EAST LOS ANGELES-MONTEBELLO BPW NAMES

COMMUNITY ACTIVIST MARIE MONTANEZ ITS
“WOMAN OF ACHIEVEMENT” FOR 2019

Monterey Park, CA—The East Los Angeles-Montebello Business and Professional Women (BPW) has selected community activist Marie Montanez, as its 2019 “Woman of Achievement.” She will be honored at a dinner at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 2009 S. Garfield Avenue, Monterey Park, on Wednesday, October 23rd. Networking starts at 4:30 p.m. with the dinner starting by 5:00 p.m. Cost of the dinner is $15. The dinner is open to the public. Contact Linda Wilson (626) 307-5650 or lindalwilson@juno.com to make a reservation.

Montanez is an active community volunteer. She is a member of the Monterey Park Woman’s Club where she has held the positins of Treasurer and Director of Philanthropy. She has received the Woman’s Club awards for Clubwoman of the Year, Kindness Angel and Presidents’ Award. Through the Monterey Park Woman’s Club, she spearheaded the Annual Purse Project, which donates purses filled with personal care items to local domestic violence shelters. She is a member of the Laura Scudder’s Scholarship Committee in coordination with the Monterey Park Historical Society. She is also a member of the Monterey Park Garden Club. She has been responsible for getting thousands of new and gently used children’s books donated to local organizations including the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library, Maryvale, Boys and Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel Valley, YMCA, Monterey Park Day Care, East Los Angeles College Day Care, MERCI, Jewish Community Preschool, Domestic Violence Shelters, San Gabriel Mission and the Annual Christmas Toy Drive for the Monterey Park Police and Fire Departments. She assists with the Monterey Park Library Foundation’s fundraisers. In addition, she participated in the Reader’s Theater at the Library honoring Laura Scudder. Montanez volunteers at the Pasadena Showcase House to help assist Tech Trek as they help young girls learn about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers.

Montanez was born in Santa Barbara, but came to Monterey Park when she was six-years-old. She graduated from Mark Keppel High School and attended Pasadena City College. She has been married to her husband Jerry since 1975.

In the early 1970s Montanez did Real Estate Market Research for a financial newsletter. In the mid-1970s she started as a part-time teller at Pacific Saving and Loan on Garfield in Monterey Park. She retired from banking as a Regional Vice-President in the mid 90’s. In the 90’s she worked for University of Chicago here in California and until 2002 she worked as Senior Tasting Editor for a wine tasting magazine. She enjoys doing craft projects and working in the garden with her Mom.

This recognition program is part of East Los Angeles-Montebello BPW’s celebration of National Business Women’s Week_® (NBWW)_. National Business Women’s Week_®
lets communities, companies and organizations celebrate the contributions of workingwomen and companies that have made strides toward improving working women’s lives in their communities. Emma Dot Partridge, Executive Secretary of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women, came up with the concept of National Business Women’s Week_® with the first celebration being April 15-22, 1928. In 1938 NBWW moved to the third week of October. U.S. President Herbert Hoover was the first President to issue a letter recognizing NBWW and the contributions and achievements of working women. Every President since then has issued a proclamation recognizing NBWW.
East Los Angeles-Montebello BPW is a member of the California Federation of Business and Professional Women and also a member of the National Federation of
Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, inc. (NFBPWC) and BPW International. NFBPWC is 100-years-old this year and is the oldest organization of its kind in the world; devoted entirely and actively to the interests and needs of all women irrespective of their occupations and of their status. Our mission is to achieve equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education and information. Today, we continue the fight for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, the ratification of the CEDAW treaty and equal pay for women. Membership is open to anyone who supports this and other items on our Public Policy Statement.

The recognition dinner is open to all interested people. For more information about the dinner or about BPW, contact Linda Wilson, East Los Angeles-Montebello BPW, at (626) 307-5650 or lindalwilson@juno.com.