Contribution to women's organization will help women around the world

July 11, 2007
Contact: Jessica Levinson, Communications Director
215-893-9000 x129

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—"Honor thy mother" is a commandment to live by, and that's what Mary
Parsigian of Grosse Pointe did when she recently donated $250,000 in honor of her late mother, Joyce Mullane, to Soroptimist International of the Americas—an international volunteer organization of business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls.

"Mary's generous contribution to Soroptimist programs represents the largest single donation our organization has ever received," said Soroptimist's Executive Director Leigh Wintz. "Thanks to this generous donation, Soroptimist will be able to help even more women reclaim their dreams."

Soroptimist comprises approximately 95,000 members in more than 120 countries and territories worldwide who contribute time and financial support to community-based projects that benefit women and girls. Parsigian's donation will benefit Soroptimist programs, especially its major project, the Women's Opportunity Awards program.

The Women's Opportunity Awards program provides women with the resources they need to improve their economic status. Each year, the organization awards head-of-household women with cash grants to offset costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education and additional skills training. Since 1972, Soroptimist has disbursed almost $20 million and helped more than 25,000 women through this program.

"Soroptimist's Women's Opportunity Award program assists women at a turning point in their lives—a time when financial and moral support can make attaining their goals seem less daunting," said Parsigian, a 19-year member of the Grosse Pointe, Michigan, Soroptimist club. "My mother embodied the determination possessed by the women helped through this program, which is why I wanted to honor her in this way."

Throughout her life, Mullane overcame many obstacles. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1945—a time when few women received college degrees. She married right after college and had five children. When she and her husband separated, she received no child support or alimony payments, leaving her the sole-breadwinner for herself and her family.

Unable to obtain a job with her history degree, Mullane went back to school for a master's degree so she could become a history teacher. She worked during the day and attended classes at night. She later became a social studies teacher and taught underprivileged children in inner-city schools.

"My mom always emphasized the importance of getting a college education," said Parsigian, who graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. "I saw how important it was for a woman to be able to take care of herself and her family. Things don't always work out the way you think they should."

Parsigian compares her mother's situation to that of many Women's Opportunity Award recipients, who are often forced to put their dreams on hold when their lives take unexpected turns. With emotional support from family and friends and financial help from Soroptimist, recipients leave behind lives filled with poverty, violence and neglect, and move toward a brighter future.

Take one of this year's recipients, Dawn Zolman of Oxnard, California. Zolman suffered through a childhood of abuse and neglect from her parents. She ran away from home at 16, and by the age of 17 was pregnant. The relationship she had with her daughter's father was abusive and ended quickly. With no one to turn to and nowhere to go, Zolman and her daughter were left homeless. Years later when Zolman began piecing her life together, her dreams were dashed again when her mother committed suicide.

Despite her numerous struggles, Zolman persevered, enrolling in college to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. Currently, she is a full-time student, and recently moved from transitional housing into her own apartment. With the help of the Woman's Opportunity Award, Zolman can continue school, support herself and her daughter, and strive to achieve her dreams.

Said Parsigian, "If my mother were here, she would be at the front of the crowd giving Women's Opportunity Award recipients encouragement and congratulating them for their courage."

Soroptimist, a 501(c)(3) organization, is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit
Organizations' Seal of Excellence. For more information about how Soroptimist improves the lives of women and girls, visit www.soroptimist.org.

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