BY CHRISTINA MAYO
UPDATED JUNE 09, 2022 11:16 AM

If you were lucky, you got to know Marilyn March, one of Miami’s foremost champions for people with disabilities, and women and children’s causes.

I knew her through CHARLEE, where she raised money for programs to aid abandoned, abused or neglected children. She also worked tirelessly to help the physically challenged, elderly or disadvantaged through Easter Seals.

March died in May 2020 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

“Marilyn was a guiding light and beacon of hope for so many in the Miami community. She will never know how many lives she deeply touched, including mine,” said Nancy Hector, founder of Whispering Manes Therapeutic Riding Center in Kendale Lakes.

In April, March’s family and friends gathered at the center for the dedication of an outdoor riding arena named in her honor.

“Her legacy lives on in this community, and we are humbled and grateful to be able to honor her by dedicating this outdoor arena allowing children and adults with disabilities to experience the life changing benefits from therapeutic horseback riding,” Hector said.

Founded by Hector in 2010, Whispering Manes offers opportunities to interact with horses that promote physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of children and adults with special needs.

More than $200,000 was raised for the effort to maintain the covered arena for instructors to provide therapeutic riding classes regardless of the weather.

March was also dedicated to women’s causes including equal pay and employment opportunity, and freedom from domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. She served as the executive director of The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade and on the Board of Directors for Whispering Manes.

During the dedication event, which included proclamations and tributes, Hector reminded guests of March’s early successes.

“As a past PTA president, she successfully argued before the School Board that classrooms with children with special needs would benefit from air conditioning to help keep their attention, which prompted the School Board to go one step further and air-condition all the schools.

“She was kind, gentle, and compassionate, but also a force that wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Hector said. “She is missed terribly.”

Whispering Manes helps up to 80 participants per week, ranging in age from 5 to over 70. There are over 150 people enrolled in its equine-assisted activities program annually, including current and former members of the armed services, participants from multiple local special education programs and Miami-Dade public schools, the Down Syndrome Association of Miami, Miami Cerebral Palsy Residences and private individuals.

The center also strives to promote strong community ties through volunteers from local service organizations, high schools, and individuals. Visit www.whisperingmanes.com for more, and there is a beautiful tribute to March at https://youtu.be/wPGKw_HkbkU.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/community-voices/article262318317.html#storylink=cpy