playing]
10 incredible stories.
10 incredible women.
Each an inspiration and
source of support to so many.
Inspired to help--
--to lead,
--to heal.
And they are so very worth it.
One person, one act,
one moment at a time.
They are women who always
give back and never give up.
NARRATOR: And now, join us as
we celebrate the L'Oreal Paris
Women of Worth.
Good evening.
For 15 years, L'Oreal Paris'
Philanthropic Program, Women
of Worth, has honored
inspiring women
who enrich their lives
and the lives of others
with service and support.
Each year, we ask
Americans to nominate women
who devote themselves
to making a difference
in their communities.
And every year, we are in awe
of the incredible nominees,
the needs they address, and
the obstacles they overcome.
Each of the 10 women
we've selected this year
has an extraordinary story,
a story of creativity,
compassion, commitment, and
courage; of having a vision
to improve the
world around them,
often in the face of danger,
illness, or sorrow, yet always,
always finding a way forward.
Because each of
these women possesses
a strong sense of worth.
NARRATOR: Let's
meet our honorees.
It's such a privilege to
be here applauding women
for their positive impact.
The resilience this year's
Women of Worth honorees
show in the face of difficult
challenges is profound.
They own their experience--
the good, the bad, all of it.
I grew up in poverty.
But my sisters and I were
never short on creativity,
writing and performing
skits, which
set me on a pretty good path.
Still, our plays didn't
erase the hunger.
I think of that
little girl I used
to be every time
I open my fridge
or turn on hot running water.
And I speak up to help children
who are hungry right now.
I encourage all of you to
live a life bigger than you.
And if you need
examples for motivation,
I have just the women
for you to meet.
These two have the toughness to
tackle anything and the empathy
to do it not only for
themselves, but for others
as well.
Cheryl Ann Wadlington had
bumps in the road in childhood,
but found the fortitude
to become a writer,
a motivational speaker, and for
the last 16 years, a champion
for girls of color
with the program
she founded at
the Evoluer House.
FEMALE: An Evoluer
girl is ready to be
the best version of herself.
An Evoluer girl is
someone who loves themselves
and who they are.
FEMALE: She knows that
she's going to evolve,
and she embraces that.
I grew up with a
very strong foundation.
I come from a very
religious family.
They were just
religiously super strict.
When my father passed
away, I was devastated.
I was a little girl.
I didn't know how to
handle him leaving.
Therapy and counseling
wasn't something that a lot
of black families did.
So I started getting in trouble.
I mean, every time
you turn around,
I think I just started
fighting out of that anger.
And then eventually I had
to go to reform school.
By the time I graduated
from high school,
I had like 52 E's and F's.
The counselor actually
laughed in my face and said,
you know, darling, no
college is going to want you.
And then I just looked at
her like she was crazy.
Cause as far as I was
concerned, I wasn't
going to let anything stop me.
VIOLA DAVIS: That drive led
Cheryl to New York City, where
she was accepted at the
Fashion Institute of Technology
and made a name for herself as
a fashion and beauty editor.
Building on her success,
Cheryl wanted to give back
and founded the Evoluer
House in Philadelphia.
The Evoluer House provides
the education and sisterhood
needed to propel girls of color
into positions of leadership.
CHERYL ANN WADLINGTON:
Girls of color, they have
always been judged differently.
Our girls, they feel an
exalted sense of self.
95% of our girls are from
low income backgrounds.
We take in first-time offenders.
They basically are in silence
because of these issues.
So that's something
that we have to work
with when they come
into program to break
that mindset and that attitude.
You're going to come out strong.
You're going to come out gold.
[singing] We will rise.
FEMALE: Often, you find
yourself in situations
where you're the only
black woman in the room.
It can kind of shut
you up in a way.
Miss Cheryl puts
you in the position
to build your self-esteem
to become your own person.
FEMALE: When I came from Puerto
Rico when I was 13 years old,
I didn't know I had a voice
and that I could use it.
FEMALE: I recently got
accepted to Berkeley,
majoring in music business.
I just had big goals.
And I'm going to
achieve all of them.
CHERYL ANN WADLINGTON:
In order to navigate
the world for a black
girl or a brown girl,
you have to be resilient.
We hope to have the next female
president of the United States
come out of Evoluer House.
