Three Amazing Women Chosen as Winners of 2007 ‘Stand On A Better World’ Awards

SALEM, N.J., Sept. 24, 2007 – Whether it’s giving a child a second chance at life, helping blind children learn to read, or providing healthcare to desperate families in Latin America, the three recipients of the 2007 Mannington Stand On A Better World Awards are working to change the future.

Established by Mannington Mills and now in its third year, the Stand On A Better World Awards recognize women who are enriching the lives of others and making a significant impact in their communities or the world at large. The awards are given in three categories: Local, National and Global. This year, a fourth category was added – the “Your Better World” Award – where the public voted online to pick their favorite candidate. More than 26,000 people voted for this new award.

The 2007 Stand On A Better World award recipients are:

Local Award

• Barbara Drennen – Kent, Wash.
• Formed the Pediatric Interim Care Center (www.picc.net), which provides short-term specialized care for drug-exposed infants

National Award and the Your Better World Award (winner of each award)

• Debra Bonde – Livonia, Mich.
• Founded Seedlings Braille Books for Children (www.seedlings.org), dedicated to increasing literacy and providing high-quality, low-cost Braille books to children

Global Award

• Nancy Press, Ph.D. – Portland, Ore.
• Launched Child Aid (www.child-aid.org), which helps families in Latin America gain access to healthcare and education

The winner of the Grand Prize will be selected from these award recipients and announced Nov. 15 at the Stand On A Better World Awards ceremony in Wilmington, Del., at the Hotel du Pont. Among the guests of honor that evening are this year’s awards judges – including tennis legend Billie Jean King, ABC-TV’s “20/20” journalist Deborah Roberts, and the 2006 grand-prize recipient, Olga Murray, founder of the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation.

The 2007 award recipients will receive:

• $25,000 for the grand-prize winner, donated to her chosen charity
• $10,000 to each of the other winners, also to be donated to their selected charities

The Stand On A Better World Award winners were chosen by a prestigious judging panel that included:

• Billie Jean King — One of the great athletes of all time and a champion for social change and equality, she continues to create new inroads for women in and out of sports. King serves on the boards of the Women’s Sports Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
• Deborah Roberts — Emmy award-winning journalist who is a correspondent on ABC's top-rated "20/20.” Roberts has reported on vital stories around the globe, from medical issues in Africa to social issues in the United States. She is active in several charitable causes including the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation, WIN (Women in Need) and the Broadcaster's Foundation.
• Olga Murray — Murray is the grand-prize recipient of the 2006 Stand On A Better World Awards. She founded the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation (NYOF), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing life’s basic necessities to destitute youth in that region. To date, NYOF has fed, clothed, housed, educated and doctored more than 225,000 children, and had indirect benefits to countless others in those communities.

Nomination forms for the 2008 Stand On A Better World Awards will be available beginning April 1, 2008, exclusively at www.StandOnABetterWorld.com. Any U.S. or Canadian female citizen is eligible to be nominated.

Based in Salem, N.J., Mannington is a leading manufacturer of fine flooring. For additional information, visit www.Mannington.com.

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