Soroptimist Rockwall presents distinguished Ruby Award, installs officers

ROCKWALL, TX (July 14, 2020) Patricia Mejia, President and CEO of the Children’s Advocacy Center for Rockwall County, was honored last night with the prestigious Ruby Award by Soroptimist Rockwall, the local chapter of an international organization of business and professional women dedicated to improving the lives of women and children in our community and throughout the world.

Soroptimist clubs around the globe present this award to women who, through their personal or professional activities, have worked in extraordinary ways to benefit women and girls in their communities.

“The award recognizes and honors the first federation president, Ruby Lee Minar,” said Soroptimist Cindy Lindley. “The Ruby award is not given out on a yearly basis, but is presented only when the achievements of such a woman are undeniable. This is a very prestigious award and really a ‘big deal’.”

Past international recipients have included former U.S. Congresswomen Patsy Mink and Patricia Schroeder; former child actor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Shirley Temple Black; former Philippines President Corazon Aquino; and perhaps most notably, Princess Diana.

Soroptimist International of Rockwall past winners have included Margo Neilson, longtime Executive Director of Rockwall County Helping Hands; Melissa Woodward, founder, For the Sake of One; Lori Stevens, founder, Patriot PAWS Service Dogs; Cynthia Izaguirre, Dallas ABC news anchor and community activist; Kenda Culpepper, Rockwall County Criminal District Attorney and founder of the Children’s Advocacy Center for Rockwall County.

Cindy said that Patricia has “improved the lives of countless women and children who had nowhere to go to receive much needed services. She has made the dream of a top notch children’s advocacy center a reality for Rockwall County. We now have a center that is one of the very best in the state. This is due to her hard work, long hours and complete passion for helping the abused and neglected children of Rockwall County and their families. I can’t tell you how lucky I am to consider her my friend, and how lucky we were when we hired her to champion the Children’s Advocacy Center.”