The Chicano Alumni chapter of California State University, Fresno’s annual scholarship banquet, “Viva Tejano,” will feature a performance by Grammy-nominated Tejano artist Shelly Lares on Oct. 17.
Ten scholarships will be awarded at the banquet at the Fresno Convention Center New Exhibit Hall in downtown Fresno. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with a silent auction beginning at 6, dinner at 7, scholarship presentations at 8 and a dance at 9 with music by Lares and Fresno DJ Oscar Pena.
Lares, a San Antonio native who started her musical career at age 10, has won eight Tejano Music Awards, including 2005 Female Vocalist and Female Entertainer of the Year. Tejano music is a blend of various Mexican music genres and ensembles originating in Texas that also is popular throughout the Southwest U.S.
The annual banquet raises money for the Chicano Scholarship Endowment, which makes awards to students who have excelled academically and performed community service.
Chicano Alumni is the oldest of the 17 chapters of the Fresno State Alumni Association and awards more scholarships than any of the alumni associations at the 23 California State University campuses.
For banquet sponsorship or ticket information, contact Diana Sorondo, 559.978.4362 or disorondo@yahoo.com, or Frances Pena, 559.278.2048. To donate for the silent auction, contact Louise Pacheco, 559.278.5027 or louisep@csufresno.edu. For more information about the Chicano Alumni chapter, contact Manuel Olgin, 559.871.8463 or manuelo@csufresno.edu.
Related link:
Shelly Lares <http://www.littlemissdynamite.com/main.html>
