Philly's Puerto Rican Day Parade Takes On Different Tone In Wake Of Hurricane Maria
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia's Puerto Rican Day Parade is expected to take on a different mood this year in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The parade will double as a fundraiser.
Puerto Rican culture will still be celebrated along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, but monetary donations will be collected among the crowd for those in Puerto Rico displaced by Hurricane Maria.
Adonis Banegas is the executive director of Concilio, the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations of Philadelphia. Concilio is the organizer of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
"Using this opportunity to gather so many people, we are hoping for thousands of people to collect as much funds as possible," said Banegas.
Volunteers will be along the parade route with white Unidos Pa' PR buckets. Unidos Pa' PR is a hurricane relief fund formed by Puerto Rican and Latino organizations in Philadelphia on the heals of Hurricane Irma.
The parade begins Sunday at noon.
