Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards
This goes far beyond the typical red carpet fluff. At first glance, it was an opportunity to show who wore what (and who shouldn’t have worn what) and blah, blah, blah. And then we saw Dr. Jane Aronson’s name among 2009’s most inspiring women being celebrated at Monday evening’s Glamour Women of the Year awards.
Going outside of the fashion-box here, we are adopting from Ethiopia and have consulted with Dr. Jane Aronson. She will be reviewing the medical records and offering whatever advice possible when the time comes to review our referral (matched child). Her story is one worth reading.
She is a Woman of the Year because: “She has a heart the size of Texas and a drive like Tiger Woods, and she has made a huge difference to countless children and their families.” —Hugh Jackman, actor and longtime supporter of Worldwide Orphans Foundation more
“There was no way I was going to continue practicing medicine without helping the kids left behind.” Her solution: Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO), which she started in 1997. Within a few years WWO was providing AIDS drugs for HIV positive children in Ethiopia and Vietnam—one of the first organizations of any type to do that; launching the “orphan rangers,” essentially a Peace Corps through which volunteers work in orphanages; and building a school in Ethiopia.
As an advocate, Aronson has improved the lives of 20,000 kids; as a doctor, she saves them one at a time. From her small Manhattan office, wallpapered with photos of smiling children, the jeans-clad pediatrician works with adopting parents—including celebs like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt—giving them the medical and emotional support they need to ensure that their new family can work.
Glamour’s Woman of the Year? Our lovely First Lady.
Check out the stunning Mrs. O on the cover, wearing Jason Wu.
MORE ABOUT WOMEN OF THE YEAR 2009
Rihanna: Back On Top!
Maria Shriver: The Dynamo
Stella McCartney: The Designer
Amy Poehler: The Entertainer
Marissa Mayer: The Visionary
Serena Williams: The Athlete
Jane Aronson: The Guardian Angel
Susan Rice: The Peacemaker
Euna Lee and Laura Ling: The Journalists
The Women of Iran’s One Million Signatures Campaign: The Activists
Maya Angelou: The Poet
The 2009 Woman of Your Year
Michelle Obama: Your First Lady (Special Recognition)
