The Turlock community will once again come together to honor inspirational women while supporting the Salvation Army in the seventh annual Divas on Broadway luncheon.

The Divas on Broadway event was started as a way to recognize women who go above and beyond to give back to the Turlock community. Attendees are treated to a luncheon, fashion show, opportunity drawing and a live auction, all in an effort to support the Salvation Army’s summer camp for children. 

The event will be held at 11:30 a.m. March 4 at the Carnegie Arts Center in downtown Turlock.

This year’s event will honor Allison Jeffery, Peggy Jenkin, Mohini Singh, Arlene Vierra and a special recognition to the Turlock Garden Club for keeping Main Street looking beautiful. 

Jeffery is the Associate Director of Research Cohorts for Legacy Health Endowment and the EMC Health Foundation, where she gets to work alongside local organizations in Stanislaus and Merced County to improve health and mental health access. She’s dedicated her career to working with non-profit organizations and is an advocate for health equity, mental health awareness and the advancement of children to their highest potential. Jeffery has spent years working on community taskforces, with chamber groups, committing time to local schools, and volunteering for our non-profits.

Jenkin, a retired teacher, facilitates a grief support group at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She also coordinates the homebound and care facility ministries for her church and dinners for the We Care and Turlock Gospel Mission shelters for her church.

Singh is a chef, entrepreneur and culinary instructor. She is the founder and president of Kitchens for Change, a student-organization operating at the Turlock High and Pitman High campuses hoping to bring awareness and solutions to food insecurity in Turlock.

Vierra grew up working on the family farm. In 1997, she took her real estate license course and passed the test without telling anyone and hung it on her refrigerator as a reminder to herself that she was still capable of passing a test and has been working as a Realtor ever since. She has served as President of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce of California for three terms and served as Supreme President of the Sociadade do Espirito Santo (SES) A Portuguese Fraternal Organization along side her daughter, Lisa, who served as the President of the youth entity. She’s also very involved in her church, Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Hilmar, teaching sacramental preparation for first communion students, as well as serving on the finance committee and building committee. Vierra has hosted float building at her house for Hilmar’s homecoming festivities since 1989 and has served as a “secret mom” for girls volleyball and basketball teams.

For 75 years, the Turlock Garden Club has ensured downtown’s street corners catch the eyes of passers-by with their vivid flowers. They have turned the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds into a must-see event for garden lovers throughout the region, and they have tended to plants at community havens like the Carnegie Arts Center and Jessica’s House. Countless organizations have benefitted from their generosity, and the group has grown immensely from its small beginnings in 1948.

Tickets for Divas on Broadway are $50 each or $480 for a table of eight. To purchase tickets contact Kristin Bettencourt at (209) 850-1851 or the Salvation Army at (209) 667-6091.