By Sarrah Peters, News Editor
On Tuesday, August 23, The 2016 Spirit of Citizenship Banquet and Roast will be held at 6 p.m. at the Senior Activity Center, located at 623 Broad Street in Gadsden.
Nanda Patel will be honored as the 2016 Spirit of Citizenship winner, joining Gadsden greats such as Bubba Masters, Chester Hicks and Joanne Hightower.
Born in Kenya and raised in England, Patel migrated to the United States in 1981 and has lived in Chicago, Detroit, Gadsden and Birmingham.
Patel has a Diploma of Radiologist Technologists from Middlesex Hospital in London, a bachelor’s degree in health administration and a master’s degree in health education from UAB.
Patel is the owner and manager of the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Gadsden and Fort Payne. She is involved in promoting local tourism and economic development.
Patel serves on several boards including The Chamber of Gadsden & Etowah County, Etowah County Industrial Development, Hardin Center, Alabama Mountain Lakes Association, the Walnut Gallery, United Way of Etowah County, Etowah County Tourism Board and the Gadsden State Cardinal Foundation.
Patel has been married to Dr. Ghanshyam Patel, an interventional cardiologist, for 37 years. The couple has two children: Dr. Ajanta Patel Kothari and Dr. Anuj Patel, both of whom are in the medical field.
Tickets are $30. The proceeds will benefit the Family Success Center of Etowah County, a United Way agency.
The Family Success Center aims to assist families. They offer many programs to meet the various needs of families including maternity assistance, legal services financial counseling, domestic violence services, eye screening, anger and stress management classes and many more.
For more information about the event, call 256-547-6888.