IT&E is arts festival’s latest ‘Pacifica’ sponsor

By CLARISSA V. DAVID
clarissa_david@saipantribune.com
REPORTER

IT&E CNMI marketing manager Hans Mickelson (standing, fourth left) product manager Veronica Acosta, and marketing coordinator Brad Ruszala present their cash and in-kind contribution worth $5,000 for the 32nd Annual Flame Tree Arts Festival to the organizing committee members led by acting secretary Laura T.Ogumoro of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs and executive director Angel S. Hocog of the Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture. (Clarissa V. David)

IT&E is the latest corporate sponsor of the 32nd Annual Flame Tree Arts Festival.
The leading telecommunications company in Micronesia donated a total of $5,000 in cash and in-kind items, making it a “Pacifica” sponsor for the largest outdoor arts event in the Marianas.

Pacifica is a level of sponsorship conferred to companies or individuals that give monetary or in-kind contributions amounting to $5,000 to $9,999.

IT&E CNMI marketing manager Hans Mickelson, product manager Veronica Acosta, and marketing coordinator Brad Ruszala presented the donation to committee members led by acting secretary Laura T. Ogumoro of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs and executive director Angel S. Hocog of the Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture in a ceremony at IT&E’s Chalan Laulau office.

“IT&E is happy and pleased to be a major contributor in the annual community event that brings family and friends together for three days of fun and celebration of the arts and culture of the Marianas and Micronesia,” said Mickelson.

The 32nd Annual Flame Tree Arts Festival is slated for April 19 to 21 at the Civic Center Beach Park in Susupe. Mickelson noted that the event highlights not just the brilliance and creativity of artists but also the uniqueness of the CNMI.

“One of the great things about living in the Northern Marianas is that it is home to different ethnicities and that’s something unique and special. This distinction is demonstrated each year at the Flame Tree Arts Festival, where artists converge to showcase the best of the best,” Mickelson told Saipan Tribune.

Hocog said that IT&E has been a regular corporate sponsor of the Arts Council’s signature annual event. That support, he added, is more significant this year as the organizing committee expects delegates from other islands in Micronesia, including Kiribati and Chuuk.
“With the patronage of IT&E in the Flame Tree Arts Festival, the Arts Council continues to provide a platform to further our artistic heritage and traditions,” said Hocog.

Hocog and the entire festival committee urged the community to “Be A Part” of the 32nd Annual Flame Tree Arts Festival. For more information, visit the Arts Council on Capital Hill next to the post office or call 322-9982 or 83.