An award to fund education, available in Pahrump.

Empowering women and girls to seek their goals, find success and thrive in their lives – it’s a primary focus for Soroptimist International Pahrump Valley (SIPV) and one way this nonprofit club helps do this is through its Live Your Dream Award.

Now open for applications, the program invites all area women who are the heads of their household and enrolled in school - to apply for the chance to receive a financial award that they can use to support their academic endeavors.

SIPV member Durette Candito serves as the chair for the local Live Your Dream program and she is eager to share the details about this opportunity.

“Live Your Dream is an international program that supports women and girls. It’s not a scholarship, it’s an award. The money is awarded to the individual herself, rather than to the institution, and it’s not just used for tuition,” Candito explained. “We believe that if a woman is struggling to better herself by going to school, she might need help with other things like child care or gas or maybe even her electric bills, so she can concentrate on her education.”

Candito said the program is especially important to her because she, as a single mother, had also struggled to put herself through school while caring for her two girls. “And I watched my two daughters struggle with the same issues,” Candito remarked.

Amanda Dalziel is one such woman. A 37-year-old mother of two, she was one recent recipient of the Live Your Dream Award, receiving $900 to put toward furthering her education.

“I started school years ago, when I was 19, but I left school to move to Pahrump and help take care of my mom, who has multiple sclerosis,” Dalziel told the Pahrump Valley Times. “I started going again during the uptick of COVID-19. When I started, I was considering a program to become a paramedic but I fell in love with the social work program and felt called to it, because I wanted to make a difference and make the world a better place for my kids.”

It was Dalziel’s mother who, along with a therapist Dalziel was working with, encouraged her to apply for the Live Your Dream Award. “I took the plunge and did it!” Dalziel recalls.

Today, she is readying for her final semester at Great Basin College in the spring, after which she will move on to the University of Nevada, Reno for the final year of her program.

“My goal is to become a licensed clinical social worker. I love working on mental health and addiction treatment but I also have a soft spot for hospice and end-of-life care. Ultimately, I’d love to just make the community a better place to live for all,” Dalziel enthused.

The Live Your Dream program is funded by the hard work and dedication of the SIPV members who put in many hours each year with fundraising efforts, the largest of which is the club’s annual Mardi Gras celebration. The next Mardi Gras is set for March 1, 2025 and the event also serves as the venue for announcing the Live Your Dream Award recipients, who will be notified of their award in December.

“This is such a great cause,” Candito concluded. “And it’s so gratifying that we can keep the awards in Pahrump and surrounding areas that can really use a leg up. I love knowing that these women will better themselves and contribute back to their community in the future.”

The deadline to apply for the Live Your Dream Award is Saturday, Nov. 30. For applications or more information, contact Candito at DuretteM@mac.com, call 702-283-3277 or visit the club’s Facebook page.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com