VIOLA DAVIS: Resilience
keeps these women
on track in Philadelphia.
And a bit to the North,
another women's resilience
sees no bounds.
Noelle Lambert is no stranger
to obstacles of people telling
her something can't be done.
She knows better than most
that if you have a goal,
let nothing get in your way.
NOELLE LAMBERT: Soft knees.
All right.
Chest up.
Good.
4, 3, 2, 1.
In 2016, I was a
freshman at UMass Lowell
playing Division I lacrosse.
And I was the leading
point-scorer on the team.
I was starting
every single game.
So I was very excited for what
my future was going to hold.
VIOLA DAVIS: But that
summer, everything changed.
She had a serious
moped accident,
and her left leg was amputated.
Initially, they told
me that she probably
wasn't going to survive.
I was just grateful that
she was going to live.
And I said, you know, losing
a leg, we'll deal with that.
Having her alive is the
most important thing.
NOELLE LAMBERT: Looking down,
seeing that my leg was gone,
the first thing that I
did think of was lacrosse.
And I was never going
to be able to run
again, play lacrosse again,
or maybe even walk again.
My prosthetist, he is also
an above-knee amputee.
And he knows exactly
what I was going through.
And he told me that
he really didn't
think I was going to
ever be able to play
Division I lacrosse again.
Nobody's ever done this before.
I am that type of person if you
tell me I can't do something,
I'm just going to use it as
fuel to try to get better.
SHERMAN HART: Take your marks.
Go!
NOELLE LAMBERT: I had a
meeting with my coaches,
telling them, if I'm going
to be able to do this,
I'm going to need to be
pushed, yelled at, and treated
like everybody else.
Any coach would
love to coach Noelle.
If you ask her to
run through the wall,
the only thing she's going
to say is, how fast, Coach?
NOELLE LAMBERT: I ended up
scoring my first game back.
And I just remember
sprinting across the field,
seeing all my teammates
running after me.
That was my first time
crying in front of everybody.
And I just remember
thanking them,
because they were the ones
that made that moment possible.
VIOLA DAVIS: Noelle wasn't done.
She found new goals to
chase, including qualifying
for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
These personal
victories wouldn't
have been possible without
the gift of a running
blade from a foundation.
NOELLE LAMBERT: Just because
you have an everyday prosthetic
doesn't mean you're able to
use it for a running blade
or use it to go in the
water in the beach.
And when I realized that
specialized prosthetics can
range anywhere from
$10,000 to $50,000,
I thought that I
was alone in that.
VIOLA DAVIS: Noelle started
the Born to Run Foundation,
helping young amputees get
specialized prosthetics
that insurance does
not typically cover.
JILL FEENEY: Since Ryan's
received his blade,
he's just gained
so much confidence.
We've always worried
about how far
the actual regular prosthetic
legs would bring him.
And now I know he
can do everything
that he always wanted to do.
RYAN: I have freedom.
And I have no limit
with my blade.
NOELLE LAMBERT: When I
look back on my accident,
I honestly wouldn't change
a single thing about it.
Resilience to me is not
letting tragedy define
the person you want to become or
the life that you want to live.
You're able to do anything
you put your mind to.
NARRATOR: To find out more
about these amazing women
and learn how to support
their initiatives,
head to womenofworth.com.
L'Oreal Paris Women
of Worth has always
been about serving our
communities with ingenuity,
compassion, and courage.
Community is not
just where we live.
It's about the people we
know and the ones we don't
and caring about them all.
I am proud to introduce
two outstanding women
who show us what it truly
means to be of service.
Dr. Gulshan Harjee is one of
the founders of the Clarkston
Community Health
Center in Georgia,
a patient-centered
clinic that provides
free comprehensive
health care services
to the residents of DeKalb
and surrounding counties.
GULSHAN HARJEE: Each
one of us is brought
into this world with
a greater purpose
than just serving ourselves.
The health care community
is what my focus is.
Having experienced malaria,
typhoid, cancer, and lupus,
I mean, it just tells
you that you are being
prepared for a higher calling.
Clarkston has been called the
Ellis Island of the South.
There are 60 languages spoken
in the one square mile city.
