L'Oreal Paris' Fifth Annual Women of Worth Awards Honoring Extraordinary Women Dedicated to Volunteerism and Community

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NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- With over 2,000 nominations from across the country, L'Oreal Paris is thrilled to announce the 2010 Women of Worth honorees. These ten women truly embody the spirit of volunteerism; a group of passionate, hard working and giving women with charitable programs ranging from healthcare to hunger to literacy, and every heartfelt cause in between.

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RECOGNITION

To commemorate their dedication, the ten incredible honorees have received $5,000 for their 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 their commitment to women.

All ten 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 City on December 9th. The National Honoree will be announced at the event and will receive an additional $25,000 to their charitable cause.  

VOTING

Public online voting for the Women of Worth National Honoree is open from today (November 8th) through November 24th on womenofworth.com. Visitors to the site will vote once per email address for their favorite Woman of Worth, and the honoree with the most votes will be named National Honoree.

HONOREES

The ten 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.

JUDGES

The Women of Worth honorees were chosen by an elite group of judges including: Jacqueline Hernandez, Chief Operating Officer of Telemundo Communications Group; Karen Fondu, President of L'Oreal Paris; Anne Talley, former Senior Vice President of 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 2009 Woman Of Worth honoree.

WOMEN OF WORTH PROGRAM

The Women of Worth initiative is inspired by L'Oreal Paris' iconic brand philosophy, "Because You're Worth It." Each of these honorees truly embodies the spirit of the L'Oreal Paris brand through their commitment to their communities, their selflessness and their drive to make a difference in the world.  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," said L'Oreal Paris President Karen Fondu, "and this year's Women of Worth honorees truly exemplify our belief that every woman has the power to make a difference."  

For more information about the Women of Worth Program, honoree bios and to vote for the 2010 Women of Worth National Honoree, please visit womenofworth.com.

ABOUT L'OREAL PARIS

The L'Oreal Paris division of L'Oreal USA, Inc. is a total beauty care company that combines the latest technology with the highest in quality for the ultimate in luxury beauty at mass.  The L'Oreal Paris brand encompasses the four major beauty categories – haircolor, haircare, skincare and cosmetics – and includes such well-known brands as Preference, Excellence, Feria and Healthy Look haircolor; Elnett Satin Hairspray, EverPure, EverStrong, VIVE Pro, Studio Line and L'Oreal Kids haircare; Youth Code, Revitalift, Age Perfect, Ideal Skin Genesis, Collagen, Sublime Bronze and Men's Expert skincare; and the Colour Riche, True Match, Infallible, Bare Naturale and Studio Secrets Professional cosmetics collections, along with a portfolio of mascara including Voluminous, Double Extend and Telescopic among many others.

L'Oreal Paris is dedicated to women around the world and the company has been inspired to give back and make a difference in their lives.  In 1997, L'Oreal Paris made a long-term commitment to raising awareness for ovarian cancer, which continues to build. To date, L'Oreal Paris has helped raise more than $18 million dollars to further research and build awareness with fundraising efforts such as the L'Oreal Legends Gala and L'Oreal's annual "Color of Hope" cosmetic collection.

For more information on L'Oreal Paris and its brands, and to get comprehensive, personalized beauty information from the experts, visit www.lorealparis.com for access to unique content and dynamic interactive features, including the exclusive "Can I Help You" diagnostic tool.

SOURCE L'Oreal Paris