Time is running out to apply for Soroptimist International of the Olympic Rain Forest’s $1000 “Live Your Dream” award. Women who serve as the primary wage earners for their families and seek financial assistance to continue their education or receive training can now apply for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women. Applications are available online at www.soroptimist.org/our-work/live-your-dream-awards/apply-for-the-live-your-dream-awards.html, on our Facebook page, at Peninsula College, or by contacting Cindy Mesenbrink, cindymesenbrink@gmail.com or call 360-374-5718. The application deadline is November 15.

What kinds of educational programs are eligible for the Live Your Dream Awards?

Any type of education or training that will help a woman improve her standard of living are eligible including:

High school equivalency/G.E.D.

Undergraduate degree (including a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, second bachelor’s degree, or online programs)

Certificates/coursework for career advancement or Vocational/technical training programs

SIORF will provide a $1,000 cash award to its award recipient, who will then advance to the Soroptimist Region level, where recipients could receive up to an additional $5,000. The program culminates with three finalist $10,000 awards.

Recipients can use the Live Your Dream Award to offset costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education or additional skills and training. This includes tuition, books, childcare, carfare, or any other education-related expense.

The Live Your Dream Award provides over $2.8 million in cash awards to head-of-household women in need each year. Since the program’s inception in 1972, more than $40 million has helped tens of thousands of women achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families.