We have immigrants,
refugees from Iraq,
Somalia, East Africa,
Afghanistan, India, Sri Lanka.
It's incredible.
We were third generation
Asians in Tanzania.
And Idi Amin was
expelling Asians.
18 years old, never left my
own country and being expelled
and not wanted in
your own country.
That was traumatic.
GEMMA CHAN: Gulshan
earned her medical degree
from Atlanta's Emory
School of Medicine in 1982.
And by 1985, she was running
a lucrative private practice
in Decatur, Georgia.
During more than 30 years
of caring for a wide range
of patients, Dr.
Gulshan Harjee came
to a realization that
would significantly change
the course of her life's work.
It was about 11
years ago that I
was diagnosed with
breast cancer and had
the worst flares of lupus.
When I had malaria, my
kidneys went into failure.
Dodging death so many times.
What shocked me was that there
are those that have more health
care than they need.
And then there are
those that have none.
So I embarked on
starting a free clinic.
It has been a place for me
to heal, to heal others.
And it has been my sanctuary.
You take good care.
February 2013, we
opened our doors.
We now have 5,500 patients.
Immigrants, refugees,
uninsured, unemployed.
FEMALE: We were going
through some hard times.
I lost my job.
I'm thankful that
you guys are here.
DANIEL SMITH: With the patients,
she treats them like family.
And she really wants
them to achieve
an optimal state of well-being.
GULSHAN HARJEE: Between the
volunteers and the doctors,
we speak 30 languages.
If you can't speak
their language,
you can't diagnose them,
and you can't help them.
The next project
is to fund-raise
to build an 8,000
square foot facility
that would be fully equipped.
Making it to this point with
the assistance of L'Oreal
is a beautiful thing.
And I want to thank them for
shedding light on my project.
When you have like-minded
people, when the community
rises up to the plate,
and we all work together,
I think the results
can be quite impactful.
GEMMA CHAN: The drive to
make a positive and lasting
impact transcends
communities, industries,
and even generations.
At just 20 years
old, Danielle Boyer
is an entrepreneur, educator,
inventor, and author in STEAM--
science, technology,
engineering, art, and math.
She is filling a huge
need by providing
educational skills
to young people
in underserved communities.
Her program, The
STEAM Connection,
shares her love of learning
and teaching by creating
educational materials
and making them
accessible to black,
indigenous, and people
of color communities.
DANIELLE BOYER: Even
though I've seen robots
move thousands of
times, I still always
get that, like, excitement.
It's so cool to know that you
wired something, and it worked.
And you're like,
what else can I do?
The STEAM Connection
is my nonprofit
that I started in
January of 2019
to bring STEAM
resources to children.
As an Ojibwe person, which
is an indigenous tribe,
I am very passionate
about bringing
opportunities to kids who
might otherwise be left behind.
I want kids to know that
engineering is approachable
and that it is fun
and worth pursuing.
GEMMA CHAN: Danielle has reached
more than 930 students to date.
For those she can't
teach in person,
Danielle created a way to put
STEAM and robotics education in
the hands of kids everywhere.
DANIELLE BOYER: Every
kid gets a robot.
It's a robot that I invented
that goes to kids for free.
And I have online
curriculum that the students
can learn from.
I saw a lot of robots that
my students wanted to use
that cost, like, $400, $500.
That's just not accessible
for many of the communities
that I work with.
We're going to grab the
ESP 32 development board.
STUDENT: OK.
DANIELLE BOYER: I've
sent out thousands
and thousands of robots.
The robots have been to more
places than I have been.
I'm from Troy, Michigan.
We have a lot of
immigrants here.
My students come from so
many different backgrounds,
it brings a really dynamic
environment to the classroom.
A lot of the kids have
been told they shouldn't be
pursuing engineering careers.
And I'm here to tell
them that they can.
There's no barrier
to entry anymore.
VCC connects to 3.3.
Do you know what
the 3.3 stands for?
STUDENT: Yep.
DANIELLE BOYER: I joined
my first robotics team when
I was a junior in high school.
It was a really
difficult experience.
A lot of the guys were
not nice to me at all.
I really felt like I
wasn't meant to be pursuing
anything in programming,
things that I
was really passionate about.
And I just knew
that I had to create
a better environment for
those female students
that I was working with.
