Domestic Violence Can Reach Beyond The Home Front

Every year for the past 13 years, Today's Chicago Woman has identified 100 women in the Chicago area who are making a positive impact on the quality of life in our city. Through their professions, their volunteer activities and in community service, these women are making a difference. Past honorees have included visible women like Oprah Winfrey, Maggie Daley and Laura Lynn Ryan. Others aren't easily recognizable, but their accomplishments are substantial.

Hard work has been the key to their success. These leaders understand that there are few shortcuts to success. The workplace today demands more than nine to five. And, for the most part, women still work twice as hard as men for parity and promotion. With few professions that offer an exception, the playing field has yet to be leveled. I like to think that equality for working women will have arrived when mediocre women have the same job opportunities that mediocre men have enjoyed for years.

This year we received an overwhelming number of recommendations from readers for our 100 women feature. Paring down the nominations to 100 was almost impossible, not because of the large volume of submissions, but because every woman nominated was well qualified for inclusion.

The women selected for this year's feature share a few common traits, regardless of background, education or profession. They all have a sense of self. They believed in themselves in order to accomplish their goals; they didn't waiver from the conviction that they could succeed. They stayed focused and didn't lose sight of their vision. And it wasn't easy. Most faced tremendous obstacles, enormous challenges, and had families to care for. Many are in the "sandwich" generation, caring for their children and their aging relatives.

Readers will notice that the short biographies on each of the 100 women concentrate on community involvement and professional achievements. Due to space consideration, we omitted information about their personal lives. In no way does this imply that we under estimate their contributions within the home. Their demands with their families are just as compelling as their demands at work. Also, it's important to point out that these women are far from one-dimensional. They have considerable outside interests, including non-credit course work, exercise, attending cultural and sporting events and tending to hobbies that range from gardening to philately.

Even with these packed schedules, most candidates have found time to volunteer. While it's true that women who have achieved their goals feel a genuine need to give back to the community, these women have taken action to do so. Without their efforts, many charitable organizations, cultural entities and health care facilities simply couldn't exist.

Like so many others who volunteer, these women of achievement have discovered that reaching out to others provides an extra depth and dimension unlike any other activity or pursuit. They've learned an invaluable lesson: happiness comes from within. It's all about feeling good about yourself, and until you reach out to others, you never truly feel complete. The 100 Women Making A Difference feature begins on page 16.

Pamela Paziotopoulos, Assistant State's Attorney Cook County
Three years ago, Pamela created a Domestic Violence Division that handles 70,000 cases each year and developed a number of programs to offer support for victims. In the past, she monitored the prosecution of over 75,000 domestic violence cases and has created a Career Resource Center to assist victims who want to further their education. People around the country have heard Pamela lecture on domestic violence, including presentations at the National College of District Attorney's Conference on Domestic Abuse. As a cancer survivor, she counsels cancer patients, volunteers at Gilda's Club and is a member of Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma.