MANA de Hidalgo County
Accomplishments
State Farm® Child Passenger Safety Event
MANA de Hidalgo County and the McAllen State Farm Insurance Companies Field Claims Office hosted two Child Passenger Safety Events in May, 2007. Several State Farm associates and MANA members assisted Jeanette Wallace, State Farm Team Manager and MANA de Hidalgo County Board Vice President, and Rachel Nino, State Farm Coordinator, with the events. MANA members included Irma Saldana, Board President, Certified Child Safety Seat Inspector Jayni Saenz, Lisa Valadez, and Jeanette Wallace. Special thanks to our co-hosts which included the McAllen Fire and Police Departments.
Overall, 40 vehicles were inspected on May 18, 2007, and 27 were equipped with new passenger seats donated by State Farm. The second event took place on May 30, 2007. A total of 63 vehicles were inspected and 49 were equipped with new passenger seats. BMP Radio–Digital 101.5 conducted live broadcasts during both events. State Farm Agent John Ftacek was also interviewed by the local news media.
View photos of the State Farm® Child Passenger Safety Event!
4th Annual Women’s Empowerment Conference
MANA de Hidalgo County held a successful 4th annual Empowering Today’s Woman conference entitled, “Dancing to Success: Mind, Body, and Soul,” at The University of Texas-Pan American on April 1st. The event was co-hosted by The College of Education of The University of Texas-Pan American and the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s. The purpose of the conference was to empower women throughout the Rio Grande Valley by spending a day focused on personal and professional development.
U.S. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa and New Mexico Secretary of State and a MANA Las Primeras Award recipient, Rebecca Vigil-Giron, were among the guest speakers. The one-day conference was free of charge and open to all women in the community. Breakfast, lunch, and conference goodie bags were provided. Informational seminars about health, wellness, diet and nutrition, and beauty; money management, credit counseling, and financial literacy; accessing higher education, starting a small business, and preparing for the workforce and much more were provided by various speakers and exhibition booths were on hand.
Entertainment included belly and salsa dances performed by Brenda Bennett and Sabor Vallero. Facial makeovers were available to conference participants. Door prizes included two weekend stays at the beach-front Holiday Inn Express on South Padre Island. A silent auction also took place where a beautiful painting depicting the conference theme painted by MANA member, Alma Tijerina Rodriguez, was awarded to the highest bidder.
The MANA de Hidalgo County conference planning committee worked long and hard for a great cause and had tremendous success with over 170 people participating in the event. Christina Balli, McAllen ISD Staff Development Officer and conference participant, said, “I just wanted to personally thank Dr. Zavala and all of the committee members for an outstanding conference. It was very evident that a lot of planning and hard work went into making this conference a success. The keynote speakers were motivational and inspiring. The informational breakout sessions provided us with various opportunities for personal and professional growth. The entertainment and door prizes were awesome! I particularly enjoyed the “Toothpaste” presentation. These young ladies are going to go far.”
A special thank you is extended to the conference sponsors who included State Farm Insurance Companies, Women’s Clinic of South Texas, International Bank of Commerce, and the Division of External Affairs of The University of Texas-Pan American. A very special thank you is also extended to the committee members pictured below.
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Front row
L to R: MANA de Hidalgo County Board Vice President, Irma Saldana;
Alma Tijerina Rodriguez; and Conference Co-chair, Eunice Garcia.
Back row: MANA de Hidalgo County Board Member, Marie S. Garcia;
Belinda Garza; MANA de Hidalgo County Board Member, Jeanette Cavazos-Wallace;
MANA de Hidalgo County Board Treasurer, Norma Castillo; MANA de
Hidalgo County Board President, Dr. Glendelia M. Zavala; and Cathy
Rodriguez. Committee members not shown include Conference Co-chair,
Julia Esparza, Abby Vela, Fatima Garcia, Victoria Rodriguez, and
Irma Hermida. |
View more photos of the Women's Conference!
MANA de Hidalgo
County
Board President and Chapter Receive National Awards
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L to R: Evangeline
Elizondo, National Board President, Irma Saldana, Dr. Glendelia
M. Zavala, Abby Vela, and Alma Morales-Riojas, National President/CEO. |
MANA, A National Latina Organization is delighted to announce that for the first time in the history of the organization it has recognized one of its members and chapters to receive the Blandina Cardenas Distinguished Service Award and the Evangeline Elizondo Overall Best Chapter Award. Dr. Glendelia M. Zavala, Board President of MANA de Hidalgo County, was selected by MANA’s national board of directors as the recipient of the Cardenas Award and MANA de Hidalgo County was selected as the recipient for the Elizondo Award. Dr. Zavala was presented the Distinguished Service Award at MANA’s Latina Summit and MANA de Hidalgo County was recognized as the Best Chapter at Las Primeras Awards Gala held this past October in Washington, D.C.
