Hardworking Houstonians Championed in This Heart of Gold Luncheon: New CEO Makes a Plea

BY Shelby Hodge // Feb 20, 2018

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Cynthia Cisneros, Claudia Aguirre, Irma Diaz Gonzalez, Gracie Saenz

What: BakerRipley Heart of Gold luncheon

Where: Hilton Americas-Houston

PC Moment: BakerRipley’s new president and CEO Claudia Aguirre moved the gathering of more than 700 with her call to embrace humanity and support hardworking Houstonians in their aspirations for better lives. “Let us focus on the only label that matters — HUMAN,” Aguirre said in her keynote speech.

The Alice Graham Baker Award was presented to Angela Blanchard, former BakerRipley president and CEO and currently president emerita.

The luncheon program spotlighted topics familiar to BakerRipley clients such as immigration, education, disaster recovery, aging, entrepreneurship, job training and caregiving, presented by actors performing a montage of stories based on the clients’ lives.

Who: Hector Aguirre, Clarissa and Esteban Vasquez, AJ Blanchard, Betty Blanchard, Joni Baird, Josh Espinedo, Laura Murillo, Albert Cardenas, Grace Olivares, Claudia Orega Hogue, Angela Cox, Chris Brown, Jonathan Day, Gwen Emmett, Heather Simpson and Susan Baker.