Harlequin Authors To Write Stories of Captivating Women Who Make A Difference

TORONTO and NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2013

The stories will feature the 2013 recipients of the Ninth Annual Harlequin More Than Words award, an honor celebrating the women who make a positive difference in the lives of others. The winners are Cheryl Sesnon, who runs Jubilee Women's Center in Seattle, a place where troubled women can learn to leave homelessness behind forever; Nikki Berti, who co-founded the Goodie Two Shoes Foundation in Las Vegas, a group that provides 10,000 pairs of shoes to impoverished children each year; and Elizabeth Roelfs, a member of the Diller Community Foundation in Nebraska, a group dedicated to bringing big programs to small town America.

"These three remarkable women think first of others in their communities," said Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO of Harlequin. "It is our honor to present them with always needed funding to help their organizations continue their most important work."

Each organization will be awarded $15,000 and for the first time, their stories will be written by three Harlequin TEEN authors who are donating their time to honor the winners. The stories will appear in 2014 in eBook format, available for free download. Nominations are open to the public and narrowed down to the top five finalists for a public voting phase. By visiting www.HarlequinMoreThanWords.com, public voters selected their favorite nominee and the three nominees with the highest amount of votes were chosen as the 2013 Harlequin More Than Words award recipients. 

Jubilee Women's Center helps women in crisis transform their lives by teaching them the skills to permanently leave their homeless situation behind. Jubilee provides a vulnerable population of single, homeless women with the tools and attention to help them rebuild their lives. "Jubilee Women's Center is an organization supporting women as they transition out of homelessness and domestic violence and into stable and fulfilling futures," said Executive Director Cheryl Sesnon. "This award is a reflection of the courage and determination of each of the extraordinary woman we serve.  We are overwhelmed and grateful for the community's enthusiastic support."

The Goodie Two Shoes Foundation provides disadvantaged children and children in crisis with new shoes, socks and other items deemed essential for good health and positive development. The foundation strives to reach 10,000 Southern Nevada children annually and gives them the opportunity to select any pair of shoes they want from a traveling inventory of high-quality athletic shoes. The experience boosts confidence and self-esteem, and immediately eliminates one of the most visible signs of poverty. "Goodie Two Shoes empowers children with choice by allowing them to select any pair of shoes they want," said Nikki Berti, who co-founded the foundation with husband Tony, a former NFL player. "This award has strengthened my belief that each and every one of us can make a difference simply by choosing to put our best foot forward."

The Diller Community Foundation