SAC Hosts Inaugural Brunch Fundraiser

SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE JOINS THE FIESTA© FUN WITH THE INAUGURAL “SAC FIESTA BRUNCH” FEATURING ACTOR CHEECH MARIN

Alamo Colleges District – San Antonio College hosted the inaugural SAC FIESTA Brunch as part SAC’s official FIESTA© event, the SAC Multicultural Conference, now in its 24th year. The event, a brand new fundraiser for San Antonio College, took place on Wednesday, April 25 at the Pearl Stable, located at 307 Pearl Pkwy, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The ceremony began with a festive musical introduction by the SAC Mariachis “Estrellas del Alamo” and included a special presentation by Richard “Cheech” Marin, a Hispanic icon and one of the country’s most notable collectors of Latino art. An actor, director, writer, art collector and humanitarian, Cheech was born in South Central Los Angeles and has a varied resume of television and film credits, including the recent Disney Pixar film, Coco. Cheech is currently on tour to promote the 40th anniversary of the movie, Up in Smoke. As well, he is promoting his latest book Los Tejanos: Chicano Art from the Cheech Marin Collection.

The SAC FIESTA Brunch was created to help raise awareness to the real-life concerns which prevent students from completing college. Out of the nearly 20,000 students enrolled each semester, a recent study found that 44 percent of students are housing insecure and about 42 percent are food insecure. Furthermore, nearly 11 percent have experienced homelessness.

“On average, a $500 scholarship could make the difference for one of our students staying in school,” explained Dr. Robert Vela, SAC President and founder of the SAC FIESTA Brunch. “Although a majority of our students seek federal student aid to assist with tuition costs, such aid does not always meet the needs gap,” he continued. “I am calling on SAC’s friends to invest in our students—and in our city’s future.”

SAC’s supporters answered the call. Between the high profile guests, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and the sponsorships, the SAC FIESTA Brunch sold out a full week ahead of the event and has raised nearly $50,000 in its first year.