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Women overcoming obstacles to live their dreams – that’s what Soroptimist's signature program, the Women’s Opportunity Awards, make possible. Since 1972, Soroptimist has disbursed more than $1.1 million to help thousands of women triumph over domestic violence, poverty, drug abuse and other challenges to reclaim their dreams. This year, Soroptimist awarded $10,000 to three remarkable women: Lisa Wuthrich Curless of Bountiful, Utah; Xiu Man Huang of TaiChung County, Taiwan; and Miki Kitamura, of Otsu City, Shiga, Japan. Read the stories of these incredible women.

Lisa Wuthrich Curless

Click to watch a short video featuring Lisa!

Lisa Wuthrich Curless’ husband did everything for her. He took care of the bills. He made the house and car payments. He took care of insurance.
All this allowed Lisa to raise their four children and care for their home in Bountiful, Utah.

Then, on his 45th birthday, Lisa’s husband committed suicide. He didn’t show signs of depression. Nor did he indicate that anything was less than perfect in their 15-year marriage, she says. 

If possible, Lisa’s situation grew worse. After her husband’s death, she learned that their home had two and three mortgages on it. Their cars had loans that exceeded their value. Their bank account was in the negative and they had no savings. They owed thousands of dollars to the IRS.

“I came to the realization that I was a widow at 35 who did not know anything,” Lisa says. “I didn’t know what the utility bills were, what the house payment was, where the car loans went, what checking accounts and credit cards we had. I knew nothing about my life.”

With her home in foreclosure and her car being repossessed, Lisa had to start her life over. She had four children, ages 5 to 14, to support and had not been in the workforce for 13 years. She had no formal education beyond high school.

Lisa ultimately realized she had two choices. She could give up and make the same decision her husband had made. Or, she could fight. Calling herself a “fighter” and “survivor,” she knew she had to buck up and learn what she needed to know to give her children the lives they deserved.

“I knew I had a responsibility to my children and to myself,” Lisa says. “I looked into their four little, beautiful faces and realized that I was the only hope they had, that as their mother I had to find a way to survive this.”

As a woman in today’s world, Lisa knew she needed an education to be able to move forward. She enrolled at Salt Lake Community College, where she is studying dental hygiene, with plans to graduate in 2011. “Getting my education is absolutely necessary for me to be able to care for my children,” she says.

Living in a neighbor’s home and surviving on Social Security payments with some help from her church, Lisa was in dire financial need. She applied for the Women’s Opportunity Award and learned she was a $10,000 finalist on the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death.

“I was laying in my bed and praying out loud and saying to the Lord to please give me what I call a ‘high note,’ which is basically something that happens that allows me to breathe for a minute, allows me to have faith in my future and faith in myself to care for my family,” she recalls. “In the midst of that blackness that was that day, I was praying for a ‘high note’ and not 15 minutes after I had dried my tear-stained face but my phone rang and I received the news that I had won.”

As a SI/Bountiful club-level recipient nominated by SI/Rocky Mountain Region, she has been using the awards to help with food, housing, clothes, school tuition, books and transportation.

For now, she is delaying her dream of earning a nursing degree until her children are older. The hours required for nursing would mean being away from them at night, not allowing her to be the mother that they need, she says.

Even though the last year has been the most painful and devastating she has ever experienced, Lisa admits to feeling more hope in witnessing the good in the human spirit that she ever has in her life.

“I have learned that as human beings we are on the earth together,” she says, “that the journey is meant to be shared and we were meant to help shoulder one another’s burdens. One of my favorite quotes was given to me by my best friend and it reads, ‘Each of us are angels with only one wing. We can only fly embracing each other,’” she says.

“At a time when my life seemed the darkest and when I could barely find the will to breathe, I have witnessed more love and more selflessness and more beauty than I ever saw in the world before. I have hope in people, and most of all, hope in myself.”

Xiu Man Huang
Xiu Man Huang of TaiChung County, Taiwan, often thought of giving up on life. But she knew she couldn’t leave behind her family, especially her two children, both multi-handicapped with severe autism.

Her 22-year-old son lives at home, requiring Xiu Man’s care. Her 17-year-old daughter studies at TaiChung Special Education School, but Xiu Man must accompany her to and from school because she cannot go by herself on the bus.

“She has serious emotional problems and needs long-term medical treatment in order to alleviate symptoms and self-inflicted behaviors,” she says.

In addition, her husband has a chronic disease and receives treatment at a long-term care facility, where Xiu Man often visits him. She also has a married older daughter, who has a busy life and schedule.

“I had thought about giving up on life,” she says, “but I just didn’t have the courage to leave my two younger innocent children behind.”

