Thank you for your support and friendship and we wish you all good tidings and cheer in the New Year!

 ”Twas the Night Before Christmas”

(Author Unknown)

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the casa,

Not a creature was stirring -  Caramba!  Que  pasa?

Los niños were all tucked away in their camas,

Some in long underwear, some in pijamas.

Whilie hanging the stockings con mucho cuidado

In hopes that old San Nicolás would feel obligado

To bring all the children, both buenos and malos,

A nice batch of dulces and other regalos.

Outside in the yard there arose such a grito

That I jumped to my feet like a frightened cabrito.

I ran to the window and looked out afuera,

And who in the world do you think that it era?

San Nicolás in a sleigh and a big red sombrero

Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.

And pulling his sleigh instead of venados

Were eight little burros approaching  volados.

I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre

Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:

Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Beto,

Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!

Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho

He flew to the top of our very own techo.

With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea

He struggled to squeeze down our old chimenea.

He filled all the stockings with lovely regalos

For none of the niños had been very malos.

Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento,

He turned lie a flash and was gone like the viento.

And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad . . .

M e r r y  C h r i s t m a s  t o  a l l ,  a n d   Fe l i z  N a v i d a d !

The new date will be THURSDAY, JANUARY 19TH, 2012.  Watch for details coming soon!

In October of this year I flew to New York for a most valuable conferece hosted by The Americas Society/Council of the Americas which is located in a beautiful old mansion on Park Avenue. For those of you not familiar with AS/COA, they are a think tank for public policy on the Americas. I met them in late 2006 when they came to New Orleans to begin a 2 year research project on post-Katrina New Orleans and the impact of the Latino community on the economy and recovery of the area. Their study here was part of an overall national study entitled The Hispanic Integration Project which is still ongoing. To date they have studied the impact of the Latino population in gateway cities such as New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, Nashville, Omaha, and Portland OR. I have worked closely with them since our initial meeting and never fail to be awed by their continuing excellent work.

The October conference examined “The Economic Impact of Immigrant-Related Local Ordinances.” It looked at local immigration-related ordinances in 53 U.S. cities and what effects those either restrictive or non-restrictive ordinances created – whether intentionally or as unintended consequences – on the business environment and  economic growth of those cities. The findings were revealing and surprising in many instances.

This study is so compelling that I immediately asked Jason Marczak, the Director of Policy for AS/COA, to come to New Orleans to speak at our Annual Meeting on December 5th about what the public and private sectors both  need to know and understand economically about these issues in order to make sound decisions for economic growth in Louisiana. We invite and strongly encourage EVERYONE to join us at our Annual Meeting to hear Jason’s presentation and to receive a copy of the study. Watch the Events section of website for full registration details.

The New Orleans Hispanic Heritage Foundation (NOHHF) will present its annual blacktie fundraising gala on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at the Inter-Continental Hotel.  All proceeds benefit the New Orleans Hispanic Heritage Foundation Scholarship Program for Hispanic youth attending public, private and parochial high schools in the area.

The event features cuisine from many fabulous restaurants, a gorgeous silent auction, and dancing to 2 bands – Julio & Cesar, and Rumba Buena.  The Galvez Cup will be presented to Rafael Goyeneche III.

For more information on NOHHF and their beautiful Azucar Ball, visit:   http://nohhf.org/

To see the invitation, go to our Events section, Other Latin Events!

La Estancia Restaurant

Map and Directions | Register

Description

Happy Holidays and please come join us at our final Network Evening of the year in “the heart of Hispanic Country” in Kenner!

Date:  Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Time:  5:30-7:30pm

Location:  La Estancia Restaurant (the old El Patio for those of you who remember back when!)

3244 Georgia Avenue

Kenner, LA  70065

* Free Admission

* Complimentary Hors d’oeuvres

*  CASH BAR

If you haven’t joined yet or renewed your membership status, we’ll be happy to assist you at our Membership Table.

DON’T FORGET YOUR BUSINESS CARDS!!! 

Register

JW Marriott – Ballroom

Map and Directions | Register

Description

You are most cordially invited to attend our final quarterly  Luncheon of 2011 which will serve as our Annual Meeting.

Date:  Monday, December 5, 2011

Location:  JW Marriott, 614 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 — Ballroom

(Note:  Garage entrance is on rear side of hotel on Common  Street.)

Meeting Syllabus

Check-in & Networking:  11:30am
Luncheon: 12:10pm

Keynote Speaker:   Mr. Jason Marczak, Director of Policy of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas in New York.

Mr. Marczak will speak on “THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IMMIGRANT-RELATED LOCAL ORDINANCES”. The analysis studies the impact on the business environment of 53 U.S. cities where ordinances have been enacted on the local level. It looks at the intended as well as unintended consequences of such ordinances.

Each person attending the luncheon will be given a copy of the white paper recently presented in New York on this subject.

Reservations & Payment:

Advance reservations are required in order to ensure your seamless check-in at the event upon arrival.  We regret that we are unable to accommodate “walk-ins” at the door.

All reservations are prepaid in advance of event.

Individual Tickets:  Members @ $50;    Non-Members @ $60

Membership Sponsorship Categories:

Hermanos $1,000:  Reserved Table of 10, Company Banner, Program Recognition, Program Listing, Table Tent

Amigos $600:  Reserved Table of 8, Program Recognition, Program Listing, Table Tent

Register

In saying good-bye to our old site, we’d like to thank Juan Barreto, owner of the New Orleans based company Promo Ad, who serves as Secretary of HCCL. Following Katrina in 2005 when we couldn’t find a lot of our members, his branch office in Nicaragua graciously created and donated a website to us. It served us beautifully for the first few years, but as we have expanded our reach, we outgrew the old site.

This new site was designed and developed by the Baton Rouge firm Immense Networks who is a young, hip exciting member of our chamber. While the owners may be young, they have won several industry  awards for their innovation and creativity. It’s interesting to note that the company was formed while the two principals were in 8th grade together at Holy Cross in New Orleans!

Jason Cross is the Creative Director at Immense Networks who designed our website. He has been an invaluable partner to me in this project and is absolutely FABULOUS to work with. Those of you who know me know that I am the antithesis of a “techy guru”. He has patiently tutored me in the mechanics of this site. It has been painstaking trying to learn all of the new software programs but slowly I’m getting there. That being said, I beg your indulgence if you see a few “techy mistakes” in some areas -I’m still learning!

In this section of the site entitled “The Director’s Corner”, I will not only bring you important news on events and issues, but also be able to blog when desired. My father had a sign over his desk that said:  “If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what does an empty desk tell you?”  Well, my mind is very cluttered these days with a lot of issues so I’ll will frequently be writing about what’s on my mind!

Be sure to go to the About Us section of the site and meet our Officers and Board of Directors. They are a very diverse and dynamic group as you will immediately recognize, and because of their commitment and efforts, HCCL has grown and become an integral part of the economy of Louisiana.