Robin Steele, founder of the local nonprofit Cheerful Givers, was one of 10 women honored at L'Oreal Paris' Annual Women of Worth Awards in New York City Dec. 9.

"These 10 women truly embody the spirit of volunteerism; a group of passionate, hard working and giving women with charitable programs ranging from healthcare to hunger to literacy, and every heartfelt cause in between," L'Oreal Paris said in a statement.

Cheerful Givers President Karen Kitchel nominated Steele this past summer for the Women of Worth Awards. She said L'Oreal Paris was looking for grassroots charities and women who were not paid through the nonprofit, but volunteers.

According to L'Oreal Paris, the 10 honorees, including Robin Steele, received "$5,000 to go toward their charitable causes and $5,000 will be in their name to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) – L'Oréal Paris' primary philanthropic partner."

"Robin is a wonderful role model for people," Kitchel said. "[To Robin, the award] is not about Robin. She really does it for the mission of Cheerful Givers. It is about the families of Cheerful Givers and providing them with dignity."

"As Founder, I have had the privilege of working with thousands of volunteers over the years who, like me, believe that all children are special and deserve to be recognized on their birthday with a gift from their parents. That's why Cheerful Givers provides toy-filled birthday gift bags for economically disadvantaged families," Steele said in a statement. "I'm thrilled about this amazing recognition and the grant which is so helpful for our charity."

"Whenever any [local] business or organization gets any sort of award or recognition it's a [direct example] of the quality of people in the community," Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire said. "The credit goes to the tremendous individuals foremost, but it also shines a nice light on Eagan. [Cheerful Givers] is very deserving of this recognition and it's a solid organization that does really great, meaningful work. It always feels good to have these quality organizations in Eagan."

Cheerful Givers is a nonprofit organization that gives birthday gift bags through shelters and food shelves to disadvantaged, needy children. The organization began in 1994 and has since provided over 377,000 children with birthday gifts. Kitchel said they will most likely provide birthday gifts to 400,000 children by spring 2011.

According to Cheerful Givers, "In 2009, 37,531 less fortunate children were able to experience the joy of receiving a birthday gift from their parents."

Kitchel said, "The challenge facing Cheerful Givers for 2011 is to provide over 60,000 less fortunate children with birthday gifts. The money [from the Women of Worth awards] will allow us to reach more families in need and bring more self-esteem and dignity to those families."

Hearst Magazine and L'Oreal Paris hosted a dinner and award ceremony for the honorees at the Hearst Tower in New York City Dec. 9. Kerry Washington, Trisha Yearwood and Hota Kotb were among the celebrity guests at the event.

"The Women of Worth initiative is inspired by L'Oreal Paris' iconic brand philosophy, 'Because You're Worth It.' I am proud to celebrate these 10 extraordinary women who bring this mantra to life," L'Oreal Paris President Karen Fondu said in PR Newswire's news release. "Their dedication to their causes and their many achievements truly demonstrate that all women have the power to make a difference."

L'Oreal Paris received 2,000 nominations.

The Women of Worth honorees were chosen by an elite group of judges including: Jacqueline Hernandez, Chief Operating Officer of Telemundo Communications Group; Karen Fondu, President of L'Oréal Paris; Anne Talley, former Senior Vice President of Marketing for L'Oréal Paris; Soledad O'Brien, CNN Anchor; Lisa Oz, President of Ozworks, a media and investment consulting company; Cathie Black, Chairman of Hearst Magazines and Shannon Lambert, Founder of Pandora's Project and 2009 Woman Of Worth Honoree.

The public was able to vote for one of the 10 honorees or the charity that most inspired them on womenofworth.com from Nov. 8-22.

Taryn Davis, of Buda, TX and founder of The American Widow Project (a nonprofit organization offering support and healing to this generation's military widows across the United States), received the most votes online and was granted an additional $25,000.

For those interested in volunteering at Cheerful Givers or giving a donation, please visit their Web site: www.cheerfulgivers.org or call Karen Kitchel at 651-226-8738.