Serving as the emcee will be Janice Uccelli, director of marketing for the Retirement Inn of Daly City. Daly City’s Historian extraordinaire Bunny Gillespie will provide insightful and anecdotal reflections of local Women’s History. Women and gender-related issues will also be well represented in the entertainment, vendor displays, raffle prizes and informational booths.

“As women have changed the national landscape, so have they richly influenced our community,” noted Mayor Carol L. Klatt.  “At this first annual Women’s History celebration in Daly City, we aim to recognize those who have added to our community’s vitality and diversity. This would include the courageous women from yesteryear, as well as today’s visionary leaders,” she added.

Nominees for the “National Women’s History Month Award” must  “live, work, or be an active contributor to the Daly City community,” according to event organizers. The three award categories are youth (16 to 18 years old), adult (19 – 64 years old) and senior (65 years old and over). The event’s mission statement is on the application form and should serve as a guide in determining the eventual honorees. A review committee, chaired by a Daly City Parks and Recreation department staff, will evaluate the nomination applications.

To submit a nomination form “to honor outstanding individuals for their civic, professional and volunteer contributions” in Daly City, applications must be completed and submitted with a postmark deadline no later than February 23, 2005. No nomination fee is required. Application forms are available by calling (650) 991-8190, or by visiting: www.dalycity.org

To attend the awards luncheon, advanced reservations are encouraged due to space limitations. Meal tickets are $10 each, or $120 for a corporate table of 10. Vendor tables are also available for $20 each. Make checks payable to the City of Daly City (note ”Parks and Recreation WHML”), and mail to Leslie Peay Heckman, Event Coordinator, Daly City Parks and Recreation, 111 Lake Merced Boulevard, Daly City, CA  94015. Deadline is also on February 23^rd. For more information, call (650) 991-8190, or email: lpeayheckman@dalycity.org  Event information is posted on the City of Daly City’s website at www.dalycity.org

Event co-sponsors are CURVES, Classic Sign Solutions, Joe’s of Westlake Restaurant, First National Bank of Northern California, Fresh Choice, Outback Steakhouse, Starbucks Coffee and Marie Callender’s Restaurant. Other local businesses also donated in the raffle prizes.

The National Women’s History Month movement began in the Bay Area in the l970s. At the time, women’s history was virtually unknown in the K-12 curriculum, or in general public discussions. In an effort to address this void, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women, in 1978, founded the “Women’s History Week” celebration, on March 8 to coincide with the International Women’s Day. Within a few years, and with several dozen more nearby schools participating, Santa Rosa added an annual parade in the celebration.

In 1979, members of the local groups attended the Women’s History Institutes at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where they shared information about the annual program and festivities. In 1981, a joint Congressional Resolution – the first ever – declared the “National Women’s History Week.” This prompted state departments of education nationwide to utilize the annual celebration as an effective educational tool in the classrooms. In 1987, the National Women’s History Project (NWHP) petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. The resolution was approved with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.