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RW of the Year
By Geri Nikolai
ROCKFORD WOMAN
Dec 20, 2007 @ 01:00 AM
Vote for Rockford Woman of the Year
We would never say these five women are the most outstanding women in Rockford. There are far too many out there who have made positive and lasting differences in our community.
We would say, however, that our Rockford Woman of the Year Award finalists illustrate the qualities that make Rockford women great: strength and perseverance; the guts to care, and care deeply; and the gumption to do something when they see people being hurt.
Darlene Furst was a country girl from Lanark with only a high school education who
When Lillie Hamberlin was battling illness and pain to get a degree and a teacher told her she was not college material, she refused to go home. Instead, she graduated from Rockford College with her name on the Distinguished Scholar list and went into her job of finding foster homes with such enthusiasm that she’s won statewide honors for her work.
Native Canadian Nellie Ciembronowicz spent her life raising children and helping in the family business. At 80, her children are grown and the business rarely needs her, so she fills her calendar and her days with church work at St. Stanislaus and helping people older than she is, whether their need involves finding someone to fix a leaky faucet, buying groceries or interpreting from Polish to English or the reverse.
Angela Rodriguez fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a pediatrician as the single parent of three children. After 24-hour stints in Rockford Memorial’s neonatal unit, where each day brought life-or-death cases, she came home feeling like a zombie but had the strength to give her own children what they needed.
When Appellate Court Judge Kathryn Zenoff was told by a law firm that her qualifications were great, but they wouldn’t hire her because she was a woman, she took a different path to starting her distinguished career, a career that includes several initiatives for the vulnerable among us, such as children and the mentally ill.
These women inspire us and make us proud. We hope you enjoy reading about them and reflecting on the contributions that strong, caring women have made on your life and our community. Click the links to the left to learn more about the finalists.
About the award:
Rockford Woman magazine started soliciting nominations for the Rockford Woman of the Year Award when it launched last spring.
The five finalists were chosen by the Rockford Woman advisory board. You can vote for a winner at rockfordwoman.com through Jan. 9.
The winner will be announced in the March/April issue and become a member of the advisory board.
Nominees were sought and judged based on how they best exemplify the mission of the magazine:
Fostering community conversations among women in the Rock River Valley.
Sharing the earned wisdom of women in their own words.
Delighting in the things that make women who and what we are.
Celebrating women who teach us to strive and achieve beyond our limitations and challenges.
Reflecting the diversity and values of the women among us.
Helping women manage their lives efficiently.
On occasion, having a rip-roaring good time.
You can scope out all the nominations, see their photos and read their reactions by clicking on the links under "Related stories."
What’s next
All of the nominees will be honored Jan. 31 during an invitation-only reception at the Rockford Art Museum, where the winner will be named.
