Janet Yassen helped build the first rape crisis center in Massachusetts and went on to become an international consultant on preventing rape and sexual violence.

Judy Frieze Wright went to prison for her participation in Freedom Rides, but that was only the beginning of her career as an activist.

Sue Wolf-Fordham’s experience as the parent of a special-needs child drove her to create resources for families of disabled children around the world.

Judy Wolf helped create a resource center for children with disabilities in the city of Dnepropetrovsk that not only transformed the lives of families there but became a model for special education throughout the Ukraine.

As a counselor for students at Louisiana State University’s Medical School, Mollie Wallick became an advocate for gay and lesbian students both at the university and in the larger community.

Jean Trounstine taught literature to women inmates and cofounded an award-winning alternative probation program that uses writing and literature to offer prisoners a second chance.

Marillyn Tallman helped Jews make new lives for themselves during some of the most monumental conflicts of the twentieth century.

As founding director of EZRA, Anita Weinstein created local and far-reaching programs to relieve hunger and homelessness.

A career serving the Jewish Federation brought Jill Weinberg to her life’s work as the first director of the Midwest Regional Office of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Called the Harriet Tubman of the Jewish domestic violence movement, Hanna Ruderman Weinberg both helped individuals escape their abusers and consulted on national domestic violence organizations.

Gertrude Webb’s compassion for struggling students led her to found programs for teaching both children and adults with learning disabilities.

As the first woman elected to the New Orleans Criminal District Court, Miriam Waltzer fought for the civil rights of minorities, children, and women.

Pamela Sussman Paternoster’s work with the Algebra Project helped teach thousands of disadvantaged students math skills that could open up the possibility of a college education.

Judy Somberg’s work with the Sister Cities Project in El Salvador helped locals return to their villages after the military takeover in 1987 and freed eleven people who had been “disappeared.”

Despite Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Rivka Solomon has used her skills as a writer and activist to bring attention to women’s stories of courage.

Betsy Shure Gross’s love of nature and open spaces led her to restore a local treasure: the last surviving linear park designed by Frederick Law Olmstead.

In her work on AIDS and HIV, Abby Shevitz became an advocate for patients who often had no one else to turn to.

Laurie Schwab Zabin’s work in reproductive health changed how Americans approach sex education and teen pregnancy.

As a member of the French Resistance, Denise Schorr began saving Jewish children when she was still just seventeen.

Florence Schornstein spent a lifetime making New Orleans a better place to live, and Hurricane Katrina only strengthened her resolve.

Madalyn Shenk drove significant political change both in Louisiana and in the nation as a whole.

Freyda Sanders trained for jobs in a number of fields, but her experience teaching girls in a juvenile detention center led her to her life’s work in adolescent psychology.

As chief of Cook County Bureau of Health Services, Ruth Rothstein helped Chicago hospitals create a better safety net for the disadvantaged.

Marilyn Paul risked her safety to train a mixed group of Israeli and Palestinian health care professionals in the Gaza Strip.