I was born into a typical, small town, Midwestern family in 1967. I was the second child, the first daughter; in a family that came from a long line of hardworking country folk.

Mom and Dad had been high school sweethearts and were married shortly after their graduation in 1961. Due to Dad`s various jobs, we moved around Southern Minnesota quite a bit.

One of our last moves was a momentous one: Dad was taking us to Grandma`s house to live-he was leaving us. Mom had no inkling that this was coming. Thankfully my grandparents, her parents, were there to help pick up the pieces.

When I was seven years old, Mom married a man who accepted us kids as his own. He brought stability, family activities and joy into our home. Seven years later Mom asked him to leave. He packed up and moved while I was at school. I didn`t even have a chance to say goodbye.

Within a few months, Mom experienced a nervous breakdown and was sent to a stress center for three months. My older brother had moved out just before this happened, so my two younger siblings and I were left in the house alone, with me in charge.

At the end of the three months it was determined that Mom needed long-term care, and she was sent to a state mental hospital. Having no idea whether, or even if, Mom would return home, my siblings and I were forced to find another place to live. We wanted to stay together but could not find one family to take the three of us in.

I was sent to live with a distant relative; it wasn`t necessarily a loving home, but it was still within the family. The day my siblings and I were split up I vowed that I would never allow myself to get into a situation like my mother`s-raising a child in an environment that was not stable, and having financial problems and no marketable skills.

That was the beginning of a long downward spiral for me. I became rebellious and was kicked out of my relative`s home, after which I stayed at a few friends` homes while finishing high school. I then thought the solution to my problems, the path to finding happiness, lay in running away.

With a hundred dollars in my pocket, I headed west to Colorado. When things didn`t work out there, I continued running and eventually ended up in Oregon.

The only jobs that I could get were in fast food/pizza restaurants. I was struggling to live in even the bleakest of circumstances, had my car repossessed and became a single parent. I had put myself into exactly the situation that I had vowed I never would be in. So, the winter of 1990, I was a 23-year-old single mom looking for some way to improve my life, and my son’s. I needed to make a change, and getting an education was an important first step.

My first goal was to restart my education. I looked into attending Trend Business College, whose application packet included an item that caught my eye: an application for a Training Award from Soroptimist International of the Americas.

I had always tended to ignore such things - I never felt worthy of them. However, while looking over financial aid information with my counselor, Tom, and assessing my bleak budget, I decided to give it a shot. That spring, I received a letter informing me that I had won the club-level award.

As I reflect on my life, winning the TAP award (now called the Women`s Opportunity Award), was a major turning point for me. Granted, the money helped me pay some student loans that I had taken out. But, more importantly, the fact that I had won the award boosted my self-confidence. It was the first time that I could remember someone standing up and saying, "Peggy, we believe in you." I can still recall the excitement I felt on the day I received the award.

Without that contribution, I don`t know if I would be where I am now. I graduated with a 4.0 average and, while I still ran into some challenges along the way, I now have my own business as a professional speaker. I`ve also authored a book, My Tender Soul - A Story of Survival. My son is a thriving and confident 13-year-old and I am now a member of SI, Greater Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Please, don`t forget about the importance of this award. Even if your club is only able to give a small amount of money, remember, it is not just the money that you are giving away: it is belief in people`s ability to improve their lives.