The Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards (formerly the Women's Opportunity Awards) assists women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects.
Each year, more than $1.6 million in education grants are awarded to more than 1,200 women, many of whom have overcome enormous obstacles including poverty, domestic violence and/or drug and alcohol abuse. Live Your Dream Awards recipients may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation.
In addition to providing the primary financial support for their families, eligible applicants must be enrolled in, or have been accepted to, a vocational/skills training program or an undergraduate degree program and must demonstrate financial need. Also, please note only residents of Soroptimist International of the Americas' member countries and territories are eligible to apply for the educational grants.
The Live Your Dream Awards involves three levels of cash awards. The program begins at the local Soroptimist club-level, where award amounts vary. Local-level award recipients become eligible for region-level awards of either $3,000 or $5,000. Region-level award recipients then become eligible to receive one of three international-level awards of $10,000.
Since the Live Your Dream Awards program began in 1972, about $30 million in education grants have been disbursed to assist tens of thousands of women achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families. In 2007, the program received the Associations Advance America Summit Award—ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership's highest level of recognition.
You are eligible to apply for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards if you:
You are eligible if you are a woman who:
I understand that Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc. ("Soroptimist") will collect the information set out in this application, and any other information I may have provided in support of this application, for the purposes of evaluating my eligibility for a Live Your Dream Award.
Soroptimist may also use my contact information to communicate with me, including to send follow-up emails to award recipients.
Soroptimist may also combine my information with that of other applicants in aggregate, anonymous form for the purpose of evaluating the program and reporting results.
I understand that my application may be submitted electronically for evaluation.
Soroptimist may share my personal information with its affiliates, service providers, and contractors, to the extent that such persons need access to the information in connection with the evaluation of my application for an award. Soroptimist will not sell or trade my personal information, and it will not include my personal information in any publication without my express permission.
Soroptimist may also contact the persons who have provided references about me, for confirmation of such references. Soroptimist or its contractors may also use or disclose my information to verify enrollment in the educational program described in my application.
I understand that my personal information will be stored in Canada or the United States of America (USA) and accessible to Soroptimist staff, evaluators and contractors with a need to know such information. I also understand that some of Soroptimist's affiliates, service providers, and contractors are located in the USA. As a result, my personal information may be transferred to or accessible in the USA and accessible to courts, law enforcement and national authorities in the USA, which may give rise to a risk that my travel to the USA could be impacted if information that I provide to Soroptimist is relevant to my eligibility to enter the USA.
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