do something to start alleviating some of those problems."
Froilan said AAMA has relied on donations from the very start to support its community center and one of the state's first charter schools, the George I. Sanchez Charter School.
Fast forward to today, AAMA continues its efforts to develop leadership skills in the coming generations, and aid them in pursuing their higher education goals.
For the Hernandezes, the mission is also a family affair, with Alexandria and her sister following their father's example in giving back to the community.
"We've always been very community oriented," Alexandria said. "That is something our parents instilled in us."
