Record crowd attends Manatee Women's Resource Center luncheon to honor 4 'Wonder Women'

BRADENTON -- A "Wonder Woman" is defined by Ashley Brown of The Women's Resource Center of Manatee as an individual who goes above and beyond to make Manatee County a better place.

This year, Alicia Cotton of Tropicana, Adell Erozer of Turning Points, Johnette Isham of Realize Bradenton and Shannon Rohrer-Phillips of Visible Men Academy added the title of "Wonder Women" to their list of accomplishments.

The honors were bestowed Tuesday during the WRC Founder's Impact Luncheon at Renaissance on 9th, an event during which a large portion of the organization's $500,000 annual budget is raised, said Brown, executive director.

A Founder's Impact Luncheon record crowd of more than 280 saw the total of Wonder Women rise to 29 after 25 were named at WRC's

25th anniversary luncheon last year.

"We did it again because of the response from last year and we had people who we wanted to honor," Brown said.

"Today represents the diversity of Manatee County," Brown said of the four new honorees. "We have people working in education, corporate, helping the homeless and public and private partnerships for arts and culture."

Jacki Dezelski, who nominated Isham, said her leadership has "transformed Bradenton."

"Her passion, creativity and ability to inspire others has resulted in a revitalized community," Dezelski said.

Rohrer-Phillips is helping students reach their maximum ability, said Steve Lobel, who nominated Rohrer-Phillips.

"Alicia has been an exceptional role model to young women in our community through her work with Palmetto High School's Mosaic Academy and Tropicana's Women's Inclusion Network," said Marilynne Bolek, who nominated Cotton.

Margi Dawson, who nominated Erozer, called her "the voice for the disadvantaged within our community."

WRC is a nonprofit that offers programs and services such as yoga classes, dance parties, health and wellness workshops, employment coaching, basic computer classes, support groups, mental health counseling and legal help, Brown said.

At every Founder's Impact Luncheon someone gets to deliver a, "What the WRC has meant to me?" speech.

This year, Maria Zavala took the opportunity and made it her own.

Zavala has been an adviser at Whole Child Manatee, where she helps needy families, including migrant and immigrant families, get services they desperately need.

She bared her own soul Tuesday about a time when she needed to be on the receiving end of help but was almost too proud to seek it.

It was a time when the person she loved, her partner, walked away from their relationship, leaving her devastated, Zavala told a record-setting crowd of 285 for a Founders Impact Luncheon.

Medications didn't fully bring back the light back her partner had taken, nor did psychiatry, she said.

One day, Zavala walked into the Women's Resource Center, whose mission is to help women reconnect with their self-esteem and resilience. It was there Zavala found the spark she needed, she said.

"The WRC is a place where you walk through the door and immediately you feel like it is home," said Zavala, who went on to found a group called Latinas of the WRC. "It's casual. It's loving. It's caring. Women open their arms when you walk in and whatever it is you need you will get it there."

Such creative programs can reunite a woman and her self-confidence, including a new pilot program this year called Project UpLift, Brown said.

The program is for lower socioeconomic clients, helping them rise from educational and career restraints that limit their earning potential, Brown added.

Through a partnership with Visible Men Academy, Project UpLift has provided case management to 16 clients and introduced mental health counseling and coaching to the women at Visible Men Academy, Brown said.

The Unique Boutique, 417 12th St. W., Bradenton, was also honored for its 10-year anniversary.

The store in Jennings Arcade in downtown Bradenton has been "lovingly nurtured" for 10 years by Mike and Jaymie Carter and has grown to provide 19 percent of the revenue needed to support all WRC programs, Brown said.

Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7072 or contact him via Twitter@RichardDymond.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 11:50 PM with the headline "Record crowd attends Manatee Women's Resource Center luncheon to honor 4 'Wonder Women' ."