[laughs]
I'm not going to lie.
That was awesome.
VINAYA GUNASEKAR: :
Danielle has opened
me up to the thousands of
possibilities that there are.
She helps so many people.
And that just inspires me to
do the same in my community.
DANIELLE BOYER: I
think my future is
full of working with students,
doing cool robot things,
and changing the world.
[chuckles]
I am blown away as I
watch these amazing, amazing
women tell their stories.
Just think-- Women of Worth has
been going strong for 15 years.
And now 150 women and so many
lives positively impacted.
I think we all know
a woman of worth.
Mine is my mum, Elizabeth, for
dedicating her life to helping
people and their families
through her work as a doctor,
for raising a family, and
for being an unwavering
source of support for me.
Who's yours?
Tell us by joining
the conversation,
and show your support for
wonderful, remarkable,
incredible women everywhere.
NARRATOR: Still ahead, meet
more of the amazing Women
of Worth honorees.
FEMALE: No matter how dark
your world is, you are always
somebody's light,
whether that's your own
or someone like a stranger.
And I tell her
that all the time.
Stephanie Gattas is my angel.
Welcome back, you guys.
What impressive, beautiful
women we've seen so far.
Another quality
women of worth share
is their ability to speak
up for people who may not be
able to find their own voice.
I am personally
so moved by causes
that look to improve the
future for young people
around the world.
Advocacy for crucial causes
requires a strong commitment.
And that commitment
can be rooted
in deep personal experience.
The two women you're about to
meet are advocates to the core.
Diana Chao founded
Letters to Strangers
as a sophomore in high school.
Facing bipolar disorder,
she felt isolated.
Diana found comfort writing
letters to strangers,
which made her feel less alone.
Letters to Strangers
has since grown
into a global youth-run
organization that seeks
to destigmatize mental
illness and increase
access to affordable
quality treatment.
Diana believes that writing is
humanity distilled into ink.
Watch closely.
Diana might be making one more
connection she's not expecting.
[sitar music]
DIANA CHAO: Dear Stranger,
I don't know what
to say except that
sometimes everything hurts
so bad I don't know what to do.
I am a puddle.
I am a string.
I am a prayer
wavering on existence
but never quite making it there.
What am I going to do about it?
Love, a stranger.
I've had bipolar disorder
since I was 13 years old.
And when I got my
diagnosis, there
was a lot of denial for a
long time within my family.
I felt like I didn't deserve
the air that I breathed.
In a lot of minority
backgrounds, what's very common
is this idea that mental
illness is a result of karma,
that maybe you are just
being disrespectful
and spoiled and ungrateful.
After surviving a series
of suicide attempts,
it was actually the very final
one when my little brother
was the one who found me.
And I thought to myself that no
matter how dark my world got,
I could never drag
him down with me.
I turned to writing.
And I started writing
letters to strangers.
I realized that I
had a voice that
was being empathetic and
kind to these people I'd
never even met.
And so I asked myself why
I couldn't do the same,
but for me.
As that became my
sort of healing power,
I decided to make it
into a little student
club at my high school.
It grew and became
what it is today.
50% of all lifetime cases of
mental illness begin by age 14,
and 75% by age 24.
This means that young people are
particularly impacted not just
by mental health
concerns, but all
of the other
conditions of life that
can affect one's mental health.
CAMILA CABELLO: : Letters to
Strangers is now the largest
youth-for-youth mental health
nonprofit organization with
chapters in more than
20 countries reaching
over 35,000 people globally.
DANIELLE BOYER:
Letters to Strangers
operates through our anonymous
letter-writing exchange program
which happens through
therapy-informed writing
themes and peer discussions.
We also have our
guidebook, which
is the world's first
youth-for-youth mental health
guidebook.
CAMILA CABELLO: : Diana
took a break from her busy
schedule as a full-time
student and activist
to hop on a video call.
Little did she know, L'Oreal
had a surprise in store.
Elle Fanning wanted to
compliment her personally
on her healing efforts.
Hi!
Can you see me?
Yeah.
I just wanted to
congratulate you
on everything that you've done.
You are truly a woman of worth
in every sense of the word.
Yes.
Your advocacy for
young people, it's
so beautiful and inspiring.
So really, thank you.
