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Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - August 28, 2007
Victoria Sirockman Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
August 28, 2007

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Resident Wins Cash Award To Fund Program Dedicated To Assisting Formerly Incarcerated Women


(New York, NY, August 28, 2007) Victoria Sirockman, 56, has been selected to win the weekly $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award for August 28, 2007. Victoria will use her winnings to fund a special support group at Lydia’s Place, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting formerly incarcerated women in gaining the confidence and self-sufficiency to successfully re-acclimate into society. Many of these women face tremendous obstacles towards supporting themselves and their families, and Lydia’s Place specializes in programs designed to help them leap the hurdle of community re-entry. Thanks to her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Victoria will be able to expand this weekly hobby-based support group, which will allow these women not only the opportunity to dialogue with others in the same situation, but also to cultivate skills in which they can take pride.

Victoria has spent the past 25 years working to better the lives of women through involvement in such initiatives as family planning, prenatal healthcare, and adoption. Through Victoria's advocacy experience, she became aware that there is an often-ignored group of women in particular need of assistance: recently released inmates. In the Pittsburgh area alone, 4,500 women are currently incarcerated, and many more were formerly imprisoned. “This is a needy group of women,” she says, “but not always an appealing one.” Her passion to work with these women brought Victoria to Lydia’s Place, where she has served as Director for four years, and made it her mission to improve the options available for both female inmates and their families.

Victoria notes that many women leave prison carrying burdens such as a past history of abuse, drug addiction, unemployment, and lack of education. Also, over 75 percent of incarcerated women have children under the age of 18. This is another reason why the work Victoria and Lydia’s Place are doing is so fundamentally important. “If these women aren’t helped to become self-sufficient, and drug and crime free,” she says, “they will leave a terrible legacy to their children.” Lydia’s Place offers a variety of programs dedicated to helping these women gain the crucial self-confidence to become productive members of society, as well as equipping them with the fundamental skills to be good parents and live healthy lives. Some of the programs Lydia’s Place currently offers include: parenting classes, HIV prevention, and addiction recovery initiatives.

Victoria is constantly seeking to expand the services that Lydia’s Place provides. This past year she developed a hobby-based support group, designed to encourage the women to focus their energies on learning a new skill each week. Over the course of the year, 250 women are expected to take part in the group. Some of the subjects covered include: cosmetics and hairstyling, jewelry making, art classes, flower arranging, and knitting. The goal of the support group is both to provide these women a comfortable forum in which they can converse freely with others in the same situation, and engage them in constructive, enjoyable activities that will help create a substitute for their past unhealthy activities. The group is also designed to improve the women’s confidence by teaching them tangible skills they can apply to their lives beyond Lydia’s Place. The group also involves children in some of the sessions.

Victoria notes that the program has already seen a great reception in its inaugural year. With her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Victoria will finance the continuation of this group for the coming year. The money would specifically be allocated for basic production costs such as craft items and beauty supplies, as well as other materials for the sessions. Congratulations, Victoria!

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