MANA de Imperial Valley celebrates 25 years
HOLTVILLE — MANA de Imperial Valley honored three local women and celebrated its 25th anniversary as a local chapter at the annual Las Primeras Gala & Scholarship Fundraiser Friday evening.
The event was held at the Barbara Worth Country Club with more than 350 individuals in attendance. The annual gala raises funds for MANA’s local scholarship program for high school and Imperial Valley College students.
The Las Primeras Award is presented each year to three Latina women who are first in their field in their achievements and have gone above and beyond in serving the community. Since inception of the Las Primeras event, 73 women have been honored with the recognition.
This year’s honorees were the Honorable Monica Lepe-Negrete, Esther Sanchez-Banda and Veronica Avila Platero.
The Honorable Monica Lepe-Negrete is an Imperial County Superior Court Judge. Prior to being elected as judge, she was a lawyer in private practice and a partner in the first Latina-owned private law firm in Imperial County. She has advocated on behalf of disadvantaged populations and served on numerous nonprofit organizations and community service boards. She previously held several positions on the MANA de Imperial Valley board of directors, including president.
Esther Sanchez-Banda, a school board trustee with the Brawley Elementary School District, was honored for her leadership and tireless efforts in advocating for students in the community. She is currently serving as president of Hidalgo Society in Brawley and is the first Latina to serve in that role.
Veronica Avila Platero, branch manager and senior officer for Prime Lending, was honored for her contributions to the community and for being a champion for families in crisis. She is the president and co-Founder of the Fred I. Yturalde Scholarship Foundation and a board member for the Cancer Resource Center of the Desert.
In addition to honoring the Las Primeras winners, this year the MANA board also presented Legacy Awards to the Honorable Ruth Montenegro and Grace Alvarez Sesma for their exemplary leadership, strong community involvement and significant impact in improving the lives of Latinas.
Sesma was one of the original founding members of the MANA de Imperial Valley chapter and was involved in planning the first Las Primeras event in 1994. She travels internationally to offer lectures on Mexico’s healing traditions.
Montenegro is the sole magistrate judge in Imperial County and the first female to hold the position in Imperial County. Montenegro, a previous president of MANA, was instrumental in expanding many of the chapter’s programs that are still in place today. During her presidency she increased the chapter’s revenues and membership exponentially and incorporated MANA de Imperial Valley as a 501(c)(3). The chapter also was named Chapter of the Year by the MANA national organization and was honored in Washington, D.C.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to celebrate this important milestone for our local chapter — our 25th anniversary,” Martha Singh, president of MANA de Imperial Valley, said. “As we celebrate 25 years of service to our community, it is important to acknowledge that MANA could not have done this without the support and contributions of community partners, gala sponsors, corporate members and members.”