Heritage and Hope executive director honored for five years of work with Asian American youth
ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 4, 2026) – Maxine Sudarma, executive director of Heritage and Hope, received the 2026 Community Impact Award from the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida (AACC) at the chamber’s annual awards gala on Sept. 19 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport.
The chamber recognized Sudarma for work that began with one Lunar New Year festival in 2022 and grew into a youth leadership nonprofit. That work includes Celebrate Lunar, the region’s largest Lunar New Year festival; East Meets West, a free AAPI Heritage Month festival; and Heritage and Hope’s youth development and mentorship programs.
“I started Heritage and Hope because I saw the gaps, and I wanted to build the bridge,” Sudarma said. “This award belongs to the students, vendors, volunteers and families who kept showing up.”
A shared table at The Golden Horizon gala
The award was presented at The Golden Horizon, the AACC’s 14th annual gala honoring leadership, innovation and community impact across Central Florida. Founded in 1986, the chamber supports Asian American businesses in Greater Orlando.
Sudarma attended with her husband, Heritage and Hope co-founder and president David Sudarma, at a table sponsored by Maaswinkel Law and Sierra Marketing, the Orlando digital marketing agency David runs.
“Maxine built Celebrate Lunar from a blank page, and every year she found a way to put students closer to the center of it,” David Sudarma said.
Celebrate Lunar: from a sold-out first year to a fifth anniversary
Sudarma launched Celebrate Lunar in 2022, the Year of the Tiger, through her Orlando event planning company, Made With Max. It was meant to be one big tent for the many cultures that mark the new year, and she built it around food. She still hand-picks every vendor so each culture is represented, from Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese dishes to Filipino, Japanese, Thai, Lao and Cambodian cooking.
- 2022: The first Celebrate Lunar sells out, as it would in each of its first three years.
- 2024: The festival moves to Luminary Green Park in downtown Orlando’s Creative Village.
- 2025: It expands to two days and partners with local high school Asian American clubs for the first time.
- 2026: The fifth anniversary, the Year of the Horse, is the first produced by Heritage and Hope, with ticket sales supporting its youth programs.
The festival now draws more than 7,000 attendees, adding about 2,000 new guests a year. Students now work its stages, run booths for their clubs and volunteer behind the scenes.
East Meets West
Each May, Sudarma also produces East Meets West, a free festival for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The 2026 edition ran May 1 and 2 at Pioneers in Lake Nona, with Asian street food, tea and matcha workshops, mahjong and booths from local makers and authors.
Many vendors are small, Asian-owned businesses in their first year or two, and the festival puts them in front of a crowd they would struggle to reach alone. Sponsorships go directly to Heritage and Hope’s student programs.
Youth development and mentorship
The festivals fund the work the Sudarmas care about most. As an Asian American family, they saw how cultural gaps and a shortage of identity-focused resources held young people back, and they set out to build what they wished they had growing up. Heritage and Hope’s values are rooted in biblical principles, and its programs are open to everyone.
- Leadership workshops: Small groups on identity, public speaking, teamwork and vision-building.
- Mentorship connections: Students meet Asian American professionals and community leaders who understand their path.
- Volunteering and school outreach: Hands-on festival roles, plus support that keeps high school Asian American clubs active and funded.
“We want to do things in a very hands-on way,” David Sudarma said. “Not a lecture format, but something experiential.”
The organization held its first youth leadership kick-off on Feb. 28, 2026, followed in April by “Claim Your Story,” a workshop on treating one’s own Asian American story as the starting point for leadership.
What comes next
The award arrives as Heritage and Hope finishes its first full year. The next step is to grow mentorship: more workshops, more students and more partnerships with local businesses and leaders willing to give their time.
“The festivals were always the front door,” David Sudarma said. “What happens with these students after they walk through it is the real work.”
Students can attend events or volunteer. Adults can mentor, volunteer or give at heritageandhope.net/support-us. Businesses can sponsor or vend at Celebrate Lunar and East Meets West by emailing [email protected].
About Heritage and Hope
Heritage and Hope is an Orlando-based youth leadership organization for Asian American high school and college students. It owns and produces Celebrate Lunar and East Meets West. Learn more at heritageandhope.net and celebratelunar.com.
Media contact: Maxine Sudarma, Executive Director · (407) 476-3535 · [email protected]