09/03/2026
🎉Meet our 2026 Three Kings Lifetime Achievement Awardees!🇵🇷
For more than 30 years, Orlando Rivera and Mary Santana Mary A. Santana have transformed lives through the arts, education, cultural preservation, and community service. We are proud to celebrate their extraordinary legacies with Lifetime Achievement Awards at our 2026 Raíces Gala.
Orlando Rivera, Founder of the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra Project The Chicago Cuatro Orchestra transformed personal adversity into an enduring cultural legacy. Orlando developed an innovative ensemble-based method for teaching the Puerto Rican cuatro and created an organization dedicated to preserving Puerto Rican traditional music. Through community instruction, performances, the annual Concierto Jíbaro Navideño, and as a Chicago Public Schools music educator, he has inspired generations to embrace their cultura while ensuring these treasured musical traditions continue to thrive.
Mary Santana, Founder and Executive Director of The Miracle Center The Miracle Center transformed a grassroots program that began in a basement into a thriving 77,000-square-foot creative campus. Her visionary leadership continues to empower women, youth, artists, and underserved communities through the arts, media, music, sports, and leadership development. Through her bold vision for TMC 3.0, Mary is expanding access to creative careers and building new pathways to healing, opportunity, and lasting community impact.
Their service reminds us that the arts can preserve our stories, strengthen our communities, and create lasting pathways for future generations.
We are honored to celebrate you as our longtime partners.
¡Felicidades, Orlando and Mary!
