women's opportunity award

7/30/2019 Women's Opportunity Award

1/6

youwerea girl ...

did you imaginea future

filled with hope

and promise?But thenyour life tookan unexpected turn,andyou were forced to

When

put your dreams on hold?

Are you readyto beginyournewlife?


2/6

The Soroptimist Womens Opportunity Awards ProgramThe Womens Opportunity Awards program assists women who are overcoming personal difficultiesand who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resourcesthey need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects. Womens Opportunity Award

recipients may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain highereducation, such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation.

The Womens Opportunity Awards program involves three levels of cash awards. The program begins atthe local Soroptimist club-level, where award amounts vary. Local-level award recipients become eli-gible for region-level awards of either $3,000 or $5,000. Region-level award recipients then become eli-gible to receive one of three international-level awards of $10,000.

Peggy M. transformedher life from a singlemom earning minimumwage at a fast foodrestaurant to a collegegraduate who makesher living as a profes-sional speaker and pub-lished author.

Pachara Y., a domesticabuse survivor, found

herself alone in aforeign country withthree young children tosupport. She has learnedto speak the languageof her adopted landand is pursuing a careerin nursing.

Guadalupe V. wasa young wife trappedin a violent marriage,in a country that was

not her own. A singlemom to two children,Guadalupe eventuallygraduated froma Ph.D. program andhas helped otherwomen to leaveabusive situations.

Marina G. was a

struggling single momwho ran in marathonsand used the cashprizes to support herfamily. She recentlyobtained a degree inphysical education.

A single mother offive, Kathy M. wasbarely surviving onpublic assistance.Today Kathy is a

dental hygienistand small businessowner.


3/6

INSTRUCTIONS

Deadline:Applications are due each year by December 1 to the address listed below in Step 4. Award recipients will benotified between January and June.

STEP 1: DETERMINE IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLEEligible applicants must be women who:

Provide the primary financial support for her dependents (including children, spouse, siblings and/or parents).

Demonstrate financial need.

Are enrolled in, or have been accepted to, a vocational/skills training program or an undergraduatedegree program.

Are motivated to achieve their educational and career goals.

Reside in one of Soroptimist International of the Americas member countries or territories.

Have not previously been the recipient of a Soroptimist Womens Opportunity Award; are not aSoroptimist member, employee of Soroptimist or immediate family of either.

STEP 2: COMPLETE THE APPLICATIONIt is very important that you first save the writable PDF application file onto your computer or a USB/thumb driveif you are working on a public computer. Otherwise, you risk losing any information you have entered and willneed to begin again. Once you have completed the application, select Save As from the File menu and changethe file name (for example, WOAappLG.pdf, where LG are your initials.) Then click Save. Clickhere for moreinstructions on using writeable PDF forms.

STEP 3: OBTAIN REFERENCESYou will need two different people (NOT related to you) to fill out the reference form. Please email this form toyour references and request that they email it back to you when complete.

Clickhere to access the reference form.

STEP 4: EMAIL YOUR APPLICATIONCompleted applications must be submitted to the appropriate address based upon where you reside. Please notethat incomplete applications will not be considered. Eligible applications include a complete application formand two reference forms.

Submit your application to [email protected].

QUESTIONS?Please refer to theSoroptimist Womens Opportunity Awards Frequently Asked Questions

or [email protected].

Womens Opportunity AwardsA program of Soroptimist International of the Americas
http://www.soroptimist.org/awards/apply_list.htmlhttp://www.soroptimist.org/awards/apply_list.htmlhttp://www.soroptimist.org/awards/InstructionsforUsingWritablePDFs.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/awards/InstructionsforUsingWritablePDFs.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/awards/InstructionsforUsingWritablePDFs.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/members/program/ProgramDocs/Women'sOpportunityAwards/English/WOAReferenceForm-Writeable.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/members/program/ProgramDocs/Women'sOpportunityAwards/English/WOAReferenceForm-Writeable.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.soroptimist.org/awards/WOA_FAQ_for_Applicants.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/awards/WOA_FAQ_for_Applicants.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.soroptimist.org/awards/WOA_FAQ_for_Applicants.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/members/program/ProgramDocs/Women'sOpportunityAwards/English/WOAReferenceForm-Writeable.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/awards/InstructionsforUsingWritablePDFs.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/awards/apply_list.html


4/6

Name (last, first, middle initial)

Address (number and street address)

City/Province State Postal Code Country

Telephone (area code first) E-mail Address

Date of Birth Marital Status

Number of Dependents Applicant Supports (NOT including self)

Dependents Relationship to Applicant (children, spouse, siblings, parents, etc.) Ages of Dependents (if children)

PART IPERSONAL DATA

PART IICAREER GOALS

A. Please list the school you are currently attending, or to which you have been accepted, and your proposed program

of study (example: San Jose State University, four-year bachelor of science degree program in nursing).

B. When will you complete your program of study (month and year)?

C. Are you currently employed? (click) YES NO

If yes, how many hours per week do you work?

D. Please describe (in 300 words or less) your career goals and how your education and/or skills training support those goalsin the space provided below.

