Women’s luncheon revived, thanks to Merced Soccer Academy

The Merced Soccer Academy is reviving the Latina Women’s Luncheon this week in an event that will recognize four Merced County women and their contributions to their communities.

The lunch, scheduled for Friday at the Stephen Leonard Youth Center, will be a revival of luncheons in the past that always sold out, said Rosa Barragan, one of the organizers.

“March is the month we celebrate women and the work they do,” she said. “These women are sort of ‘unsung heroes.’ They do so much, but sometimes they’re not recognized.”

The honorees are Jessica Espinoza Kazakos, Lillian Sanchez-Ramos, Martha Ramirez and Patricia Ramos-Andersen.

Kazakos is the local program manager of the Merced County Tobacco Control Coalition for the California Health Collaborative. She also is the first Latina elected to the Merced City School District board of trustees, a position she’s served in for eight years. Kazakos is described as someone who’s always willing to go out of her way to help anyone with a personal struggle and guide them.

Sanchez-Ramos is a community educator for Dignity Health’s Mercy Medical Center, where she helped establish the annual Mercy Medical Family Festival. She also organizes Zumba classes in Merced and the surrounding areas for residents of all ages. She gives educational classes on diabetes in English and Spanish and participates in Binational Health Week.

Ramirez has taught Spanish at Delhi High School for more than 18 years. She established the Chicano Studies course there, where she leads the Spanish department. Her students have a high success rate on earning the Seal of Biliteracy from the Merced County Office of Education and also earn top scores on Advanced Placement tests. Her supporters say much of her students’ success is due, in part, to her mentorship.

Ramos-Andersen has been involved in Santa Nella for years. She was the first Latina elected to serve on the Santa Nella Water District board since 1965. She organized leadership training programs, neighborhood revitalization strategies and the Santa Nella Christmas program. Ramos-Andersen also has organized and planned the League of United Latin American Citizens youth and parent conference.

The luncheon is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m on Friday at the youth center, 640 T St. in Merced. A few spots are left, but space is limited. To reserve a spot, which includes a free lunch provided by the soccer academy, contact Yolanda Valencia at 209-769-2098 or Daisy Ramirez at 209-724-0850. Reservations may also be made by emailing aguileras1728@hotmail.com.

This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Women’s luncheon revived, thanks to Merced Soccer Academy."