June 2023 Virtual HerStory Award: Becoming "Heroes for One Person at a Time"
Written By: Grace Kisile
On June 24, 2023, WFWP USA held a virtual National HerStory Award ceremony emceed by Mrs. Katarina Connery, Vice President, WFWP USA. The HerStory awardees represented various backgrounds. The common denominator among them was that through overcoming life’s insurmountable challenges, they were able to bring incredible value to the lives of countless others. Mrs. Connery greeted all the participants and then proceeded to welcome WFWP USA president, Mrs. Kaeleigh Moffitt.
President Moffitt expressed the value of the HerStory award: “The idea of celebrating HerStory is making sure that the story of women and wisdom of women is being told as we celebrate the achievements that are happening right here and right now.”
Each of the three awardees were introduced with her bio as well as a personal sharing from the WFWP leader who recommended her. President Moffitt virtually presented the award and each awardee was able to share her story with the participants.
The first speaker of the day was Mrs. Julie Phippen, Founder and CEO, Sewpportive Friends.
Mrs. Phippen shared the story of how her compassion as a mother led her to start her organization, encouraging the continued education of girls in several African countries through teaching them how to sew and address the feminine hygiene crisis that was affecting their education.
Looking back, Mrs. Phippen reflected on the challenges that she and her friends have had to overcome, noting that “the process was quite intimidating at times…We have experienced wonderful progress and we still face challenges…we know other issues will arise, but working together for the betterment of humanity will provide a way…I’m grateful every day to be able to help others, to see the positive change in the communities we’ve been welcomed in, and to continue learning from others…We are a global family when led by love.”
The second speaker was Mrs. Elizabeth Lim, Founder, Scream, Run, Tell.
In her speech, Lim shared, “The desire to help those around me and a genuine love for people – that is what I want people to remember me for, for those qualities led me to become an EMT…and later creating the SRTell method, a program helping children and parents to see the possible signs of abuse before it happens while not robbing the innocence of children. What defines me as a woman is my kind heart, willingness to care and help others, respecting nature and knowing I am a daughter of Heavenly Parent.”
In closing, Mrs. Lim gave her thanks to Mother Moon, and she concluded where she began: “It was so important for me to share in front of all of you and have you see my weakness of having to read. Know that no matter how we struggle we can always help others, and we should never stop helping.”
The third and final awardee of the day was Mrs. Jan Whalen, President, Whalen Voices, LLC.
Mrs. Whalen shared about three challenges she faced in life. One was about her vision. She shared that when she was young, her hope was to follow in her mother’s footsteps: have children and be a housewife. However, when that did not work out, “I didn’t know what to do because I had no Plan B. So I started to follow what was called to me…I was a sheep in a meadow, just testing everything...I wrote my first book in 2011, called Rock Solid Confidence, and went on to write three more books…Whenever I start a project I get so excited and think, ‘This is it, this is my purpose!’ And I would love to have one purpose, but it was not to be.” After a lot of exploration, “I finally got it. My epiphany came one day when I was reading a poem called ‘When you look at the stars and yawn.’
‘If you look at the stars and yawn,
If you see suffering and don’t cry out,
…
Then I have created you in vain.’”
She explained that while heavy, she feels it means “I need to use my voice. My real job is to see them. To see the people that are in my world...To let them know that they are worthy, special and loved, and to be a light to help them bloom and grow.”