Thank you for
caring about my story
and for sharing
your time with me.
To me, being an
advocate means to care,
to love, to believe, to trust
in the inherent goodness
of people, even when
everything around you
might make you feel like
that's an impossible task.
No one walks this Earth alone.
And no matter how
dark your world gets,
we only see the
shadows because there
is a light shining on them.
And I hope this reminds you that
you are always somebody light,
whether that be your own
or someone like a stranger.
CAMILA CABELLO: : Radiating
light and hope is a gift
shared by our next honoree.
Marta Michelle Colon's brother
struggled with addiction
and eventually lost his life
due to his dependence on drugs.
This tragedy inspired Marta
to start Be Gutsy to raise
awareness of opioid abuse.
She focuses on teens and
young adults, especially
Latino youth, to educate
about opioid abuse
and the importance of securing
prescription drugs in the home
so they're not misused.
MARTA MICHELLE COLON:
: Taking tragedy
and transforming it into
something that saved
lives makes me feel empowered.
Actually, it makes
me feel at peace.
My brother was five
years older than me.
And when he turned 16, my
father gave him a motorcycle,
which was his dream.
After his first
motorcycle accident,
his pain was so strong that
he was prescribed opioids.
There wasn't actually
any interaction with us
where I saw that
he was taking more
pills than he was supposed to.
But there were some
behaviors that I
knew that something was wrong.
CAMILA CABELLO: : 24 years after
his first motorcycle accident,
Marta's brother passed away
as a result of the long-term
effects of opioid misuse.
MARTA MICHELLE COLON: : It
was very, very distressing.
At that time, I realized that
his life could save many lives.
And that's why I
decided to create
Be Gutsy because I figure it's
my next stage of honoring him.
CAMILA CABELLO: : Designed to
take on America's dangerous
and widespread drug epidemic,
Be Gutsy is a national platform
that raises awareness of
the perils of opioid misuse,
a problem which is devastating
to the Latinx community.
MARTA MICHELLE
COLON: : Latinx are
known to not liking
to talk about
substance use disorder openly.
And a lot of the pill
bottles are in English.
And some people do
not speak English.
One of our goals is to make
sure that this epidemic,
it's part of the
Latinx conversation.
We go to schools, we
go to communities,
we go to non-profit
organizations.
And we provide information
on the prescription opioids
epidemic.
We also use the arts as a
medium to drive this message
and this information.
Adolescents get to create
murals about well-being.
It's an interesting process.
CAMILA CABELLO: : Be
Gutsy is an invaluable
resource guiding young people to
make safe and healthy choices.
MARTA MICHELLE COLON: : If
I knew then what I know now,
I definitely could
have saved my brother.
And that's why I want to make
sure that people know all
this now so they
can help each other,
so they can help save lives.
NARRATOR: To find out more
about these amazing women
and learn how to support
their initiatives,
head to womenofworth.com.
My focus this evening is on
something I know a bit about--
the challenge of
finding empowerment,
the confidence to take control
of your life and your journey.
Listen to your instincts.
See opportunity when
it presents itself.
And go for it.
You're about to meet Leah
Juliett and Barbara Rhode.
They have found their
power and are using
it to help others do the same.
Leah is the founder
and executive director
of March Against Revenge
Porn, an international digital
advocacy organization dedicated
to eradicating revenge
porn and image abuse.
As a victim
themselves, Leah wishes
to stop this invasive and
devastating problem, leading
the charge with protest
marches, work with legislators,
and victim support services.
LEAH JULIETT: I
experienced shame
before I knew what shame meant.
I was 14 when I was first asked
to send nude photos to a boy
that I was talking to in
my small town high school.
He sent the photos to
everyone on the football team
with people in other towns.
And finally, the
photos were posted
on an anonymous
worldwide image board.
And the worst part
was, I blamed myself.
One of my tattoos
says, RIP Shame.
And I got that tattoo
the day that I started
telling my revenge porn story.
To the boy who posted my naked
pictures online, thank you.
I went on Facebook,
and I saw the boy
who posted my naked pictures.
It was his mug shot.
And he was on the run for
sexually assaulting a minor.
And that's when I realized
that criminals, when not held
accountable for
their crimes, will
continue hurting other people.
