New Jersey - U.S. Senator Robert Menendez tonight held the Second Annual Women of Distinction Awards in honor of Women's History Month. Seven pioneering women were recipients of the "Evangelina Menendez Trailblazer Award," named in honor of the Senator's late mother. More than 375 people were in attendance at the Middlesex County College Performing Arts Center to see the awards handed out and hear the remarks of both the Senator and the distinguished women.

This year's honorees are:

  • Kathleen DiChiara. The President and CEO of Community FoodBank of NJ. DiChiara started the FoodBank in the back of her station wagon in 1975. Today, it has a staff of 160 and more than 25,000 volunteers distribute some 40 million pounds of food to more than 900,000 people.
  • Major General Maria Falca-Dodson. As Commander of the NJ Air National Guard she is directly responsible for the NJ Air National Guard's full time operations which include two Air Wings, the 108th Air Refueling Wing, and the 177th Fighter Wing.
  • Zulima V. Farber. A former Public Defender and Attorney General of NJ. Farber was born and raised in Cuba but fled to NJ after Fidel Castro took control. She was one of a handful of Hispanics admitted to Rutgers Law School-Newark in 1971.
  • Danielle Kovach. The 2011 NJ State Teacher of the Year. Kovach teaches third grade special education at Tulsa Trail School in Hopatcong, New Jersey. She began a program, "Superheroes of Safety", which has been shared with children and parents throughout the country.
  • Jeannine LaRue. A former Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Corzine and Vice President of Public Affairs at Rutgers University, LaRue has compiled 40 years of public service and is the current Senior Vice President of the Kaufman Zita Group.
  • Alice Stokes Paul. A women's suffragist, born in Mount Laurel, NJ in 1885. Paul was honored posthumously for her lifelong dedication to securing the vote for women. She was an advocate of non-violent civil disobedience and was highly educated at a time when few women could pursue higher education, with degrees in biology, economics, and law.
  • Janet Sharma. Executive Director of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County. Sharma has served in this capacity since 1993, a period in which the organization has doubled in size, connecting well over 140,000 people annually with opportunities to volunteer.
  • Photos: Event Gallery

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