Do You Know a Woman Who Has Made a Difference?

(ARA) - Do you know a woman who stands up for what she believes in? Who reaches out to help the people who sometimes can't help themselves? If so, consider nominating her for the 2006 "Stand On A Better World" Awards.

The prize recognizes women across the country who are making a positive impact in their communities. There are three award categories: Social, Economic and Environmental.

The Social category looks at women who reach out to improve the quality of life for people around them. Maybe you know someone who works with at-risk youth, who started a soup kitchen for the homeless or who aids trauma victims. The Economic category is designed for women who are working to change the economic status of people in need. This could be for someone who provides job training to people with developmental disabilities, or helps low-income individuals start their own businesses or maybe it's for a woman who started a scholarship fund to help students with financial burdens. The Environmental award will honor women who are committed to preserving our natural resources. It might be a teacher who helps children learn more about environmental protection or someone who protects her community from sprawling development by preserving green space.

There will be one winner in each category, with a grand prize awarded to the top-scoring nomination. The grand-prize winner receives $25,000 for the charitable organization of her choice, with the two other winners each receiving $10,000 for their selected charities. Five finalists will be awarded $1,000 for their chosen charities. The top three winners receive an all-expense-paid trip to Philadelphia for the "Stand On A Better World Awards" ceremony at the National Liberty Museum on Nov. 16. These winners, and the people who nominated them, also receive $1,500 in free flooring products from Mannington Mills, a leading manufacturer of fine flooring, and the contest's sponsor.

The company created "Stand On A Better World" to recognize ordinary women doing extraordinary things -- and hopefully to inspire even more women to do the same. Tom Davis, president and chief executive officer of Mannington Mills Inc., adds, "There's more to business than just business. One of our fundamental values is to strive to do the right thing -- by our customers, our employees, our communities and our craft. We're proud of those values, and want to recognize others who truly make our world a better place on which to stand."

The Stand On A Better World judges panel includes several women of notable achievement, including:

* Leeza Gibbons - Television news journalist and host, radio personality, producer and businesswoman. Gibbons is founder of the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, dedicated to supporting research for Alzheimer's disease.

* Dorothy Hamill - Figure-skating legend and gold medalist in the 1976 Winter Olympics. Hamill, recently seen on FOX-TV's "Skating with Celebrities" supports a number of charities including the International Special Olympics and March of Dimes.

* Christine Todd Whitman - The first female governor of New Jersey. She served in the cabinet of President George W. Bush as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from January 2001 until June 2003.

Nominations can be submitted from March 1, 2006 until Aug. 31, 2006, at www.StandOnABetterWorld.com. Any U.S. or Canadian female citizen is eligible and there are no age restrictions. The deadline for all nominations is 8 p.m., EST, on Aug. 31, 2006, with the winners announced this October.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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