Take back my tongue
and learn how to speak.
Take my art back with gallantry.
Stop being meek.
I wrote a poem, and
I posted it online.
And a few months later
is when I decided
to found March Against Revenge
Porn in August of 2016.
I refuse to be ashamed.
I am not the one to blame.
It's the most empowered
that I have ever been.
HELEN MIRREN: A non-binary
and queer writer, speaker,
organizer, and advocate,
Leah has become a leading
voice in the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ people are
disproportionately
targeted by revenge porn.
LEAH JULIETT: I'm
dedicated to eradicating
cyber sexual violence
through federal lobbying,
national protest
marches, a new podcast,
victim support services, and a
brand new legal defense fund.
Now the girl in the
picture is forever to see.
My body may be in cyberspace.
But the joke's on the
thief, because she isn't me.
But my voice will
never be taken away.
L'Oreal Paris Women
of Worth program
is empowering me to
continue to use my voice.
It's giving me
legibility in public
in ways that revenge porn has
tried to take away from me.
HELEN MIRREN: Speaking
up to drive change
is something our
honorees have in common.
They turn words into
action on a daily basis.
Barbara founded the Red
Tent Women's Initiative,
supporting women
incarcerated in the Pinellas
County Jail in Florida.
She realized that having
inmates work with their hands
keeps them focused and gives
them a sense of accomplishment.
These positive coping skills
address issues such as trauma,
addiction, and
socioeconomic disadvantage,
allowing the women to
improve their lives
and the lives of their
children and to stop
the cycle of recidivism.
BARBARA RHODE: So I'm so
glad you could come today
and we could catch up.
I just love my life right now.
I'm a happy person, and
I like going forward.
BARBARA RHODE: The Red Tent
Women's Initiative is a program
I started at the
Pinellas County Jail
for women inmates who
have been through trauma.
HELEN MIRREN: Barbara is a
licensed marriage and family
therapist.
While working with women at
a drug treatment facility,
Barbara discovered
what would become
the inspiration behind
her non-profit initiative.
BARBARA RHODE: I read Anita
Diamant's "The Red Tent."
There used to be in the
middle of villages a red tent
where women could go when they
were going through changes,
grieving, anything that
caused them to feel
like they needed time to heal.
So I started thinking, we need
some red tents around here.
I just wanted to
sew and to talk.
Talk!
I still want to sew.
BARBARA RHODE: When women
do things with their hands--
crochet, knit,
embroider, even color--
they produce more
oxytocin that makes
them feel safe and secure.
I didn't know that I'd
be getting some things out,
to be able to heal
from those things.
It empowers you that
they overcome some stuff
that, hey, I could do that too.
BARBARA RHODE: Some of
the tools we use in class
are assertiveness training,
mindfulness meditation,
conflict resolution,
anything that will give them
another tool so
when they leave jail
they're not pulled back
into that destructive cycle.
What I made it
through allows me
to be able to help
somebody else that's
going through the same thing.
I think Red Tent empowers
other women by helping them
see themselves differently.
FEMALE: I learned that
I'm a good person,
that I can help other people.
Helping them have new hope.
FEMALE: Now I have custody
of both my children.
I am remodeling my house.
BARBARA RHODE: The fact
that other people care
enough to come into the
jail and work with them
has a profound effect on them.
FEMALE: It's made me a woman
of dignity, a woman of respect.
They have the possibility and
ability to leave jail and make
a profound difference
in their lives,
their family's lives, and
the communities' life.
FEMALE: Red Tent empowers
you to be better.
And Barbara gives us that.
She makes us believe.
With L'Oreal's support
and the Women of Worth,
my dream is to see
Red Tent programs
in every jail and prison
throughout the world.
Both women are helping
others find resolution.
I can certainly relate.
When I was younger--
a lot younger--
I looked in many different
places for answers.
But I found my answer by
looking outside of myself
towards other people
and community.
And like Leah and
Barbara, we all have
the power to help each other.
Every year, L'Oreal
Paris Women of Worth
celebrates 10 women
who do beautiful things
for their communities,
women who have
created so many amazing causes.
Visit womenofworth.com
to read their stories.
I am honored to
be here to celebrate
L'Oreal Paris' Women
of Worth, women
who exemplify so many things--
empathy, courage, love, but
most importantly, strength.
