The Portuguese American Leadership Council of the United States (PALCUS) prepares to celebrate its 35th anniversary and 28th Annual Leadership Awards Gala on October 17 at the Coliseu Micaelense in Ponta Delgada, Azores.
For the first time in the organization’s history, the PALCUS Leadership Awards Gala will be held outside the continental United States, bringing Portuguese-American leaders, community advocates, honorees, and supporters together with partners in Portugal and the archipelago.
The occasion carries special significance for PALCUS, which is marking 35 years of advocacy, leadership and community service. Holding the anniversary celebration in the Azores underscores the historic relationship between the Portuguese American community and the islands.
PALCUS has announced a group of honorees representing community service, education, medicine, journalism, sports, civic leadership and Portuguese-American institutional life. The 2026 award recipients include:
- Márcia da Ponte — Leadership in Community Service Award
- Rui Albuquerque — Leadership in Education Award
- Dr. Sandra Pimentel — Leadership in Medicine Award
- Rosemarie Kasica — Leadership in Journalism Award
- Pedro “Pauleta” Resendes — Athletic Achievement Award
- Onésimo Teotónio Almeida — Lifetime Achievement Award
- Chief Justice Phillip Rapoza — Lifetime Achievement Award
- Kyle Neves — Young Portuguese American “Promessa” Award
- The Portuguese Tribune — Outstanding Organization Award
PALCUS will also present the Bensaude Group with the “Amizade Award” at the Coliseu Micaelense in Ponta Delgada. The award recognizes the Bensaude Group’s longstanding contribution to the economic, social, and cultural development of the Azores.
The Bensaude Group is the largest private business group in the archipelago, with activities across several sectors, and its tourism operations have played an important role in developing Azorean hospitality. Bensaude Hotels itself traces its hotel history back more than 90 years. Its origins go back to the arrival in 1820 in the Azores, from Morocco, of Abraão, in1820, Elias and Salomão Bensaude, members of a Sephardic Jewish family.
Other activities announced by PALCUS include the Lusitanian Forum at the Museu da Emigração Açoriana in Ribeira Grande, followed by a Welcome Reception at the Palácio da Conceição in Ponta Delgada, the headquarters of the Presidency of the Regional Government of the Azores. The weekend culminates with the anniversary gala black-tie event at the Coliseu Micaelense.
The choice of the Museu da Emigração Açoriana is especially symbolic. Located in Ribeira Grande, the museum preserves the history and memory of Azorean emigration, including the experiences of generations who left the islands for the United States and other destinations. Its collections include thousands of individual emigrant records as well as photographs, documents, newspapers and other materials chronicling the Azorean diaspora.
The Leadership Awards Gala is PALCUS’s signature annual event and major fundraiser, helping support programs and initiatives serving Portuguese Americans throughout the year. PALCUS also operates a national scholarship program for Portuguese-American undergraduate and graduate students. The organization has awarded scholarships through the program since 2012. The decision to bring the annual gala event to Ponta Delgada was first publicly announced at the conclusion of the 27th Annual PALCUS Leadership Awards Gala in Washington, D.C., in October 2025.
PAJ/Staff
PALCUS | ABOUT | is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia. It was founded in 1991 by a group of successful, forward-thinking Portuguese-Americans to provide a single national voice advocating for the interests of Portuguese-Americans in the United States. At the center of their vision was to establish and maintain channels of communication between the government of the Republic of Portugal, via the Embassy of Portugal to Washington, D.C., and the U.S. congressional delegation representing Portuguese-American communities. More information about PALCUS, @ https://palcus.org/pages/about
