News

November 8, 2022

International Center of the Capital Region to Host Inaugural Achievement Awards Luncheon

The International Center of the Capital Region (ICCR) will be hosting their inaugural Achievement Awards Luncheon on Thursday, November 17, 2022 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Clifton Park. Tickets are on sale now.

This event is designed to honor foreign-born community members who have made significant contributions to the area while advancing cross-cultural dialogue through volunteerism and advocacy.

This year’s awardees are:

  • HP Wang, Founder of GE’s Asian Pacific American Forum (APAF) and the Capital Region Chapter of APAPA (Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association), who will receive the Civic Engagement Award
  • Aneesa Waheed, Owner of Tara Kitchen, who will receive the Business Entrepreneurship Award
  • Mikhail Myshchuk, Pastor of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Watervliet, who will receive the Community Service & Philanthropy Award
  • Manoj Ajmera, founder of the Festival of Nations, will also receive the Community Service & Philanthropy Award
  • Roger Ramsammy, President of Hudson Valley Community College, who will receive the award for Distinguished Career

A Volunteer of the Year Award will also be given, but will be announced at a later date.

Unfortunately, earlier this week, ICCR learned of the passing of Dr. HP Wang, and so his award will be given posthumously to his family.

Tickets are on sale now. General Admission tickets will have early bird pricing at $60 per ticket. The cost will increase to $65 on October 21st. Honorary Committee Member tickets are $100 which includes a listing on the invitation and event program Ticketing and event information can be found on eventbrite.

This year’s Honorary Committee Chairs are Mona Golub, Vice President of Public Relations and Consumer Services, and Peter Gannon, President and CEO of United Way of the Greater Capital Region. Their dedication to celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of the Capital Region is admirable, and ICCR is very grateful for their support.

“This inaugural luncheon is just one more step in ICCR’s mission to make connections with not only leaders across the globe, but the leaders in our own backyard,” said Jennifer Zhao, ICCR’s Executive Director. “I’m really looking forward to celebrating with the community in November and honoring these incredible awardees and the impact they’ve made to our region.”

The ICCR connects the Capital Region to the world through citizen diplomacy by hosting programs with foreign visitors and events that help establish relationships across borders and cultures. This cannot be accomplished without the incredible support from volunteers and sponsors. ICCR is still looking for sponsors for this year’s luncheon. Interested parties may visit this page for more information.

Current sponsors are Key Bank, Price Chopper/Market32’s Golub Foundation, Premiere Transportation, GE Global Research, Hudson Valley Community College, and the Times Union.

For more information on the Achievement Awards Luncheon, visit https://iccralbany.org/achievement-awards/.

For more information on the International Center of the Capital Region, visit https://iccralbany.org/.

Images of the awardees can be found here.