Group to honor five women

Deepa Bharath

Valinda Martin lives with pain constantly shooting through her back.

But you can’t tell from her voice, which is cheerful and upbeat.

The 43-year-old Corona del Mar resident, who owns Art for the Soul

gift shops in Balboa Island and Laguna Beach, was a professional

model before she broke her back in a boating accident 10 years ago.

Martin is paralyzed from the waist down, but that hasn’t slowed

her. Although the accident shattered her back, it couldn’t break her

spirit and her indomitable will to survive.

And that’s exactly what has put her on Orange County’s map as an

outstanding woman. Martin will be one of five women to be honored at

the ninth annual Remarkable Women Awards Luncheon to be hosted on

Oct. 15 by the National Assn. of Women Business Owners’ Orange County

chapter.

Newport Beach resident Harriett Wieder, a former Huntington Beach

mayor and county supervisor, will be honored in the same category.

Wieder now owns her political consulting company, Linkage.

Women such as Martin and Wieder are pioneers, said Danielle

Hewitt, event committee co-chair.

“We’re looking for women with that entrepreneurial edge,” she

said. “In the corporate world, people talk about pushing the glass

ceiling. But we’re looking for women who have redefined the glass

ceiling or broken it.”

Wieder is a pioneer in the field of politics, Hewitt said.

“Her contributions are simply amazing,” she said.

Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner and City Council candidate

Katrina Foley also will be honored at the Oct. 15 luncheon as Member

of the Year by another group called Women in Leadership.

Foley, who started a law firm with her partner six years ago, said

her business has come far.

“My partner and I started by sharing a desk, computer and a

phone,” she said. “Today, we employ a staff, and we’re a flourishing

business.”

The award is important to her because it shows that she has not

only been a successful woman but has shown deep involvement in the

community as well.

For Martin, it’s her first award in the business realm.

“It’s a tremendous honor,” she said.

Her gift store has everything from little pocket angels to

sculptures and armoires worth thousands of dollars, Martin said.

“I think I’m successful because I absolutely love what I do,” she

said. “It makes me get excited and work hard, and what I do

constantly refreshes and energizes me.”