Womens Opportunity Awards

A program of Soroptimist International of the Americas

Kuhlmann, Dana M.

7621 Leawood Blvd

Little Rock AR 72205 USA

870-715-5484 [email protected]

01/13/1973 Divorced

1

Son 11

University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), four-year bachelor of English with Creative Writing

06/2014

I would like use my writing skills to get a job working as a contributor at the Arkansas

Democrat-Gazette. While, submitting my stories to different publishers. If I am unable to find a position in

print or online. I will use the fact that I have a degree to get a job as a substitute teacher. Any of these

careers have a greater earning potential than Server- the job I have been supporting us with for about a

year and a half or a Cashier (which is what I supported us doing for 2 years before that).


5/6

PART IIIPERSONAL STATEMENT

The Soroptimist Women's Opportunity Awards aid women who have faced economic and personal hardships, and are seekingto gain additional skills, training and education. The program helps women who serve as the primary wage earners for theirfamilies to enter or return to the work force, or to improve their employment status.

In the space provided below, please tell us in 750 words or less how these statements apply to you, and why you would makea deserving Women's Opportunity Award recipient.

I am living in Little Rock, Arkansas right now, because I saw this as my greatest opportunity to get away

from an abusive relationship that I had been a part of in Harrison, Arkansas. I am applying for jobs everyday,

and I have gotten enrolled at UALR. I have been the primary support for my eleven-year-old son and myself fo

his whole life. I am finishing my degree, so that we will be able to get off of SNAP and Medicaid. I am a good

mother, but a poor judge of character.

After his father cheated on me, I moved myself and my son to Harrison to live with family. I met and fell in

love with a man 12 years my junior. I did not realize how much his immaturity would affect us. I spent six

years being the mother of two boys (and only one of them was actually mine) . We got a divorce. After that,

with help from HUD and Food Stamps I was able to meagerly support my little family on wages from Dairy

Queen. I got a job at a restaurant thinking that tips might improve my income. It was more like feast 20% of

the time with famine getting 80%. I met a tall, Italian-looking man more my age. He was nice at first, and Leo

has the ability to be very nice to get what he wants. His temper is horrible, though. He would be mean, I would

kick him out, 2 weeks later he would call and be sweet, and I would take him back- it was an ugly pattern. Aftehe tried to strangle me and threw me on the ground when my child was so scared he went to his bedroom and

tried to find his knife, I called 911, and put him in jail. He got out after 12 hours, though, and Kota and I were

living in the women's shelter. After much thought and in order to break the pattern, I packed up our stuff, and

my son and I are in a safe place in Little Rock.

I would appreciate any help at all that you could give me. Thank you.


6/6

PART IVFINANCIAL NEED

The Soroptimist Women's Opportunity Awards are given based in part on financial need. Your total income will be comparedto your total annual expenses. Please be as exact as you can.

A. Total annual household income from all sources (include your income from employment, savings, child support, alimony,Social Security benefits, government assistance, and school loans or scholarships. Also include all income received by any otherhousehold members).

B. Please list your annual educational expenses onlydo not include those of your children or other family members.

Tuition/School Fees Books

Other (please describe)

C. Please list your family's annual living expenses in the chart below.

PART VREFERENCES

You will need two different people (NOT related to you) to fill out the reference form (ReferenceForm.pdf). Please email thisform to your references and request that they email the forms back to you when completed.

PART VIAGREEMENT

I certify that all information provided in this application is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I will notifythe designated club to which I have submitted this application if there are any changes.

I understand that this award is not a scholarship and is therefore taxable for citizens of the United States. (For more infor-mation, consult IRS publication 520. Recipients in other countries should check their local tax laws.)

I certify that this is the only application I have made this year for a Women's Opportunity Award from this or any other

Soroptimist club.

I understand that my application becomes the property of Soroptimist International of the Americas. The application will beconsidered confidential, unless the applicant grants Soroptimist written permission to release personal information for thepurpose of publicizing the Soroptimist Women's Opportunity Awards program. By typing your name below you adhere tothe above requirements.

Signature of Applicant Date

Submit your application [email protected].

Housing $ per year Utilities $ per year

Food $ per year Medical $ per year

Childcare $ per year Transportation $ per year

Other(please list additional expenses and assign a dollar value to each in the spaces below)

Expense: $ per year

Expense: $ per year

Expense: $ per year

Total expenses per year $

$7848

$9000 $2100

2400 2400

3000

3600

Insurance 600

Cell Phone 600

12600

Dana M. Kuhlmann 5/8/2013
http://www.soroptimist.org/members/program/ProgramDocs/Women'sOpportunityAwards/English/WOAReferenceForm-Writeable.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/members/program/ProgramDocs/Women'sOpportunityAwards/English/WOAReferenceForm-Writeable.pdfhttp://www.soroptimist.org/members/program/ProgramDocs/Women'sOpportunityAwards/English/WOAReferenceForm-Writeable.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.soroptimist.org/members/program/ProgramDocs/Women'sOpportunityAwards/English/WOAReferenceForm-Writeable.pdf

women's opportunity award

Documents