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New Board for Salvadoran Chamber
El Tiempo Latino
February 2004
Ramón Jimenez
Translation by PADF
The ties that United States and Latin businesses have kept for years with the Salvadoran community in the Washington metropolitan region were strengthened in the recent ceremony to present the new board of directors for the Salvadoran American Chamber of Commerce.
The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and the beer company Anheuser Busch launched a fundraising campaign with the Salvadoran immigrant community in the Washington, D.C. area, while other companies, such as MiCash presented their projects during the ceremony held at Fanáticos Restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia.
“This community’s business leaders have become one of the largest Hispanic populations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas, where they continue growing and doing well,” pointed out Elmer Arias, the Chamber of Commerce’s new president for the 2004-2005 period.
It’s time to work to develop a Salvadoran business organization, that provides pride and becomes a tool to develop and promote the values and contributions that we do as a community to help the economic, social, and cultural development in this region,” mentioned Arias.
Paul Kyle, distributed of Anheuser Busch, announced that the campaign will be held in the Washington, D.C. area, starting on April.
“The company will donate $0.15 for each Budweiser of Bud Light purchased in a Salvadoran restaurant in the area,” promised Kyle to the businessmen, community activists, and representatives of the Salvadoran embassy and Salvadoran capital in this capital.
According to PADF representatives, the foundation is working in Salvadoran territories with different community groups in this country, to create jobs and increase the revenues of families in five agricultural cooperatives in the area of San Pedro Masahuat, department of La Paz.
“We have obtained the support and enthusiasm from the Salvadoran immigrant community in Washington,” said Dale A. Crowell, PADF’s remittances program manager.
“But we still need more help, which we’ll get with this campaign,” explained Crowell, who, along with others, will coordinate with the Salvadoran restaurants y community organizations to promote the campaign.
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