Vicky Carabini never met a board she didn’t like, but when it comes to Mission San Juan Capistrano’s Mission Preservation Foundation Board, she admits there is something special about it.
Carabini was recently invited to join to the Board, and she couldn’t be happier. “I was beyond honored,” said Carabini, who has lived with her husband Michael in South Orange County since 1985 and in San Juan Capistrano since 1996. “I think about who they’ve chosen as board members in the past and that they would even think to nominate me to be a part of such an elite group of people, that are all inspirational in their own way, I’m just really honored.”
Mechelle Lawrence Adams, Mission San Juan Capistrano’s Executive Director, is confident Carabini will be a great addition to the Board.
“She is a bundle of smart energy with passion and dedication for anything she pursues,” Lawrence Adams said. “She has a mother’s heart, and a business person’s pragmatism. I am so happy she’s on board for preserving the Mission and will share with us her eye for marketing and making a difference.”
Carabini ran her own marketing and public relations company before she decided she needed to be a full-time mom to daughters Christina and Anna Maria. So she retired her company in 1997, devoted her time to her daughters and still found time to raise funds for Mission Hospital.
She has spent plenty of time on one board or another over the years, including the Board of Valient Women and the Board for Art and Creativity for Healing. She is on the board for the Italian Arts Council at Bowers Museum, the Area Coordinator for the NIAF (National Italian American Foundation) and most recently, Chair of the Italian Studies Council at Chapman University.
Carabini also was appointed Ambassador so San Juan Capistrano’s sister city — Capestrano, Italy — and has been active in promoting Italian events throughout San Juan Capistrano.
Now she embarks on a new venture with Mission San Juan Capistrano, sparking an excitement she just can’t quite put her finger on.
“It may be the fact that it’s such a historic piece of history right here in San Juan Capistrano,” she said. “It may be that when I walk into the Mission I feel like I’ve walked into my hometown back in Italy. It may be that it’s such a treasure and that I believe in keeping something like the Mission for generations to come.
“Every time I go to an event there, the leadership at the Mission and the staff do such a fabulous job. We’ve been long-time supporters of the Mission and my children have developed the same passion for that beautiful treasure that’s right here in our own backyard.”
Carabini said she’s had a chance to look at a recent Board Report, and can’t wait to get involved.
“I thought, oh my gosh, this is so amazing,” she said. “I’ve sat on so many boards and never been so impressed with how much they do, how forward thinking they are. The Mission Store itself is such an overwhelming success already.”
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); $6 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.
