L'Oréal Paris Announces the Esteemed Canadian Honorees of Their Fourth Annual Women of Worth Program

L'Oréal Paris Canada today announced the remarkable recipients of its fourth annual Women of Worth program. Each year, the philanthropic initiative strives to recognize and honour a diverse group of unstoppable women who work passionately to identify problems, foster solutions and champion change. These ten extraordinary changemakers commonly advocate for those less fortunate and make deep-rooted and inspired contributions to our world.

The 2020 Women of Worth honourees have all been selected for the significant impact their actions have had across a suite of causes and initiatives. Each honouree will join an accomplished alumnus of women across North America who all live their lives with tremendous purpose. These women altruistically offer their time and lend their expertise to positively affect their respective causes, local communities and our world at large. On International Women's Day, a $10,000 grant will be presented to each honouree towards her charity at an awards gala held in Toronto that same day.

"These exceptional women selflessly and tirelessly strive for and champion change; lifting up their communities and bringing people together," said Milan Mladjenovic, General Manager, L'Oréal Paris Canada. "We are humbled and inspired by their contributions to dream, learn, and ultimately do more, for the betterment of our world."

The 2020 L'Oréal Paris, Women of Worth Canada Honourees are:
(in alphabetical order)

Kehkashan Basu, Green Hope Foundation in Toronto, ON built a networking platform, specifically designed for children and youth, with a focus on sustainable development and mitigating climate change; actively promoting gender equality, youth empowerment and social upliftment.  

Sara Champagne, CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation in Montreal, QC strives to alter preconceived notions of beauty and champion acceptance for all, through a photographic exposition and social media campaign dedicated to driving awareness to those living with facial differences - more precisely, Moebius syndrome - a rare form of paralysis that affects facial expression and eye movement.

Rabiah Dhaliwal, One Blood for Life Foundation in Surrey, BC educates the next generation of blood and stem cells donors in Canada through a variety of humanitarian efforts including the development of programming designed to aid with cultural and language barriers and enable donor recruitment accessibility for everyone.

Tanya Hayles, Black Moms Connection in Toronto, ON actively provides a safe and encouraging environment for black mothers, through an online global village to connect on shared cultural experiences and provide relevant tools, resources, support and friendship, within the community.

Donna Hreys, Knitted Knockers Alberta in Calgary, AB provides lightweight and soft breast prosthetics for daily use and activities, including swimming, knitted by volunteers, for Canadian women who have had mastectomy or lumpectomy procedures, free of charge.

Gina Jones-Wilson, Upper Hammonds Plains Community Development Association in Upper Hammonds Plains, NS has dedicated 40 years of volunteering to support the various needs of urban youth and seniors within her community, including areas related to housing, health care, educational programming and access to public transit.

Glori Meldrum, Little Warriors in Edmonton, AB brought her vision to life of building a specialized, intensive treatment centre dedicated to children and their families, victimized by sexual abuse from across Canada.

Karen Sherbut, Safe Haven Foundation of Canada in Calgary, AB advocates for homeless and at-risk girls by providing them with a safe, supportive and stable home where they can focus on rebuilding their lives and becoming self sufficient.

Dr. Laura Whyte, Covered By Hope House in Sydney, NS developed a multi-faceted, therapeutic live-in recovery home for women struggling with challenges associated drug and alcohol addiction.  Through an approach based on their motto 'to hope, to honour, to heal', the program provides women with support, tools and growth opportunities to work towards becoming substance-use free.

Bev Woods, Gift from the Heart in Codrington, ON provides compassionate dental hygiene care for Canadians in need; raising awareness about access to oral health care and the critical importance of accessibility for all.

From now until March 4, Canadians can visit womenofworth.ca to learn more details about each honoree and cast their vote to elect the 2020 National Honouree – who will be awarded an additional $10,000 grant towards her non-profit charity. One submission per email address, per day will be accepted. The public vote is a core factor in the judging panel's selection of the 2020 National Honouree.