Get Inspired to Give Back. There are a lot of amazing women around the globe working hard to make this world a better place. You don’t need millions of dollars or connections to world leaders to make a difference. I hope you can be inspired by the following women who have done so much for others.
I have been fortunate to attend The Women’s Conference® for the last several years. The conference has become a truly dynamic educational and empowering experience. The woman behind the Conference is California’s First Lady Maria Shriver. You can’t help but be inspired by Maria and the programs she and her team have put together. To learn more about the conference and these great programs check out www.womensconference.org.
Maria Shriver created The Minerva Awards® to “honor women who have stepped forward in the spirit of Minerva and changed our world with their courage, their strength, and their wisdom. The awards celebrate women who work “24/7 on the frontlines of humanity” to make this world a more compassionate, tolerant and just place. These women have created lasting legacies that they are passing on to others.” Below you will find some previous award winners who have touched my heart and whose stories forever changed me. I hope you will be as inspired by these women, as I have, to go out there and make a difference.
Sweet Alice Harris
Alice Harris is the director of POW – Parents of Watts. “POW provides emergency food and shelter, family counseling, tutoring, parenting classes, employment training, literacy courses, college and career preparation, and housing assistance for anyone who needs it. Every child in the community now gets immunization shots. They didn’t before POW. Though POW’s doors are open to all, most of its assistance goes to young women and children.”
Betty Chinn
“Betty Chinn is a woman who exemplifies how one person can touch the lives of hundreds of people whom the rest of the world has forgotten. Her purpose is simple: to show the homeless who live in her hometown of Eureka love, comfort and basic humanity.”
Ivelise Markovits
“For nearly 40 years, Ivelise Markovits has offered help and hope to abandoned, neglected and abused children. Penny Lane, named after the Beatles’ song, was created by Markovits in 1969 as a home for 25 troubled teenage girls, a safe haven to help them rebuild their lives. Today, Penny Lane is a nearly $30 million a year organization with six centers that, each day, help rebuild the lives of some 2,900 children and their families.”
Marilyn Hamilton
“Despite a tragic hang gliding accident in 1979 which left her paralyzed for life, Marilyn has stayed strong and, in the process, changed the lives of the disabled. Her innovative design of the “Quickie” wheelchair revolutionized the wheelchair industry, allowing many disabled people to live a productive and active lifestyle. Marilyn continued her crusade when she founded “Winners on Wheels,” a program to inspire young children in chairs.”
Credits: Quoted text & photos: www.californiawomen.org
In 2009 Somaly Mam spoke at The Women’s Conference. Needless to say, after her story was told, there was not a dry eye in the house. I was so moved not only by her words but by her focus and dedication on helping young girls who are facing the horrors she experienced as a young girl. Check out the Somaly Mam Foundation to learn more and to see how you can help.
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