Peruvian Independence Day Festival

On Sunday, I attended the first Peruvian Independence Day Festival celebrated in L.A. It was hosted by the Peruvian Consulate in L.A. and the recently appointed Peruvian consul, Julio Balbuena. The event in Industry Hills celebrated Peru's 187th year of independence. It was a joyful event (with food, a soccer match and a mass hosted by Peruvian priests), but also poignant as we remembered those who suffered in the deadly earthquake that hit that country in August 2007. When I heard of the earthquake, my heart when out to all the families affected by it. I wanted to help as soon as I heard of the disaster. With the help of my colleagues, the City of Los Angeles was able to donate 10 ambulances to help with the relief efforts, and to allow Peru to be prepared in the unfortunate event an emergency hits again.