Our strength comes
from many places
from within us-- from
faith, from our families,
from finding a sense of purpose.
I personally stay
strong by focusing
on advocacy and the
priorities I learned
from my South Texas roots.
My father is a US veteran.
My mother taught special
needs students for many years.
And when I was growing
up, they emphasized
education, hard work, and
compassion, and kindness.
One measure of strength is
to survive a personal tragedy
and then try to prevent others
from suffering like you did.
Lindsey Wimmer knows
the grief of being
the parent of a stillborn
child and the challenges
of navigating a world changed
by the loss of someone you love.
She is founder and
executive director
of Star Legacy Foundation.
Their mission is to increase
awareness of stillbirth,
pregnancy loss, neonatal
death, and to support families
on their grieving journeys.
We have about 1,000
stars hanging up.
And they are representative
of the number
of babies that are stillborn in
the United States in two weeks.
I remember when I hit 34 weeks.
I actually called my mom,
and I said, we're home free.
I'm a pediatric
nurse practitioner.
And so I had taken care
of lots of 34-weekers,
and they do great.
One night I woke up
about 3:00 in the morning
with this overwhelming
sense of doom.
After a little while I started
to realize that in the time
that I had been up, I
hadn't felt the baby move.
So we were at the
clinic when they opened.
And they showed
us the ultrasound.
They said, you know,
here's your baby.
Here's his heart.
And it's no longer beating.
And that really is the moment
that kind of put my life
into a before and after.
It really defined a lot
of my life in that way.
I can almost feel what his
hands and feet felt like.
But this proves that he
was real, he was here.
The best answer my
obstetrician could give me
was, sometimes these
things just happen.
The mom in me and the
health professional in me
just couldn't be OK
with that answer.
EVA LONGORIA: Drawing
from her own experience,
Lindsay patterned
the Star Legacy
Foundation's programs based on
what she knows families need--
support, information, research.
LINDSEY WIMMER: Star
Legacy Foundation
is dedicated to prevention
of stillbirth and caring
for families who
had that experience.
CHRIS DUFFY: When
you're at the hospital
and your baby is not living,
you're just in total shock.
FEMALE: There are
people that are
shining their light
because they've
made it a little bit farther.
And so that's
definitely what you have
been for us and for
our family, and it's
just such a profound gift.
LINDSEY WIMMER: The hope is
one of the biggest things.
We hear from families
over and over again
when they met with one of us or
when they learned what we were
doing, it was the first time
that they actually started
to think that maybe
they can survive this,
they will be able
to smile again.
EVA LONGORIA: With
more than 20 chapters,
the Star Legacy
Foundation is providing
caring guidance to parents and
families around the country.
Lindsey is a wonderful person.
With any luck, we will make
stillbirth a thing of the past.
If we could save other
families from that type
of heartache, that's
the best gift I
could think of to give anyone.
And that's the best legacy
I can think of for my son.
EVA LONGORIA: Helping
others navigate pain also
motivates our next honoree.
For Navy veteran
Stephanie Gattas,
strength was returning
home from service
and fighting to overcome
anger and despair.
She found equine
therapy helped her heal,
and she knew she could help
other veterans heal as well.
Stephanie founded
The Pink Berets
so that active duty women of
the United States Armed forces,
veterans, and first responders
who struggle with trauma
and invisible injuries
all have a place to turn.
STEPHANIE GATTAS: I had
experienced a number
of different things in my
life that led to a point
where I said, something
has to change.
There was erratic behaviors.
There was aggressiveness.
I wasn't really
identifying with the fact
that I needed to get help.
As a mother, as a
daughter, as a wife,
I needed to really
gain an understanding
of what it meant to implement
that self-care in myself.
I started to do research.
And there wasn't really
anything to address
any specific traumas,
especially for women
that had been in the military.
And so The Pink Berets was born.
EVA LONGORIA: The
Pink Berets provide
various therapeutic
programs to help
women veterans confront their
trauma and take steps forward.
STEPHANIE GATTAS: Our focus is
to help them engage in order
to start living a normal life
with therapeutic and holistic
type therapies that will address
their invisible injuries,
such as post-traumatic stress,
military sexual trauma, combat
trauma stress, and
traumatic brain injuries.
