In 2023, we lost an incredible member of our organization and dear friend, Heidi Souvenir. Heidi's warmth, generosity, and dedication greatly benefited United Way and our community. In her honor, we named our Woman of Excellence Award after her, recognizing the example she set through her commitment to serving others and strengthening our community.

Presented annually at Power of the Purse, the Heidi Souvenir Woman of Excellence Award honors an outstanding local woman whose philanthropic spirit, leadership, volunteerism, and community service have made a meaningful impact in Cowlitz or Wahkiakum Counties. If you know a woman who embodies these qualities, we encourage you to submit a nomination.

Criteria

The Woman of Excellence Award recognizes a local woman whose philanthropic spirit, leadership, and service have made a meaningful impact in Cowlitz or Wahkiakum Counties.

Nominees should:

• Live or work in Cowlitz or Wahkiakum Counties.
• Embody United Way’s mission to mobilize the caring power of our community to continuously improve the lives of every person in Cowlitz & Wahkiakum Counties.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to giving back through volunteerism, advocacy, charitable involvement, community leadership, or support of local causes.
• Actively work to improve the quality of life in our community and create opportunities for others to succeed.
• Inspire positive change by building partnerships, engaging others in service, and investing their time, talents, or resources to benefit the community.
• Be recognized as a strong, positive, and contributing member of the community whose actions have had a lasting impact on the lives of others.

This award is intended to honor women whose service extends beyond their professional responsibilities and reflects a genuine commitment to strengthening our community.

To be eligible for this award, the nominee cannot be a current United Way staff or board member and cannot have received the award within the past five years.

To Nominate a Woman of Excellence: Please complete the nomination form in its entirety and share as much information as possible about your nominee's contributions and impact. Only complete applications will be considered. The details you provide help the selection committee evaluate nominees and may also be used to recognize and celebrate the award recipient. The more information you can share, the better we can understand your nominee's story.

Nominations close on August 20, 202 – don’t miss your chance to recognize a Woman of Excellence!

Woman of Excellence Nomination Form