California First Lady Maria Shriver Announces 2008 Minerva Award Honorees on The Oprah Winfrey Show

California First Lady Maria Shriver Announces 2008 Minerva Award Honorees on The Oprah Winfrey Show

Billie Jean King, Gloria Steinem, Louise Hay, Betty Chinn and Ivelise Markovits To be Recognized by Shriver for their Extraordinary Contributions to California and the Nation at The Women's Conference 2008

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Maria Shriver announced today the recipients of the 2008 Minerva Awards, continuing her tradition of honoring the year's most remarkable women and highlighting their extraordinary accomplishments. Shriver will personally present the honorees with their awards on October 22, 2008, at a special ceremony during the afternoon session of The Women's Conference featuring remarks by Bono and a special musical performance by Bonnie Raitt.

The 2008 Minerva Awards will be awarded to the following five women, as announced today on The Oprah Winfrey Show:

-- Betty Chinn - Advocate for the Homeless, of Eureka, California;
-- Louise Hay - Self-Help Pioneer, Author and Founder of Hay House, of San
Diego, California;
-- Billie Jean King - Pioneering Women's Tennis Champion, Author and
Founder of Women's Tennis Association, Women's Sports Foundation and
Women's Sports magazine, of Long Beach, California;
-- Ivelise Markovits - Advocate for Foster Children and Founder of Penny
Lane, of Los Angeles, California; and
-- Gloria Steinem - Women's Rights Activist, Author and Founder of Ms.
Magazine and Ms. Foundation for Women.

Again this year, conference organizers will be reconfiguring floor seating in the Long Beach Convention Center's main arena to expand capacity and offer a separately-ticketed Afternoon Session featuring The Minerva Awards ceremony hosted by Shriver. A limited number of $40 tickets for the Afternoon Session are still available at http://www.californiawomen.org/.

The Minerva Awards ceremony will also be broadcast live at http://www.californiawomen.org/, beginning at 5:00 p.m. PDT.

Created by Shriver in 2004, The Minerva Awards have become the country's most prestigious awards given to women who serve on the frontlines of humanity. Named for the Roman goddess Minerva who graces the California State Seal, the awards annually honor remarkable women who, in the spirit of Minerva, changed California and the nation with their courage, strength and wisdom.

"The 2008 Minerva Award winners have all changed people's lives by courageously pursuing their authentic purpose," said Shriver. "Each of these remarkable women are living their own legacies that they are passing on to others. By honoring them, we hope other women are inspired to do the same." - more

Shriver is also joined again this year by Target, which has partnered with - The Women's Conference to sponsor The Minerva Awards for the fifth consecutive year.

"Target is proud to continue our support of the Minerva Awards," said Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target. "By recognizing and honoring the outstanding accomplishments of these five Minervas and encouraging women to succeed, the Awards also celebrate the contributions and achievements of millions of women in California and around the world."

Minerva Award recipients have made extraordinary contributions in the areas of the Arts, Health and Sciences, Community Activism, Human Rights, Business and Technology, Motherhood, Innovation, Education and Finance. Past Minerva Award recipients have included former First Lady Betty Ford ('05), Olympian Anita de Frantz ('05), the Honorable Nancy Pelosi ('07), Sally Ride ('06), Eunice Kennedy Shriver ('07), and family literacy pioneer, Sister Jennie Lechtenberg ('05).

Minerva Award winners are nominated by the Minerva Nominating Committee, a formal body of 25 geographically, ethnically and professionally diverse women and men, include three past Minerva winners, who work together for months to research and vet potential candidates. Shriver selects the winners from the slate of candidates put forth by the committee.

The achievements of Minerva Award winners are chronicled in a permanent, conference-funded exhibit at the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento, and have become part of California's official archive. For more information on the California Museum, visit: http://www.californiamuseum.org/.

About The Women's Conference

Hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver, The Women's Conference is the nation's premier forum for women where the world's greatest hearts and minds gather every year to unite thousands of diverse woman with a shared conversation and a common purpose -- to empower, inspire and educate women everywhere be Architects of Change in their own lives, in their communities, and around the world. For more information about The Women's Conference 2008 and The Minerva Awards, visit: http://www.californiawomen.org/.

About Target

Minneapolis-based Target serves guests at 1,684 stores in 48 states nationwide by delivering today's best retail trends at affordable prices. Target is committed to providing guests with great design through innovative products, in-store experiences and community partnerships. Whether visiting a Target store or shopping online at Target.com, guests enjoy a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to thousands of unique and highly differentiated items. Since 1946, the corporation has invested five percent of its income in the communities it serves. Target (NYSE:TGT) gives more than $3 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Target partners with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.

Source: The Women's Conference

CONTACT: Marissa Moss, +1-310-926-7365, mmoss@griffinschake.com, for The
Women's Conference

Web site: http://www.californiawomen.org/

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