DR. DENISE CARDIN ABNEY:
When people have PTSD,
they're expecting that
the same thing that
happened to them in the
past-- their trauma--
will happen again.
And so they're 24/7 on guard.
I came here struggling
just to function.
I was always in that
heightened sense of alert.
And horses see that.
They help you recognize
that damage to your soul.
EVA LONGORIA: Stephanie's
approach brings
healing and restores strength.
STEPHANIE GATTAS: My hope is
that when these women receive
the services that they receive
through The Pink Berets,
they walk out with this
newfound level of strength.
TRACIE ROSADO: Strength is
asking for help by saying,
I'm here, I need help.
More powerful than being on
that front line, more powerful
than deploying.
Because you did it for yourself.
Stephanie Gattas is my angel.
I'm so thankful.
I'm just thankful.
STEPHANIE GATTAS:
I can't tell you
how incredible it
is to be a part
of this Women of Worth journey.
What I would love to
see is for other women
to be inspired and empowered to
give back to their community,
be of service to others.
There is no greater
act of humanity
than to be able to say, I
can help you, and I know how.
NARRATOR: To find out more
about these amazing women
and learn how to support
their initiatives,
head to womenofworth.com.
The 10 incredible women
we've met over the last hour
devote their time and energy to
enriching the lives of others.
Yet they are so modest
about their work
and how much they mean
to those around them.
These women of worth make
the world better every day.
Their acts of kindness
uplift their communities
from within as their love
and caring radiates outward.
GEMMA CHAN: Dear Noelle--
Dear Barbara--
Dear Gulshan--
Dear Marta--
Dear Danielle--
Dear Diana--
Dear Lindsey--
Dear Stephanie--
Dear Cheryl--
Dear Leah Juliett--
Do you know how crazy
proud of and happy
I am for you in this moment
of public recognition
for the woman of worth you are?
Do you know how grateful we
are that you remain steadfast
and unapologetic
in your commitment
to ensuring girls of
color have what they
need and are able to thrive?
Everything you've done with
the Born to Run Foundation,
helping young adults and
children live their lives
how they're meant to be lived--
Your influence goes beyond
what you could ever imagine.
And now, at only 20 years
old, you've changed thousands
of lives across the globe.
And you're just getting started.
You taught me that my mental
illness does not define me.
You taught me not to be afraid.
You taught me that I am strong.
And you taught me
that I am not alone.
Dear Lindsey, hi, it's me.
Do you know how many people's
lives that you have touched?
You have demonstrated
to many kids
that scientists and engineers
can look like anyone.
You've created a safe space
for me and so many other
women to gain some self-worth.
And how you stress
the importance
of being a voice for those
who don't have a voice.
You are someone
that our community
looks to in dark times.
You inspire me to continue
to teach my students
to live their values--
--to remain action-oriented--
Practice patience.
--to be brave enough to share
the story of my own scars.
--and my experience has
inspired me to one day
open up my own free
clinic that serves
the underserved populations.
You are a person
who sees the light
that everyone has to offer.
And I could not be more
grateful for having you
in my life and for making
me a better person.
You are truly a hero.
You have discovered powers
that I didn't know existed.
And I thank you for that.
What you have done is
provided families like ours
with comfort and
community and support
and love when they feel
like they are floundering.
I want to thank you so much
for instilling the values
and morals into our daughter.
From my heart to yours--
Congratulations to you.
I love you.
You inspire me to be a
woman of worth, just like you.
That's so sweet.
I would do it 100 times over.
You truly understand
the value of worth.
You inspire me.
By bringing a smile to
people who really need it.
You inspire me
to be an advocate.
--to help, to lead, to heal.
Thank you for taking action.
--for stepping up.
--for offering your hands
and hearts to people in need.
--and making the
world a better place
one remarkable act at a time.
Once again, I
want to thank you.
To all the incredible 2020
L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth
honorees, you show us your
compassion, caring, commitment,
and courage every day.
And all of you watching
at home can help.
Visit womenofworth.com to
learn more about the honorees,
their causes.
There is always something you
can do to make a connection,
to make someone feel
valued or change something
that needs to be changed.
Because we are all worth it.
I want to thank you again
so much for watching.