Soroptimist International - Rogue Valley

Ruby Award - (Making a Difference for Women) - 2010 WINNERS

The Soroptimist International Ruby Award for Women Helping Women Award honors women who, through their professional or personal efforts, are making extraordinary differences in the lives of women or girls. Honorees are women who have worked to improve the lives of other women or girls. Their work has had a significant impact, and also inspires and encourages other women.

SI Ashland - DELTRA FERGUSON

Before beginning her work with the Women's Resource Center of Southern Oregon University (SOU), Deltra Ferguson served as faculty with the Women's Studies program at Oregon State University for five years.  Upon moving to the Rogue Valley, Deltra helped rebuild Josephine County's safe shelter and domestic violence assault program; the Women's Crisis Support Team, as Executive Director.   She has been serving as Coordinator for the Women's Resource Center of Southern Oregon University since 2004.

With the energy of many bright and energetic SOU students and community members, Dr. Ferguson has stewarded the Women's Resource Center back to financial solvency: generating over $10,000 through the SOU Foundation in support of the Center's five programs focused on safety, health, creativity, social change and coalition building.   The Women's Resource Center is passionately dedicated to improving the lives of women in our community through education and support services.  The Women's Resource Center is the official collection site for confidential and anonymous reports of sexual misconduct and trained student peer advocacy for victims of sexual assault.

Annual Women's Resource Center events of Take Back the Night, International Women's Day Celebration and The Vagina Monologues have been the product of many people's energy with Deltra serving as guide, director, facilitator and mentor.  Through these efforts and our generous community, the Women's Resource Center has raised well over $30,000 to donate toward ending violence against women in our valley.

Deltra and her partner of 13 years share a safe, warm Ashland home with seven year old twins, Riley and Julia, and two giant cats.  Working for the wellbeing of women and girls has always been one of Deltra Ferguson's great loves.  She believes that the work of social equality and justice is so clearly necessary and for the good of all - it's easy to do.

SI Medford - JANIE STEWART

Janie Stewart, Program Manager for the Lithia Springs Girls Program of Community Works. Lithia Springs Program is a long-term residential program that is located in Ashland and that serves high-risk teen girls who are referred from both the juvenile justice system and the child welfare system.  Janie has held the position of Program Manager since 1991 and is planning to retire in early 2010.  In the past 18 years Janie has worked tirelessly to help the troubled teenaged girls that were placed in the Lithia Springs Girls Program. Janie didn't consider her position at Lithia Springs Girls Program to be a job, put rather a "lifestyle" which she accepted as her purpose in life. This incredible dedication gave both the clients and the staff the message that they were important and that they could always count on Janie to be there for them. 

Over the years Janie has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of girls, and dozens of young female staff who came to Lithia Springs fresh out of college with their new degree in hand and a desire to work in social services. Janie encouraged these young women to pursue their personal and professional goals as she values education very highly.

As for the clients, they found in Janie a counselor, parental figure, a mentor, a healer, and support person who cared about them deeply. She is a true model of how we should all live in this world, by giving back more then we take and by making a difference in our small corner of the world.

SI North Valley - TERRI DeSILVA

Ashland Police Officer Terri DeSilva has taken a personal experience, an experience that none of us would wish to encounter, and has made it a part of her life to help empower women and girls to be safe, be secure and know they can be in control of their safety.

An early morning session at the gym changed Teri DeSilva's life in ways she could never have imagined.  That early morning session could have been the last living workout for Teri. This terrifying experience altered Teri's life, she realized she would never be a victim again.  Her work life transitioned from fire and safety dispatcher to police officer.

Teri's twenty-five year career in law enforcement, the last sixteen years as a full time police officer, provided an avenue to reach women and girls and to share her story, teach and mentor and empower others to be aware of their personal safety, about not being a victim or an easy target.   She also served as the first female defensive-tactics instructor for her Ashland Police Department and is one of a few female officers to teach survival skills at the state police academy.

SI Rogue Starlight - LISA MEADOWS

Lisa Marie Meadows is a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor working with women and families who are struggling with addiction.  Lisa has been employed at OnTrack Inc., a Southern Oregon nonprofit treatment agency, for 5 years, and has developed a special expertise with families involved with the Child Welfare system.  Five days a week, Lisa facilitates OnTrack's Day Treatment group, which provides 20 hours of direct service to 30 women every week.  In addition, Lisa provides individual counseling and case management required to help clients address the full range of life issues needed in recovery.   During the past five years, Lisa has designed and implemented specialized programming for Child Welfare women.

Lisa's commitment to these women has evolved from her own personal journey.  A high school dropout, she first tried methamphetamine at age 12. She had her first child at age 19, and her second three years later, maintaining a full-blown meth addiction throughout. But at age 24, after a serious automobile wreck, Lisa realized that she wanted a different life for herself and her children.  She admitted herself to OnTrack's HOME Program, which provides residential treatment to mothers and their children, and graduated from treatment nine months later.  In sobriety, Lisa realized that her new life mission was to apply her own experience in work with others, and she soon began studying for certification as a counselor.

Lisa's intense dedication to her clients, and her tremendous clinical insights and skills, are recognized by her peers and supervisors.

SI Rogue Sunrise - KATE NEWGARD

Kate has worked as the Nurse Navigator for the Leila J. Eisenstein Breast Center on the Providence Hospital campus for the last three years.  Kate has made a tremendous impact on the lives of many women as she helps them in their journey through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.  A breast cancer diagnosis is a frightening and scary event, and Kate's role is to provide medical and emotional support to women as they learn about their disease, treatment options, and subsequent care to treat the cancer.  Kate is a warm and caring person who "is honored to have this job."  She has been an outstanding care provider in every nursing role she has fulfilled. 

In the last 3 years, Kate has helped over 375 women. Kate works constantly to solicit grant money from many sources to enable her to expand services to women in our community.  She has been successful in creating breast cancer support and walking groups, offering  "Breast Health" and "Wellness after Breast Cancer Surgery"classes, a Latina mammogram day, and was a key participant in a very successful multi-disciplinary breast cancer community education event. She sees her role as a "medical cheerleader" and says that the highlight of her job is the relationships she forms with the women she supports.

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