Thank you ladies and gentlemen.

Behind every successful man is a successful woman.

Behind every successful woman is a support team of successful women; women who support other women in this man's world of "the good ole boys club."

Thank you to the Women's Center for promoting the achievements of women. Your work does not go unnoticed.

I'm very humbled to be nominated for this outstanding award among the distinguished cast of other nominees.

My small foundation pales in comparison to their many years of accomplishments in this material world.

Congratulations to you all.

I give my gratitude to the person who nominated me.

The woman who read about my work and was able to see through my eyes, feel my compassion, and appreciate my mission.

Thank you, Barbara.

Some people have asked, why the Dominican Republic?

Why don't you support the poor in your own neighborhood or your own country?

My answer is this.

My vacation to the Dominican Republic was quite an eye opener.

I have had the privilege to travel all over the United States, to many Caribbean islands, Mexico, Central America, Spain, France, England, and Morocco, to name a few.

In these travels I have never seen such extreme poverty as that in the Dominican Republic.

I was deeply touched by the kindness, humbleness, and happiness of the Dominicans, despite this poverty.

I am the product of the generous social programs that are offered in the United States.

Many of you know I am one of ten children.

My parents received welfare.

We received food stamps, commodities, Medicaid, and school clothes from "Charity Newsies" in Columbus.

Our home did not have an inside toilet or running water until I was 12 years old.

I can relate to these poor Dominicans.

Though I was painfully ashamed of my upbringing, I can now be proud of the "working class" status I have in society, thanks to the social programs in the U.S.

However, after 42 years I continue to overcome this stigma.

To my knowledge, there are no social programs to help the poor pull out of their poverty, except for basic medical attention at the public hospitals as well as the orphan homes run by Catholic nuns.

This is the reason for my cause.

Just to give you an idea, my widowed mother and mentally retarded brother receive more money in one month on supplemental social security income than a typical blue collar Dominican makes in one year.

The United States even has wonderful social programs for animals such as the Humane Society, Save the Whales, and Save the Manatees, just to name a few.

Through the support of this community, it is my privilege to bring humanitarian aid to these poor families.

With our help, it is my hope that they too will rise above the trenches of "no way out."

You may know the proverb: "You can give a man a fish and feed him for a day … or … you can teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."

After two weeks in the trenches, I realized that I was only putting a Band-Aid on the problem.

Through Rainbow Families Foundation, it is my hope to bring programs to these children and families to help them become educated, working class citizens.

• To give them the opportunity to get a better paying job.
• To bring basic medical supplies and equipment to the public hospitals.
• To give the kids an opportunity to learn to their potential and to promote their artistic abilities.
• And finally … to teach the women to empower themselves to be independent pf the constraints of the "macho-ism" that exploits them in their third world country.

Michael Jackson sings about starting with the man in the mirror, asking him to change his ways. No message could have been any clearer than to look at yourself and make a change.

With your help, I know we can make a change, even if it's just one village at a time.

I hope you received the newsletter from my last mission that explains how you can help, if you'd like.

Don't be afraid to start with the one in the mirror to make that change.

Let me close by thanking this community for supporting my cause.

I especially want to acknowledge my Dominican volunteers.

Without their support, my work would not be possible.

This award is for them in enabling me to bring my dream to a reality in this material world that we live.

Thank you very much.