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ROSIE
CASALS
Sports & Recreation
1995
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Rosie Casals is a championship tennis player, but beyond that she
is one of the pioneers of women's tennis. She has worked tirelessly
throughout her career and has been a major force in attending prestige
and money for the women's game. She is a co-founder of the Women's
International Tennis Association where women were finally able to
speak with a single, strong and effective voice to advance the opportunities
for female tennis players. As an advocate on behalf of women
and women athletes, Casals is the founder and President of Sportswomen,
Inc., an active force in promoting women-owned businesses. Her
goal is to develop leadership talents in women, motivating them to
break down barriers and strive for equality.
Casals has provided an opportunity for women,
as well as men, to play competitively in their later years with her
Tennis Classic, the "Over-30" tournament circuit.
She has supported tennis opportunities for less advantaged young girls
and is active in youth organizations, conducting several tennis clinics
each year for less advantaged youth. She supports the Endangered
Species Project through the Rosie Casals Celebrity Tennis Invitational.
Not content with simply achieving as an outstanding athlete, she has
worked actively to make opportunities available for others, especially
women. A resident of Marin for the past 24 years, she is the
tennis pro at Harbor Point Racquet Club in Mill Valley.
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MARILYN
PRICE
Sports & Recreation
2006
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"Marilyn
Price" and "Trips for Kids" are rarely mentioned
separately. The terms are two sides of an equation. And Trips for
Kids (TFK) is why Marilyn has been named to the Marin Women's Hall
of Fame.
For
the past twenty years, TFK has been the focus of Marilyn's life.
She works 70 to 80 hours a week to provide at-risk children ---kids
who need it most---with the opportunity to ride mountain bikes.
Not only do the kids take bike trips supervised by caring adults,
they also learn to fix and maintain their equipment. They can even
learn bike repair and earn credits to purchase a bike for themselves.
In the process they make friends, learn skills, and discover that
exercise is fun. Less obvious are learning to set and accomplish
goals, gaining respect for the environment, and finding that dreams
are achievable---maybe a bike ride away.
A
native of St. Louis, Marilyn earned a B.A. in sociology from the
University of Michigan. She moved to Marin 40 years ago and has
two grown children. She has experience in non-profit management,
environmentalism, social work, and bicycle advocacy. She worked
for the Resource Renewal Institiute, developed local recycling projects,
volunteered with homeless youth, and worked at the first mountain
bike shop in Marin.
Perseverance
is one of Marilyn's hallmarks. By persevering she was able to succeed
in a male-dominated sport. "Sustained commitment is vital."
she says. "You have to set your sights and keep at it."
Perseverance
is also evident in the success of TFK. Originally a volunteer-run
program run on a hope and a dream out of Marilyn's living room,
TFK now has an office, a staff of 15, and hundreds of volunteers.
So far more than 28,000 low-income, inner city, at-risk kids across
the country have taken a ride with TFK.
Seeing
Marilyn in action is to witness selfless giving. Though eager to
get on with her "to do" list, she always has time to check
in with staff and visitors to the office. She's a big reason why
Trips for Kids has caught on across the U.S.
Marilyn
has awards from the Marin County Human Rights Commission, the Marin
Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Girl Scouts, and the Sporting Goods
Manufacturers Association. Marilyn Price has rightly earned her
place in the Marin Women's Hall of Fame.
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