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Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - February 12, 2008
Dannette Hoarde Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
February 12, 2008

Chicago, Illinois Resident Wins Cash Award To Support Computer Literacy Program For Formerly Incarcerated Women


(New York, NY, February 12, 2008) Chicago, Illinois resident Dannette Hoarde, 47, is one step closer to fulfilling her dream of creating a better tomorrow for her community. Dannette 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. Dannette's award will help fund computer literacy workshops for formerly incarcerated women, helping them build successful, productive lives.

A recent poll showed the number of women in Illinois state prisons was 2,520 - a 173% increase in ten years. Additionally, more than 60% of the women entering prison have not attained a high school diploma. Post incarceration, women often return to their communities with few, if any, marketable job skills, yet they are often responsible for their children as well as themselves. With little sense of community or support, they are often become isolated and have minimal exposure to successful role models. As a formerly incarcerated woman herself, Dannette understands this problem firsthand.

Dannette has a long history working effectively with formerly incarcerated women. She manages the Web site womenandprison.org, which is a function of Beyondmedia Education, a non-profit that collaborates with under-served and under-represented women, to tell their stories, and organize for social justice through alternative media and arts. Dannette was also a participant in the documentary, "What We Leave Behind," in which former women prisoners used personal stories, poetry, group discussions and on-the-street interviews to present the issues of women in prison and its impact on their children.

Dannette's outreach on behalf of the Web site extends to current and formerly incarcerated women, as she encourages them to share and engage with the online community. This online exchange is a way for women to learn from one another as they create lives for themselves after prison, and it helps women "on the inside" stay updated on legislation and feel supported. In addition to serving women and their families, womenandprison.org has also become a unique resource for scholars, educators and policy makers. To extend its impact, Dannette began conducting outreach to organizations that work with post-incarcerated women, and discovered that many of these organizations lack computer equipment and resources, therefore excluding women access to this powerful support system. Dannette was inspired to host in-person computer literacy seminars so she would be able to reach the women who did not have access to the Web site.

Thanks to her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Dannette will be able to reach an estimated 500 women this year by conducting two to four workshops per month in Chicago, serving women of all ages and backgrounds with training in computer literacy skills. "I hope to be an inspirational role model, helping women obtain employable skills, connect with other formerly incarcerated women and achieve their dreams," says Dannette. The award will fund the purchase of two laptop computers, curriculum materials, professional development courses and software, and cover transportation, advertising and communication costs. With the help of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Dannette will empower women to build useful lives and help break the cycle of incarceration.

Dannette's winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund fell under the category of "Community Service." 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. "Providing computer literacy to formerly incarcerated women helps them to budge themselves into the 'real world'," noted judge Lynn Stekas. "Dannette's idea is very inspirational and could help these women learn marketable and job related skills."

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