Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization (CACAO) has only been in existence since the spring of 2011, but you wouldn’t have known it based on the level of success of their first Christmas dinner dance held in Birmingham on December 17th.
 
Supporters from several Alabama towns and as far away as New Orleans came to show their support and enjoy the music of Atlanta based DJ Tony Randall, while enjoying the Caribbean fare catered by a local restaurant. According to Group Founder and President Pauline Ford-Caesar, “we have had nothing but positive feedback from those who attended and that has provided us with the impetus to move forward with our plans for the New Year.”  Those plans include, applying for their non-profit status so they will be able to attract more sponsors and also the planning of events celebrating Caribbean American Heritage Month during the month of June.
 
Mr. Anthony Ifediba, Senior Partner in the Ifediba Law Group, LLC and a sponsor of the event praised the efforts of CACAO and it’s officers, Vice President, Angela Balfour-Franklin, Treasurer, Peggy Watson and Outreach Coordinator, Maureen Richards for a job well done and has offered his assistance for next year’s dance which from all indications will be on a much larger scale.
 
According to Ms. Ford-Caesar, “Birmingham is currently running their “In” campaign which encourages residents of the city to get involved and do their part to elevate and promote the unique qualities and status of the city; we see that as the perfect opportunity to create a unique niche for ourselves while adding to the overall image of the city.”  With that in mind, the group is scheduled to meet with Birmingham Mayor William Bell in February, at which time they will share their ideas for their upcoming events during 2012.