36 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 10-16, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE It’s been 34 years since Fremontnative Kristi Yamaguchi thrilled the world with her performance in Olympic women’s figure skating at age 20, becoming the first Asian American woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Games. She was also the first American woman to win in the category since her idol Dorothy Hamill in 1976. Like Hamill before her, the victory catapulted Yamaguchi into the cultural stratosphere, landing her image on Kellogg’s cereal boxes, “Got Milk” ads, as well as appearances on TV shows and in movies and later a stint on Dancing With the Stars. Despite the successes, Yamaguchi remained grounded in the values her parents taught her, including the importance of giving back to the community. Yamaguchi formed her own foundation in 1996, Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream, focused on literacy and early childhood education, and has long been dedicated to philanthropy, mentorship and advocacy. She became a bestselling author with her children’s book, Dream Big, Little Pig. She’s coming to Monterey on Saturday, Sept. 12, to help another nonprofit, Hope Services, as it seeks to raise money to expand its services to those who are developmentally disabled throughout the Monterey Bay region at The Coast Cares Gala. The goal is to close the gaps that exist in employment pathways, day programs and community services for the 700,000 people living across Monterey and Santa Cruz counties with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as provide support to families. The gala opens with a cocktail hour and live music by the New Hope Band, an ensemble of musicians with developmental disabilities, with the highlight of the night being an inspirational talk by Yamaguchi. Weekly: Your organization supports families in encouraging literacy, and Hope Services supports families that include those living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. What draws you to supporting families? Yamaguchi: We do similar things, in supporting families and providing resources and meeting them where they are. It’s providing that encouragement and providing pathways for everyone, no matter what their abilities are, to reach their potential, and that looks different for everyone. No one’s more or less important. Communities are just stronger because of organizations like Hope Services. How challenging was it to transition out of a career in skating to raising a family and pursuing philanthropy? My last competition was with the ‘92 World Championships right after the Olympics, and then went straight into professional skating for 10 years. I was living my dream, to tour and skate professionally. I learned so much and experienced so much but 10 years was a long time to live on the road. So I was ready. I was a little burned out, still loving what I was doing. But it was time for a change and at that point I was ready to start a family. It just naturally evolved into motherhood. You were here in 2023 for the U.S. Women’s Open with other female athletes as an ambassador. What do you feel is the state of women’s sports today? It’s grown leaps and bounds and I think it’s a really exciting time for women’s sports right now. Just seeing the success of the women’s NCAA basketball and how that kind of bled into the WNBA and the success of some of the women’s teams here in the Bay Area, the [Golden State] Valkyries, Bay FC, and two new professional women’s teams that will start this coming season, women’s volleyball as well as a professional hockey team. It’s fantastic to see these great opportunities because girls have been participating in sports more actively since the 1980s. We’re seeing that production of top level athletes and it’s great to see them have a platform for them to showcase their hard work and see that the fans are embracing it and supporting it. In 2024 Mattel made you into a Barbie doll. What was that like to see yourself represented that way? It was quite an honor, especially being part of the Inspiring Women series, because so many of my she-roes are part of it, like Dr. Jane Goodall, Maya Angelou and Anna May Wong. It was kind of fun too because I have two daughters and it was after the Barbie movie came out and they were all about what the movie stood for for them. So they were like, “Why are you getting a Barbie? How do you qualify?” To them I’m just a mom. The Coast Cares Gala 6:30pm Saturday, Sept. 12. Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey. $300. (408) 284-2850, hopeservices.org. Combination Spin Kristi Yamaguchi is coming to inspire support for those with developmental disabilities. By Pam Marino Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi will deliver a talk at The Coast Cares Gala on Sept. 12. After retiring from competition, Yamaguchi formed the nonprofit Always Dream, dedicated to childhood literacy and education.
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