Because of her caregiving responsibilities, Xiu Man was unable to work outside the home and was struggling financially. To support herself, she learned how to make handicrafts, such as handmade soaps, candles in glass jars and innovative note cards, selling them to organizations.
Since she didn’t have a storefront and was busy caring for her two children, she was not successful with sales and business was limited.

Supplementing her income with part-time cleaning jobs, she had another idea. She decided to try Internet marketing strategies to sell her products, even though she had never used a computer in her life.

“I was fortunate to receive the Women’s Opportunity Award from SI/Taiwan Region,” she says, “and Tien-Lung Technology Internet Company was willing to assist me in learning Internet set up and marketing so I could continue making products at home and selling them online at the same time.”

The president of the company says of Xiu Man: “I admire her willingness to learn, a woman of her age and zero knowledge on computer. Looking at her, I truly believe that even in this economical downtime, as long as you can find a worthy purpose, there is nothing you should be afraid of.”

Xiu Man’s dream, however, has been not only for her family. She wants to mentor other adult autistic children and create a “work haven” for them. “My own autistic son could not go out to work and I would like to provide opportunities to let other kids with similar situations be able to have a place to work and make a living to improve their family lives,” she says.

After establishing a web-selling platform and successfully reaching her sales goals, Xiu Man plans to work with the TaiChung Autism Educational Society to help families with situations like hers sell their products through her web store.

The president of the society, May Bee Wang, says of Xiu Man: “She is a responsible and strong woman. It is hard enough to imagine taking care of three mentally disabled people (her husband, son and daughter), but not only does she do that, she is able to help many similar families who are looking for resources in the society.

“When I saw that both her children have multiple autism and are good-natured and well-mannered, I knew Xiu Man had been modeling tremendous patience and love to them,” May Bee adds. “She never complains about her situation. Instead, she always finds ways to help other families with similar experiences.”

As a Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Award finalist, Xiu Man can now learn more skills and broaden the scope of her Internet handicrafts sales capabilities. “This leads the way for more families with autistic conditions to follow my entrepreneur model,” she says.

Ultimately, Xiu Man is grateful to work at home and to be able to care for her children. And she continues to look forward. “We can not relive our lives, so we all must look to our future,” she says. “I had the courage to apply for this award because I wish for a beautiful future.”

Miki Kitamura
Miki Kitamura was in tears the day she visited the student support office at Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan. She told them that she couldn’t pay for her second semester studies to become a medical doctor.

Her father died in February 2008, leaving her family in serious debt. Her mother has disabilities and can’t speak well. Her two younger sisters are physically weak with emotional problems. Her younger brother had to quit his university studies because the family no longer had money.

As the oldest, Miki became the head of the household, working part-time and struggling to support her family while studying to become a doctor. “I was trying to complete my studies at medical school and support my family, but I could barely pay my tuition and it was extremely difficult to get through each day,” says Miki of Otsu City, Shiga, Japan.

Despite her struggles, Miki always dreamed of becoming a doctor. As a child, she had been hospitalized several times, remembering the hospital as a “scary” place where she received injections and had to be away from her mother for long periods.

“There were nurses, however, who comforted me all the time when I cried,” she recalls. “Every time I went to the hospital, doctors and nurses smiled at me saying, ‘Hope you will get better soon,’ and ‘I am so glad you are getting better.’ When I was sick with a high fever, these kind words were very comforting to me.”

Those kindnesses left an indelible mark on Miki, who decided she wanted to help other people the same way. “I wanted to feel connected with people,” she says, “and I wanted to help other people by making use of my experiences. I decided to become a medical doctor. I am learning not only medical knowledge and skills, but also how to understand the needs and concern of patients.”

Nominated by SI/Japan Chuo Region, Miki calls the Women’s Opportunity Award an “inspiration and blessing” and has been using her award to finish medical school. She plans to graduate in March 2010, and then conduct her clinical training near her mother’s house, so she can care for her while working as a resident.

One of the professors at Shiga University says of Miki, “I am confident that she will be able to use her difficult experiences positively and become a doctor who understands the pains of others. Under severe conditions, she has been studying hard to prepare for the national exam and hoping to support her family and become a doctor who contributes to society.”

A staff member of the university said of her: “I believe that our society needs a medical doctor like Ms. Kitamura who understands the pains of others and the importance of living life with great determination.”

Miki is grateful for the award, making it possible to live her dream of becoming a doctor, supporting her family and giving back to society. “I feel a deep appreciation to staff of the university and Soroptimist members who encouraged me to apply, “ she says. “I will do my best to become a doctor like the ones I admired when I was a child.”