L’Oréal Paris Reveals ‘Women of Worth’ Honorees

As part of its signature philanthropic program, L’Oréal Paris has announced the 2017 Women of Worth Honorees, recognizing 10 women across the United States who selflessly and passionately commit their lives to better serve their communities and foster positive change. Women of Worth is inspired by the L’Oréal Paris belief that “we’re all worth it” and honors the intrinsic beauty and worth of everyday women making an extraordinary difference. With stories born out of diversity and tragedy, the Women of Worth represent a wide range of causes from supporting survivors of human sex trafficking to raising awareness about mass incarceration.
 
In addition to receiving $10,000 to support her charitable cause, each 2017 L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Honoree will have opportunities for networking, marketing support and a platform to tell her story. Beginning today, the public is invited to support the Women of Worth by voting for one woman to become this year’s National Honoree, who will receive an additional $25,000 to support her cause for a total of $35,000.

“This year’s ten Women of Worth Honorees represent women of very diverse ages, backgrounds and circumstances who are working daily to improve the lives of the people they serve,” said Tim Coolican, president, L’Oréal Paris.

“It is the greatest honor to help these extraordinary women expand their reach, touch more lives, and create even more positive change throughout the world,” added Karen T. Fondu, president emeritus and chairwoman of L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth.
 
Selected by a distinguished panel of judges including leaders in business and media, the 2017 L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Honorees were chosen from thousands of nominations for their unwavering commitment, drive and desire to better the lives of those around them.
 
·         Rana Abdelhamid – Palo Alto, C.A.; Founder, the International Muslim Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment or WISE, a self-defense, social entrepreneurship and leadership development movement for young Muslim women.
·         Lulu Cerone – Encino, Calif.; Founder, LemonAID Warriors, a non-profit youth-activism organization that connects children to worthy causes and provides unique action plans to create tangible social good.
·         Theresa Flores – Worthington, Ohio: Founder, S.O.A.P. Project, which stands for “Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution” raises awareness and provides resources for victims of human trafficking by placing educational materials and bars of soap in hotels and motels across the country with information on how to seek help.
·         Leanne Huebner – Los Angeles, Calif.; Co-founder, Minds Matter National, an educational nonprofit that transforms the lives of accomplished high school students from low-income families by broadening their dreams and preparing them for college success.
·         Deborah Jiang-Stein – Minneapolis, Minn.; Founder, unPrison Project, an organization that works to build literacy, mentoring and life skills  for women and girls in prisons and for their children to help cultivate critical thinking tools to plan, set goals and prepare for successful life after prison.
·         SreyRam Kuy – Missouri City, Texas; Partner, Dog Tag Bakery, a nonprofit organization that sells baked goods and trains veterans in business and the first female Cambodian refugee to work as a surgeon in the U.S.
·         Cassandra Lin – Westerly, R.I.; Creator, project Turn Grease Into Fuel (TGIF), a sustainable system that collects used cooking oil from residents and restaurants, coverts it to biodiesel, and distributes the biofuel to local families for emergency heating assistance, developed by Westerly Innovations Network.
·         Charolette Tidwell – Fort Smith, Ark.; Founder, Antioch for Youth & Family, a nonprofit that provides supplemental food assistance to approximately 7,000 people in the community, in addition to youth development services and family assistance through a variety of personal enrichment programs.
·         Valerie Weisler – New York, N.Y.; Founder, The Validation Project, an international organization that works with more than 6,000 teenagers in 105 countries, providing them with the resources and guidance they need to develop confidence and gain self-worth.
·         Shandra Woworuntu – Corona, N.Y.; Founder, Mentari human trafficking survivor empowerment program that provides direct services, resources, advocacy, education and mentoring initiatives to help survivors as they reintegrate into society.
 
Visit WomenofWorth.com to learn about the 2017 Honorees’ stories and vote once per day through Nov. 29, 2017.