Chantilly, VA, October 17, 2014 — HomeAid Northern Virginia announced today that Terri Stagi, founder and president of the organization’s Women Giving Back program is one of 20 nationwide semi-finalists in PANDORA Jewelry’s Hearts of Today initiative.  The initiative celebrates the selfless work women do within their communities and around the world to improve the livelihood of women and children.

Women Giving Back, founded in 2007, provides free clothing to women and children in crisis and is managed by Stagi and a group of women from the homebuilding industry. Beginning today, the public is invited to vote for who they feel is the most deserving semi-finalist, including Stagi, who is listed in the Community Development category. Eight winners will be chosen, and PANDORA will donate $25,000 to their organizations.

PANDORA received more than 700 nominations for the inaugural PANDORA Hearts of Today program and narrowed the nominations to 20 semi-finalists.  To help identify the women with the strongest and most inspiring stories, PANDORA assembled a board of five inspirational women leaders: human rights advocate, Penny Abeywardena; Emmy Award-winning journalist, Shaun Robinson; philanthropist, June Sarpong; sociologist and author, Dr. Pepper Schwartz; and Andrea Alvey, member of PANDORA A/S Board of Directors. 

Public voting closes on Sunday, October 26 at midnight. The eight finalists/honorees will be announced in early November and honored at a luncheon on November 15, 2014.