County Honors Portuguese-Americans for Their Service

Essex County officials and others Wednesday observed Portuguese Heritage Celebration Day by honoring two Portuguese-Americans for their contributions to the Newark community.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo presented the Star of Essex awards to John M. Soares, director of operations for the Ironbound Soccer Club, and Eliana Pintor Marin, a member of the Newark Schools Advisory Board.

“Essex County has been shaped and developed by the various cultures and ethnicities of the people who have lived and worked here. Celebrating the heritage of our neighbors will help us understand and embrace our diversity,” DiVincenzo said.

“John M. Soares and Eliana Pintor Marin have made many positive contributions to the cultural, civic and educational history in Essex,” he added.

John (Joao) M. Soares, a native of Lisbon, Portugal, immigrated to the United States at age 9 and has served as director of operations for the Ironbound Soccer club since 1995. During his tenure, the club has grown from 100 children and one traveling team to the 30 competitive teams for boys and girls ages 4-23 and in-house recreational league with over 300 participants today. Soares has coached several state and league championship teams and many of his club players have moved on to play in college and professionally in the United States and abroad.

Pintor Marin is the youngest child of two factory workers who immigrated to the United States from Portugal in search of a better life for themselves and their family. In 2008, Marin was elected to the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board, where she served as the financial chair for three years. When she ran for re-election in 2011 and won, she was selected to be the board chairwoman and served as chairperson of finance the following year. As a child of parents who did not have the opportunity to go to school, she believes that education can truly change someone’s path in life, which has driven her to achieve academic excellence for herself as the first member of her family to graduate from college and earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees and to seek a position on the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board.

The Essex County Portuguese Heritage Month Celebration is the part of a year-long cultural series created by DiVincenzo to highlight Essex County’s diversity. Other cultural heritage celebrations include African American History Month, Irish Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Italian Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage, Latino Heritage and Pride Month to highlight the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgendered and Questioning community.