It was an afternoon of celebration at the Preston Mennonite Church in Cambridge on Saturday.
Five women received the Living Your Dream Award from Soroptimist International of Cambridge.
The awards program is an education grant for women who are the primary financial caregivers in their home. It gives recipients resources to better themselves through schooling and skills training.
This year's recipients were Giovina Guu, Haley Main, Pavlina Penk, Susan Polillo and Widad Dahoum.
Main is currently attending St. Louis Adult Learning Centre pursuing a career in hairstyling and cosmetology.
A car accident when she was fifteen left her with complications with her back and knees, along with memory problems. After struggling with mental health issues, she was determined to find her purpose when she had her son Tucker.
As a single mom, she continues to see the bright side of every situation.
"This is my first experience for anything like this," Main said.
"It means a lot, being able to save a little bit and have something to balance myself on when money isn't so great right now. I want people to know the things you want can happen and it just takes a lot of hard work, effort and time. Look at the best possible situation and focus on the good and not the bad."
For Guu, who's a mother of three and taking administrative business management at Conestoga College, she was surprised to be named a recipient of the award. She plans to use the funding to build a foundation for her entire family.
"It's a gift," she said.
"It's going to help my kids and my education. I want to prepare for my future. I want to see this funding continue because there's a lot of women like me who do need help from the community."
It's the first time in its history that Soroptimist Cambridge has had five women honoured and the grant money has been increased to $12,000.
The cash grant can be used to offset costs associated with education, including books, childcare, tuition and transportation.
Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that provides women with access to education and training to achieve financial empowerment. Internationally, they've been in service for 102 years in 120 countries and 42 years locally.
For more information on Soroptimist International of Cambridge visit soroptimistcambridgeon.org.
