Three individuals were honored for their contributions to the community at the North Bergen Board of Commissioners meeting on Oct. 7. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the commissioners cited the contributions of Rep. Albio Sires, Rumba Cubana owner Alan Lopez, and Adamarys Galvin, who runs the bilingual programs for the school system.
“Albio Sires has been representing us fantastically for many years,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco. “He’s always here whenever we need him.”
Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, in accepting the award on behalf of Sires, noted that North Bergen worked closely with state and federal agencies on two of the key issues pertinent to the local community: health care and immigration.
Lopez, in addition to running highly successful restaurants in both North Bergen and Guttenberg, has contributed food to disaster victims and to township events. Galvin not only runs the bilingual programs for students but also holds events for parents, and collaborated with the town to provide free flu shots to residents.
“North Bergen, as everyone knows, has a wealth of resources thanks to the mayor and the commissioners. Several years ago we started a home-school community partnership to help our Latino community have the access to these resources,” said Galvin, noting that providing support to the community allowed residents to achieve progress. “Once they meet with success their children will meet with success.”