Luis Fonsi Feted with AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s SOMOS Humanitarian Award

Luis Fonsi iis being heralded for his philanthropic endeavors…

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation recently hosted its fifth annual SOMOS gala in Miami to raise awareness around AIDS prevention and HIV in the Hispanic community and honored the 41-year-old Puerto Rican singer with the SOMOS Humanitarian Award.

Luis Fonsi SOMOS Awards

“As a Puerto Rican, as a Latin living in the U.S., it is my responsibility to use my voice not just to sing, but also to ensure that the voices of those who need it the most are heard,” said Fonsi, accepting his award during the gala held at the Fillmore Beachon Sunday.

Fonsi was honored for his philanthropic work with St. Jude Children’s Hospital and the efforts of his Luis Fonsi Foundationto help victims of Hurricane Maria.

“I’m honored to receive this award,” said Fonsi. “But the real award is seeing the face of a healthy, happy child. … That’s my prize. My prize is to help. To be useful to others. To alleviate the pain some people carry.”

Hosted by iHeartMedia’s Enrique Santo sand TV host Jessica Carrillo, the SOMOS gala also featured DJ Africaand performances by Reykon and Grupo Niche.

Fonsi to Earn Spirit of Hope Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards

Luis Fonsi is earning a special recognition…

The 39-year-old Puerto Rican singer will be honored with the Spirit of Hope Award for his humanitarian work with St. Jude Children’s Hospital at the Billboard Latin Music Awards on April 27.

Luis Fonsi

Fonsi will receive the accolade created in honor of the late Selena Quintanilla and given to artists for their philanthropic and humanitarian contributions beyond their musical work.

Fonsi began working closely with St. Jude and other programs fighting childhood cancer since the beginning of his career, but it wasn’t until 2008 that he became its Thanks and Giving campaign ambassador.

“I sang at fundraisers for St. Jude but realized nobody was the face of the Latin community for the hospital,” Fonsi tells Billboard. “I said, ‘I’d like to be that messenger.'”

The “Despacito” singer — who recently released a new remix of the song featuring Justin Bieber singing in Spanish — will also perform at the awards show. Other superstars set to perform include Ricardo ArjonaNicky JamCNCO and J Balvin.

Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, from the Netflix series Ingobernable, and Puerto Rican actor and singer Carlos Ponce will host the awards ceremony.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will air live on Telemundo from The Watsco Center at the University of Miami, are the culmination of the Billboard Latin Music Conference, taking place April 24-27 at the Ritz Carlton Miami Beach.