[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 193 (Monday, November 17, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING VILMA AQUINO AS ONE OF CALIFORNIA'S 8TH CONGRESSIONAL 
                      DISTRICT'S WOMEN OF THE YEAR

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 17, 2025

  Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Vilma Aquino as one 
of California's 8th Congressional District's Women of the Year. Vilma 
has spent over three decades transforming lives and communities through 
the power of gardening. Since the 1990's, she has been a passionate 
educator and advocate for sustainable growing practices, community 
health, and environmental awareness. In 2009, she founded the Vallejo 
People's Garden, which provided fresh produce to the Christian Help 
Center's kitchen for ten years, feeding up to 75 clients daily. For 
fifteen years, she worked with students from Touro University to teach 
future healthcare professionals how gardening supports the concept of 
food as medicine. Her innovative work with Kaiser Permanente's Rehab 
Department and Residency Program brought healing and hands-on gardening 
education to patients, caregivers, and medical staff. Over the years, 
Vilma has helped several community gardens in Vallejo get started, 
including the garden at the Reynaissance Family Shelter in 2014. In 
2024 and 2025, she co-founded the Bay Area Butterfly Festival, which 
attracted thousands of attendees and raised awareness about the 
declining Western Monarch Butterfly population and the critical role of 
native plants in ecosystem health. She coordinates a wide variety of 
gardening and wellness classes for the community, including culturally 
relevant offerings such as ``Filipino Fruits and Vegetables You Can 
Grow at Home in Solano County.'' Vilma is currently a Board Member at 
the Global Center for Success on Mare Island and continues to work with 
organizations such as Touro University, Kaiser Permanente, and Solano 
Community. On behalf of the people of California's 8th Congressional 
District, it is my pleasure to honor and recognize Vilma Aquino for her 
invaluable contributions to our community.

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