Over the past four years, MANA has been the beneficiary of Dr. Zavala’s dedication to community service. In the summer of 2001 she served as an intern at MANA’s Washington, D.C., office as part of her doctoral research in education. She developed the Mentoring Handbook for the HERMANITAS® program and also presented the Cultural Component at the National HERMANITAS® Summer Institute (NHSI) during the internship. Upon returning to the Rio Grande Valley she immediately began the process of extending MANA’s mission to South Texas. With the assistance of National Board Member, Evangeline Elizondo, and a few friends and colleagues, the groundwork to establish a new MANA Chapter was completed in just a few short months. On December 1, 2001, MANA de Hidalgo County was chartered by the MANA National Board of Directors.
As MANA de Hidalgo County Board President, Dr. Zavala has hosted numerous important events since the establishment of the local chapter. In January of 2002, the Chapter’s Induction Ceremony was held. Shortly thereafter, the HERMANITAS® program was implemented. Several young Latinas in the program attended a leadership conference hosted by MANA de San Antonio that summer. Additionally, two Hermanitas and two chapter board members attended the NHSI in Washington, D.C.
Every year since 2003, the Chapter has held successful annual Women’s Empowerment Conferences, collaborating with the office of U.S. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa and The University of Texas - Pan American, and attracting renowned speakers such as U. S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Congressmen Hinojosa. In 2003, the Chapter received a $10,000 grant from the National Latina Health Network to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in the community. That same year, the chapter hosted a Youth Health Forum focusing on HIV prevention, attracting State Representative, Aaron Pena, as keynote speaker. These accomplishments did not go unnoticed. In 2004, Congressman Hinojosa presented Dr. Zavala with a Congressional Award for her outstanding service as Founding President of the MANA de Hidalgo County Chapter.
MANA de Hidalgo County, the second chapter to be established in Texas, was selected as the recipient of the Evangeline Elizondo Chapter Overall Achievement Award based on these achievements and other activities. The Chapter’s HERMANITAS® program has mentored several future leaders. Chapter members have been selected and participated in the AvanZamos fellows leadership training funded by Ford Motor Company, and the Child Passenger Safety training funded by State Farm Insurance Companies. Additionally, several chapter members were certified as CreditSmart financial literacy bilingual trainers by Freddie Mac and have conducted ten financial literacy trainings in the community since October 2004, empowering hundreds of individuals with this knowledge including parents of students participating in UTPA’s GEAR UP program. In 2005, several members attended MANA’s national conference held in San Antonio and five Hermanitas and their moms attended the National Hermanitas Summer Institute in Washington, D.C.
For all of its outreach to community members in South Texas and especially for its successful mentoring of Latina youth, MANA de Hidalgo County richly deserves recognition as MANA National’s overall best chapter. The chapter is currently planning its fourth annual Women’s Empowerment Conference to be held in March 2006 and sponsorships are welcomed. Anyone interested in learning more about MANA or becoming a member of the local chapter may visit the following website: www.hermana.org, email manadehidalgo@aol.com, or call (956) 463-1711.
Dr. Zavala is the Director of Project
STARS (Supporting Teachers Across Rural Schools), a transition to teaching
program, at the University of Texas – Pan American (UTPA). She earned
a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership from UTPA after
being awarded a three-year fellowship by the Kellogg Foundation. Before
earning her doctorate, she earned a Master’s degree in Educational
Administration while working as a sixth-grade Math and Reading teacher
in the Mercedes Independent School District.
3rd Annual Women’s Empowerment Conference
MANA de Hidalgo County hosted its third annual women’s empowerment conference, “Empowering Today’s Woman: Empowering Through Education, College and Career Choices,” on March 5, 2005 at The University of Texas Pan American (UTPA). Co-hosted by UTPA’s Mother Daughter Program in conjunction with Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, the primary goal of the conference was to empower mothers and their daughters by spending a day focused on self-development by participating in activities and guest speaker presentations on the following topics: “How to be a Mom and Mentor to Your Daughter,” Maintaining Healthy Relationships in the Home, Financial Literacy, Education, Career Choices, and Nutritional Counseling. Dr. Glendelia M. Zavala, Board President of MANA de Hidalgo County and Dennis McMillan, UTPA Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services, welcomed the 150+ participants to the conference. Special guest appearances were made by Suzie Pena, Miss South Texas 2005; Alexandra Pena, Junior Miss-Rio Grande Valley 2005; and Samantha Pena, Little Miss Hostess RGV 2005 who greeted participants as they arrived and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance during the opening session. Keynote speaker was Rita Jaramillo, Chief of Staff for Congressman Ruben Hinojosa and former national president of MANA, A National Latina Organization who delivered a strong message on behalf of Congressman Hinojosa stressing the importance of parental participation in the lives of their children and nurturing their children to continue their education beyond high school. Rosana Rodriguez Ferguson, SBA’s Small Business Person of the Year 2004 for the Rio Grande Valley and the State of Texas also addressed the conference participants about the 12+ education plan.
