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Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - November 13, 2007
Donna Suskawicz Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
November 13, 2007

Brighton, Massachusetts Resident Wins Cash Award To Fund Amateur Radio Communications Program For Women With Disabilities


(New York, NY, November 13, 2007) Brighton, Massachusetts resident Donna Suskawicz, 55, is committed to improving the lives of women and their families in her community. Donna was named this week’s winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, a weekly $5,000 cash award program from Avon Products, Inc. to support individuals in their work to empower women. Donna will apply the funds towards creating an amateur (“ham”) radio program to empower women with disabilities through communication and socialization.

Donna’s extensive work towards improving the lives of women with disabilities is inspired by her own experience living with Lupus – a debilitating autoimmune disease. She noted that women with disabilities are often marginalized, many expressing that, according to Donna, “they feel invisible in a society that worships health and physical beauty.” In turn they find themselves at greater risk for isolation and depression. Donna’s focus on women stems from the additional physical threat and danger they may have to confront in comparison to disabled men, which can compound the fears they already face. “Disabled women can be extremely isolated. They’re afraid to go out – some days they don’t have contact with anyone at all,” explained Donna. Additionally, disabled women often face financial hardship and have little access to educational or training programs. Emergency communication – and communication in general – for persons with disabilities is often insufficient, further driving isolation and possible danger in emergency situations.

In 2004, Donna created Project Independence, the only free emergency communication program in Massachusetts for persons with disabilities. Two years later she opened the Irving Zola Center, a social drop-in for persons with disabilities that aims to cultivate socialization and community participation among this rather isolated group. After learning about “HandiHam,” a week-long camp in Minnesota that teaches the basics of ham radio, Donna hoped to bring a similar program to the Zola Center, so that its women could benefit from the camaraderie and communication found within the amateur radio community.

Thanks to her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, Donna will be able to make this dream a reality. The funds will support installation of antennae and purchase of adaptive equipment needed to make functional an amateur radio station already provided to the Zola Center by an anonymous donor. The amateur radio program will provide disabled women with the opportunity to participate at the Zola Center and become part of the community, as well as training for participation from their homes. Donna will offer a four-session training workshop to teach the skills needed to acquire the amateur radio licenses, and provide basic radio and assistive technology for the participants. In addition, funds will create a scholarship for women with disabilities to attend the one-week “HandiHam” training. Thanks to the Hello Tomorrow Fund, disabled women will be brought out of isolation and enabled to lead more interactive and fulfilling lives as they also experience the satisfaction and pride of personal accomplishment and connection with others.

Donna’s winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund fell under the category of “Community Service,” one of three areas the Fund supports. Her proposal met the criteria to clearly present unique and achievable objectives to empower women or girls and ultimately improve society. It was selected from a pool of strong contenders by an expert panel of judges, including Suze Orman, America’s most recognized expert on personal finance. “This program benefits overlooked and underserved women with disabilities, and provides a sustainable setting...,” noted UNIFEM Public Affairs Specialist Joan Libby-Hawk, the most recent appointee to the Fund’s judging panel, of Donna’s proposal.

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