In what’s become an annual tradition to highlight the positive community contributions made by some of its strongest, most dedicated female members, Osceola County recognized the recipients of its “Woman Warrior” awards at Monday’s Commission meeting.
The county began giving out the Women Warrior awards eight years ago. Each commissioner selects a nominee for the award.
The 2022 recipients:
Capt. Jessie Chapman (nominated by Peggy Choudhry): She is an Area Commander for the Salvation Army of Orange and Osceola County. She also leads women’s and youth groups within the organization.
“She’s always helping non-profits, and it’s great to see her leadership working collaboratively within our community,” Choudhry said, discussing why she nominated Chapman.
“We do this for the community, not for the awards, but it’s nice whenever your comrades recognize you for something you just do by nature,” Chapman said.
Bethzaida Garcia (Viviana Janer): By day, the former county administration and Sheriff ’s Office community outreach officer is the current Osceola County Fire/Rescue EMS Public Education Coordinator. If her off time, she has founded Life in Your Hands, a non-profit dedicated to domestic violence and sexual assault awareness.
“It’s a calling from God to help to continue doing this work,” Garcia said. “I wish to thank my family and all my friends for giving me the opportunity to serve.”
Wilda Belisle (Brandon Arrington): She has been with the Osceola Council on Aging for 24 years, starting as a case manager and working her way up to her current role, Senior Vice President of Nutrition and being the driving force behind the Osceola County Meals on Wheels program, which became nationally-recognized in 2019 through many of her efforts. Belisle also serves the Rotary Club of West Osceola, where she is the president-elect.
“I want to say ‘Thank You’ from the bottom of my heart,” she said. ”We’re doing something that resonates in the community, and I love that they allow me to do what I love, being with my seniors with an incredible organization like the Council on Aging, in a community that is so awesome.”
Diana Marrero-Pinto (Cheryl Grieb): A 20-year professional of non-profit organization, Pinto has been Kissimmee Main Street’s Executive Director since 2016, a visible face for highlighting the downtown Kissimmee business community by coordinating and marketing downtown events.
“The fact she’s done this for six years is a feat,” Grieb said. “Hers is a position that takes a lot out of you, especially the last two years. She’s had to guide the downtown business through the pandemic, during that time she delivered food boxes to business employees herself.”
“I am humbled to stand among these great women,” Marrero-Pinto said. “I love what I do. It’s the adage,
‘You don’t work a day in your life if you love what you do.’ I come from a family who taught us to give back, and I appreciate everything they allow me to do for this community.”
Jennifer Paul (Ricky Booth): A member of a generational Osceola County African-American family, Paul takes time from a manufacturing position at Lockheed Martin to share the county’s rich African-American history with the community, and chair the NACCP of Osceola County’s Environmental, Climate and Justice Committee.
“Me and my family have lived in Osceola County our whole lives, and it’s amazing what I’ve learned about our community’s history from Jennifer,” Booth said. “It doesn’t seem right we call it ‘African-American history,’ when it’s our history here in Osceola County.
“The purpose of sharing Black History in Osceola County is because some may not understand the deep effects of racism,” Paul said. “We have so many African-Americans in our community who have paved a way for us during a time when racism was deeply imbedded. History should not be kept untold; we must never forget our past. Osceola County is a community from Narcoossee to Kissimmee built by many cultures. Black History is part of that; one voice heard encouraged others to voice their concerns.”
