L’Oreal Paris Celebrates the Fifth Annual Women of Worth Awards

L’Oreal Paris Celebrates the Fifth Annual Women of Worth Awards

DALLAS, Dec 26, 2010 / — Ten extraordinary women were celebrated on Dec 9th award presentation, held at the Hearst Tower in New York City, for their incredible dedication to charitable causes and the extraordinary milestones that they’ve reached to help others and give back to their communities.

The event featured an awards presentation hosted by Karen Fondu, president of L’Oreal Paris and Cathie Black, chairman of Hearst Magazines. Special guest presenters included Viola Davis, Hoda Kotb, Linda Edelstein, Trisha Yearwood, Giada De Laurentiis and Kerry Washington. Former Women of Worth honorees were also invited to ring in the fifth annual awards.

Consumers had an opportunity to visit womenofworth.com and cast their vote for the honoree and charity that inspired them most. Taryn Davis who founded The American Widow Project received the most online votes and was awarded an additional $25,000 at last night’s ceremony.

“I am extremely delighted to be honored as a L’Oreal Paris Woman of Worth and so proud to be named the 2010 National Honoree,” said Davis. “It is truly a privilege to be among the company of these 10 amazing women.”

HONOREES

To commemorate their dedication, the 10 incredible honorees have received $5,000 for their respective charitable cause and $5,000 in their name to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) – L’Oreal Paris’ primary philanthropic partner. To date, L’Oreal Paris has raised over $18 million on behalf of OCRF to honor its commitment to women.

The 10 honorees represent a myriad of causes and commitments across the country, and prove that each of us can make a difference in the world:

  • Lynn Gaubatz – Falls Church, VA

Founded AdoptALibrary.org, providing thousands of books for tribal colleges, reservations, prisons and schools across the nation and around the world.

  • Robin Steele – Eagan, MN

Founded Cheerful Givers to help less fortunate families give birthday presents to their children.

  • Lisa Williams – Peachtree City, GA

Established Circle of Friends and Living Water for Girls to provide safe refuge for American girls and advocate against commercial sexual exploitation.

  • Sue Kutz – Rock Hill, SC

Activist for Back the Pack, a program that discretely identifies undernourished students and provides them with nutritious food on weekends to alleviate symptoms of chronic hunger.

  • Jill Tappert – Boulder, CO

Has made countless strides in the treatment and support available to families with autistic children through her work with Autism Society of Colorado.

  • Taryn Davis – Buda, TX

Founded The American Widow Project, a non-profit organization offering support and healing to this generation’s military widows across the United States.

  • Ethel Paley – New York, NY

First executive director of FRIA, a group dedicated to making sure seniors get proper care, services and treatment from nursing homes in New York.

  • Simone Bernstein – St. Louis, MO

Created stlouisvolunteen.com to inform teens about the many volunteer opportunities available in the area and to motivate them to act.

  • Berni Barta – Los Angeles, CA

Founded Kid Flicks, an organization that donates new and gently used age-appropriate DVDs to children in hospitals and pediatric departments.

  • Pauline Olsen – Farmington, CT

Helped to create Malta House of Care Mobile Free Medical Clinic, which delivers totally free primary health care to a diverse population with no other means of accessing the health care system.

www.womenofworth.com