The Mendocino Women’s Political Coalition (MWPC) with AAUW-Ukiah and Cloud Forest Institute presents the 41st Annual Women’s History Gala Celebration on Sunday, March 2 at the SPACE Theater, 508 W. Perkins St., Ukiah.
The program begins at 1 p.m., but doors open at noon for socializing, enjoying refreshments, and bidding on the Silent Auction items to raise funds to support MWPC. Woven throughout the Gala will be a celebration of the accomplishments of women along with poetry, music, political updates, and an array of savory and sweet hors d’oeuvres.
Ukiah City Councilmember Heather Criss will serve as the emcee. Music will be provided by the Girl’s Orchestra from the Instilling Goodness Developing Virtue Girls School; poetry will be read by Devreaux Baker, the first Mendocino County Poet Laureate; and the featured speaker will be Fiona Ma, California’s 34th State Treasurer.
Valerie Trouette, Thiara Barber, Josette Kneeley, and Addie Ross, the officers from the Ukiah High School Women’s Empowerment Club, will describe the purpose and goals of their club.
Three Mendocino County women who embody the 2025 National Women’s History theme “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations” have been selected as honorees.
Representing diverse backgrounds and each making her mark in a different field are: Marybeth Kelly, Redwood Valley; Jin Jr Shi, Talmage; and Saprina Rodriguez, Willits. Through their inspiring speeches, the 2025 honorees will encourage women and girls to chart their own paths of inspiration through education and community involvement.
Marybeth Kelly retired as a teacher of math at Eagle Peak Middle School in 2010. During her college years at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, she was involved in ROTC, and after graduation 2nd Lt. Kelly served in the U.S. Army. During her military training, Kelly participated in Army Jump School and was the first woman to qualify as an airborne paratrooper.
She was on active duty in Germany for three years and followed as a platoon leader in Georgia, where she departed from her military career at the rank of captain. While she excelled in her military work, she has many stories of her challenging experiences as a woman in the male military culture.
Investing emotionally and volunteering incessantly, Marybeth Kelly is immersed in her Redwood Valley community. She launched her energies from the Redwood Valley Grange that was revitalizing itself at the time of the 2017 wildfire, when the Grange became a sanctuary offering necessary services.
Kelly’s involvement has been a consistently vital part of the Grange activities to help with regulations and logistics for upgrading the Grange building and creating a community kitchen. The RV Grange has particularly benefited from her role as secretary with her energetic and focused organizational skills. Speaking for many RV Grange board officers, Wendy DeWitt says, “Marybeth is a treasure who works tirelessly and with passion for her neighbors and community. She never blows her own horn, is never a braggart, and is always just there to help.”
Marybeth Kelly has been a regular participant in the monthly Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council (RVMAC) that serves to guide the County of Mendocino in planning decisions for the Redwood Valley area.
Kelly’s most recent project is a proposal to develop the vacant Redwood Valley Elementary School into a recreation center. Working with a committee, she has prepared a compelling presentation to the community and to the school board promoting a plan for the Redwood Valley Recreation Center. Besides working within organizations, she volunteers to help individuals needing internet support for them to share their forward thinking ideas.
Bhikshuni Jin Jr Shi (Contributed)Bhikshuni Jin Jr Shi grew up in Malaysia, where she became acquainted with a number of spiritual traditions. At the age of 15, a turning point occurred in her spiritual life, when she attended a lecture by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, founder of City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB), in Talmage.
After attending various retreats at CTTB, in 1995 Jin Jr left home and became a nun at CTTB, where she committed her life to the dual paths of Buddhism and education. Jin Jr completed her B.A. at San Francisco State, her M.A. at Stanford University, and her Ed.D. at Columbia University.
She says, “I am drawn to bringing Buddhist thought into curriculum studies at the K-12 as well as university levels. I am eager to explore the potential that Buddhist liberal studies education offers for developing personhood among democratic citizens of the world.”
Jin Jr is currently the principal of Instilling Goodness Developing Virtue Girls School. Under her guidance, girls participate in academic classes with many taking advanced placement courses while also involved in community activities. Inviting the elders and youth of the greater Ukiah area, they sponsor Honoring Elders Day and Cherishing Youth Day which recognize and entertain each of these groups. The girls’ orchestra and dance groups also perform for many civic events.
A teacher at the girls high school for over 10 years, Dr. Victoria Patterson, says “At school, she is a whirl of activity overseeing classes and teachers at both elementary and high school. She is a stern but fair presence and shows great compassion for both students and teachers.”
Also a professor at Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU), Jin Jr says, “The growing student body at DRBU brings special energy to the CTTB campus. Because it’s an unusual setting for learning, DRBU students tend to be uniquely independent, motivated to learn about themselves in a spiritual context, and open to meeting people of different backgrounds.” Jin Jr also serves as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Saprina Rodriguez (Contributed)Saprina Rodriguez, a longtime resident of Willits, continues being a multifaceted leader in many areas of her community. A graduate of the 25th class of Leadership Mendocino, she says, “I’ve spent over three decades here, raising my family and building strong connections within our community. I am passionate about our city and committed to ensuring that it remains a great place to live, work and raise a family. My experience as mayor has taught me the importance of strong leadership, compassion and accountability.”
Rodriguez has been a local business entrepreneur for the past 23 years; for 14 of those years she has been owner and operator of Imagination Station Preschool and Child Care Center, employing 18 people and serving 120 children. Seven years ago, she added the Toy Depot and recently established The Whistle Stop restaurant.
Her interest in education extended to her service on the Mendocino County Early Education Planning Commission. She also served four years on the Willits Unified School Board, president in 2013/14, and has volunteered as an aide in public school classrooms for over 20 years.
For the past eight years, Rodriguez has served on the Willits City Council, just completing her second term as mayor this past December. During her city council years she served on the City of Willits Finance, Transportation, Housing, Mobile Home, and Measure K Bond oversight committees. For five years she has also served as Chair of the MTA Board.
In addition to her business, education and civic work, Saprina Rodriguez has dedicated her time with nonprofit organizations, especially youth. Inspired by her own experience as a foster parent, she created a nonprofit, Foster Youth Outfitters, to provide clothing for foster and at-risk youth. Leading Boy and Girl Scout Troops for many years, she has also volunteered with the Willits Youth Soccer Association for 33 years, coaching and serving as president for more than two decades, often coaching multiple teams and age groups at the same time.
Everyone is invited to attend this important and festive 41st Annual Women’s History Gala Celebration on Sunday, March 2. Gala tickets are $10 at the door.
You are encouraged to arrive early with the doors opening at noon for you to take part in the Silent Auction and to enjoy the refreshments.
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