L'Oreal Paris announces Women of Worth honorees

NEW YORK With more than 2,000 nominations from across the country, L'Oreal Paris has selected the 2010 Women of Worth honorees and granted them $5,000 for their charitable causes and donated $5,000 in their names to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, L'Oreal Paris' primary philanthropic partner.

All 10 Women of Worth honorees will be recognized at an awards ceremony and dinner hosted by Hearst Magazines and L'Oreal Paris at the Hearst Tower in New York on Dec. 9. The national honoree will be announced at the event and will receive an additional $25,000 to her charitable cause.

Now through Nov. 24, the public can vote online for the Women of Worth National Honoree at WomenOfWorth.com. Visitors to the site will vote once per e-mail address for their favorite Woman of Worth, and the honoree with the most votes will be named national honoree.

The 10 honorees are:

• Lynn Gaubatz of 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 of Eagan, Minn.: Founded Cheerful Givers to help less fortunate families give birthday presents to their children;


• Lisa Williams of 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 of Rock Hill, S.C.: 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 of Boulder, Colo.: 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 of Buda, Texas: Founded The American Widow Project, a nonprofit organization offering support and healing to this generation's military widows across the United States;


• Ethel Paley of New York: 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 of 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 of Los Angeles: Founded Kid Flicks, an organization that donates new and gently used, age-appropriate DVDs to children in hospitals and pediatric departments; and 


• Pauline Olsen of Farmington, Conn.: Helped to create Malta House of Care mobile free medical clinic, which delivers free primary health care to a diverse population with no other means of accessing the healthcare system.

The judges included Jacqueline Hernandez, COO of Telemundo Communications Group; Karen Fondu, president of L'Oreal Paris; Anne Talley, former SVP marketing for L'Oreal Paris; Soledad O'Brien, CNN anchor; Lisa Oz, president of Ozworks, a media and investment consulting company; Cathie Black, chairman of Hearst Magazines; and Shannon Lambert, founder of Pandora's Project and a 2009 Women Of Worth honoree.

The Women of Worth initiative is inspired by L'Oreal Paris' brand philosophy, "Because You're Worth It." Each of the honorees embodies the spirit of the L'Oreal Paris brand through her commitment to her community, her selflessness and her drive to make a difference in the world, the company said. Since its inception, the L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth program has recognized 50 women for their outstanding commitment to their causes.

"We are thrilled to honor this year's extraordinary group of women, and this year's Women of Worth honorees truly exemplify our belief that every woman has the power to make a difference," said L'Oreal Paris president Karen Fondu.