Participants were then treated to a drama presentation by the PSJA North High School “Go” Theatre Traveling team under the direction of Gilbert Zepeda. The four-member team dramatized a very keen message about the importance of completing an education. Following the drama was a successful mother/daughter team, Abby and Ruth Ann Vela, who shared their personal stories, challenges, and successes. Conference participants enjoyed a delicious catered lunch and entertainment was provided by the PSJA High School String Quartet. The luncheon concluded with several mother daughter program students participating in a fashion show, modeling great fashions provided by Stein Mart.
The afternoon consisted of three informational workshops. Mothers had the opportunity to listen to Marie S. Garcia who taught them, “How to be a Mom and Mentor to your Daughter, two representatives from Mujeres Unidas who discussed the importance of maintaining healthy relationships in the home and avoiding domestic violence, and Irma Saldana who gave an overview of Freddie Mac’s financial literacy CreditSmart Espanol . The daughters had the opportunity to listen to various speakers from a variety of career choices which included artist, Laura Lopez Cano, who kindly allowed MANA de Hidalgo County to feature one of her artworks on the cover of the conference program; Cynthia Contreras Gutierrez, Attorney at Law; Raul Guajardo, the only private Forensic Scientist in South Texas; Azalia Lomeli, a research assistant at UTPA working on a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Michele Fuentes, a Veterinarian; and, Lt. Mark Venzor from the U. S. Naval Academy. The final session was on nutritional counseling conducted by Gina Garza and Denny Meline of the UTPA Border Health Office. The day ended with many, many door prizes given away.
MANA de Hidalgo County would like to thank Lisa Prieto, Associate Director of the UTPA Valley Outreach Center Mother Daughter program and Annette Rios, Student Development Specialist for co-hosting this wonderful event. A very special thank you is extended to U. S. Congressman Rubén Hinojosa for his continuous support of MANA’s effort to empower Latinas. Finally, a sincere thank you to this year’s conference sponsors, State Farm Insurance Companies; Women’s Clinic of South Texas; Peña Eye Institute; Vincent Honrubia, M.D., F.A.C.S; ACS; and Silva, Otting, and Silva for their financial support. MANA de Hidalgo County would also like to thank all conference contributors, exhibitors, and Wal-Mart in Edinburg, Tx and La Mexicana Bakery for sponsoring the breakfast.
MANA de Hidalgo County
hosts Welcome Reception for Dr. Blandina Cardenas,
UTPA President and founding chair of MANA
MANA de Hidalgo County hosted a welcome reception on September 23, 2004 at The University of Texas Pan American to honor Dr. Blandina “Bambi” Cardenas, the first woman and Latina selected to serve as president of The University of Texas Pan American and for being the founding chairperson of MANA, A National Latina Organization.
The reception began with entertainment by UTPA’s Femenil Mariachi band under the direction of Dr. Dahlia Guerra, who welcomed Dr. Cardenas upon her arrival. Dr. Karen Watt, vice president of MANA de Hidalgo County board of directors, officiated the event and introduced guest speaker and MANA member, Rita Jaramillo, chief of staff for U. S. Representative Ruben Hinojosa (D-Tx).
Jaramillo spoke about the evolvement of the Mexican American Women’s National Association into what is now MANA, A National Latina Organization, and the Hermanitas® Program that she implemented during her tenure as MANA National President.
Dr. Glendelia M. Zavala, founder and board president of MANA de Hidalgo County, addressed the audience by presenting a historical timeline of the establishment of MANA de Hidalgo County, exhibiting her passion for the mission of MANA, and excitement that UTPA’s president is the founding chair of the organization.
Dr. Cardenas also addressed the audience with a closing speech in which she explained how six Mexican-American women who worked in governmental agencies in the nation’s capital, after meeting a few Saturdays, decided there was a need to establish an organization that would focus on issues pertinent to Hispanic women. She also expressed the urgency of empowering Latinas.
Dr. Zavala presented Dr.
Cardenas with a MANA pin, making her an honorary member of the Hidalgo County
chapter. MANA de Hidalgo County board members also presented Dr. Cardenas
with some special gifts to end the successful event, with more than 150 MANA
members and guests in attendance. Members of MANA de Hidalgo County thank
Mr. Roland Arriola, Vice President of External Affairs at UTPA, and his staff
for co-sponsoring the reception.
