Mechelle Lawrence-Adams with her son and daughter.
Mechelle Lawrence-Adams, Executive Director of Mission San Juan Capistrano, received a nomination from Orange County Business Journal’s sixteenth annual Women in Business Awards; an award presented to five Orange County women who have made significant contributions to their professions and within their communities.
An extraordinary professional woman in Orange County, Lawrence-Adams has made many lasting postive contributions for the Orange County community through education, preservation, and stewardship of Orange County’s historic landmark and museum, Mission San Juan Capistrano—a place where nearly every Orange County student visits at one time or another.
Lawrence-Adams’ success has been attributed to her vibrant personality, an attitude to get things done, an innovative mind, and a strong connection to the community.
Under Lawrence-Adams’ leadership, working on behalf of the Mission Preservation Foundation, the Mission completed the stabilization of the Great Stone Church, restored the 229 year old Serra Chapel, introduced an award winning audio tour in seven languages, and developed a vibrant and successful education program serving over 57,000 students annually.
Mechelle is seen as an innovator, as she has taken the Mission from a once architectural artifact in need of care to making it a central part of the everyday life of the Orange County community for generations to experience.
Due to Lawrence-Adams’ strategy of making the Mission relevant to today’s Orange County community, visitors from all over the world are coming to San Juan Capistrano to re-discover Orange County’s most historic landmark. Annual field trips with over 50,000 students learning about California’s history, over 300,000 visitors a year, sold out Summer concert series, permanent and rotating museum exhibits, and an interactive studio for students make historic landmark #200 one of the most appreciated cultural/educational destinations in the State.
To learn more about Mechelle Lawrence-Adams, please visit www.missionsjc.com.
Awards will be presented Tuesday, May 25, 2010 from 11a.m.- 2 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine.
About Mission San Juan Capistrano:
Known as the “Jewel of the Missions,” Mission San Juan Capistrano is a historic landmark and museum that boasts of quality permanent exhibits featuring original artifacts as well as traveling and temporary exhibits on a wide variety of topics.
The site itself serves as a living outdoor museum with original buildings constructed by Native Americans in the 18th century including the Serra Chapel, Great Stone Church, and the original padres’ quarters of the South Wing.
The Mission was founded on November 1, 1776 by Padre Junipero Serra as the seventh in the chain of the twenty-one California missions established by Spain, and is Orange County’s only mission. Every year, over 50,000 students visit the Mission and engage in an inspirational learning experience via the Mission Matters programming, as part of their State required California history studies.
Mission San Juan Capistrano is owned by the Diocese of Orange and is supported by the Mission Preservation Foundation, which is comprised of business and community leaders committed to ensuring the long term preservation and viability of Orange County’s only Mission. The Mission receives no funding from either the Church or the State of California and charges admission funds as a means of providing public access.
Mission San Juan Capistrano is located at 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675. Open Daily 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Good Friday afternoon. Admission is $9 adults; $8 seniors (60 years or over); $5 children (ages 4 to 11); and children ages 3 and under are admitted free. Free audio guide with senior and adult admission. For more information, call (949) 234-1300 or visit www.missionsjc.com.
