SOROPTIMIST LIVE YOUR DREAM "WEBISODES" WIN PRESTIGIOUS W3 AWARD
Series tells story of single mom on quest to change her life

October 20, 2008
Contact: Darlene Friedman, Sr. Director of Membership/Marketing, 215-893-9000 x128
Jessica Levinson, Communications Director, 215-893-9000 x129

PHILADELPHIA—Soroptimist International of the Americas, an international volunteer organization of business and professional women dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, is the winner of a W3 Award, which honors outstanding websites, web marketing and web video. The organization received a Silver W3 Award for its Live Your Dream campaign webisode series—This is My Dream: Sena Kimbrell.

The W3 Awards honor creative excellence on the web. The award is given by the International Academy of Visual Arts (IAVA), an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals of acclaimed media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms. IAVA members include executives from organizations such as Conde Nast, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Victoria Secret, Wired, Yahoo! and many others. Soroptimist’s webisodes series were chosen out of 3,000 entries and received a Silver Award. More information is available at www.w3award.com.

The webisode series, which can be viewed online at www.liveyourdreamcampaign.org, follows the life of Sena Kimbrell, a 34-year-old single mom in Arizona, as she struggles to overcome enormous obstacles in her quest to live her dream. Kimbrell is a recipient of the Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards, which provide cash grants for women—usually single moms—to get additional education or training and improve their employment prospects. Each year, more than $1 million is disbursed to deserving women through this award-winning program. The award is helping Kimbrell to work toward a degree in oriental medicine.

Soroptimist’s Live Your Dream Campaign inspires women and girls to live their dreams and realize their full potential. The website is the online home of the campaign, which also encourages women to pass on their good fortune to others. The campaign was launched in 2006 in conjunction with International Women’s Day. The webisode series, which launched last March, has been well received by the more than 43,000 visitors to the site, who have been inspired by Kimbrell’s message of hope and determination.

The experience of sharing her story has bolstered Kimbrell personally, who says, “I’m living my truth and living my dream. I feel so happy I can share that with others.”

“Sena’s story, told so beautifully in the video, has resonated with everyone who’s seen it,” states Alice Wells, Soroptimist’s president. “She represents so many other women who, through their own determination and a little help from organizations like Soroptimist, power through the obstacles and make their dreams their own. They are everyday heroes. I never tire of learning their stories and I never cease to be inspired by them—each and every day.”

In addition to the W3 Award, the webisode series has won a Telly Award, and the Live Your Dream campaign and website have also won the Communicator Award and the MarComm award. The series was created by Rich Tolsma Productions, an award-winning Philadelphia-based video production company. Soroptimist plans to produce a new webisode this coming year.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa., Soroptimist is an international volunteer women’s organization offering programs that improve social and economic conditions for women and girls. Its major program, the Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards, provides cash grants for women seeking to improve their lives with the help of additional education and training. Each year, more than $1 million is disbursed to deserving women through this award-winning program. Soroptimist is a 501(c)(3) organization that relies on charitable donations to support its programs. For more information on how Soroptimist improves the lives of women and girls, visit <Soroptimist.org>.

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