The Illumine Celebration/Celebración de Iluminación benefiting AAMA (the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans) will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2021, at George R. Brown Convention Center. Proceeds will go towards AAMA’s programs, George I. Sanchez Charter Schools, Prevention & Counseling, Adelante Adult Education, and Work & Learn Center.
Community Honorees
Froilán A. Hernández (BS, University of Houston) is one of AAMA's founding members. In the early 1970s, Froilán, along with Roland Laurenzo, Mama Ninfa Laurenzo, Yolanda and William Navarro and other colleagues, formed the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans. After a successful tenure as an educator and community activist, Froilán has spent the past four decades as a successful restaurateur and businessman, currently serving as the Director of Operations for El Tiempo Restaurant Group. He is proud to carry on the educational legacies he started in the 1970s by serving AAMA and his community in various outreach contexts.
Roland D. Laurenzo is the son of Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo and Domenic Thomas Laurenzo. He was raised in the Second Ward in Houston and worked in his father’s tortilla factory on Navigation for many years while growing up in the East End. He attended and graduated from St. Thomas High School and the United States Naval Academy. He assisted in the founding of AAMA and served as one of its first officers. Roland opened Ninfa’s restaurants with his mother and brothers in 1973 and has worked in the restaurant business in Houston since that time. He still serves as Chairman of the Board of Laurenzo’s and El Tiempo restaurant group.
