Armonk’s Marian Hamilton: a L’oreal Paris Woman of Worth

Armonk’s Marian Hamilton: a L’oreal Paris Woman of Worth: Armonk resident Marian Hamilton was recently selected as one of the 2016 Woman of Worth Honorees by the beauty care brand L’Oréal Paris for her outstanding work with The Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center at Northern Westchester Hospital. The Caregiver center is an “oasis” for caregivers to take time for themselves and to freely receive assistance and emotional counseling from a team of 2 social workers and 34 volunteers. Hamilton is one of 10 women in the country to receive the prestigious Women of Worth award this year for her charitable efforts and perseverance in making a difference in the community.

Vote for Marian through October 28

L’Oréal Paris provides each of the Women of Worth Honorees national recognition through connections, marketing support, a platform to tell her story and $10,000 to support her charitable cause. To support Hamilton and her organization, vote for her to become the National Honoree and recipient of an additional $25,000. You can cast your vote once per day through Oct. 28, 2016. Visit WomenofWorth.com and register using an e-mail address to vote daily

“Being a Women of Worth will increase awareness of the needs of family caregivers who deal with the daily struggle of caring for a seriously-ill loved one,” Hamilton said. “It will enhance our ability to expand caregiver support services to more families and will also enable the Caregiver Center model to spread to additional hospitals and communities.”

Marian Hamilton

Hamilton found herself in the demanding role of full-time caretaker in 2002 when her husband, Ken, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer of the lungs. After her husband’s death in 2004, Hamilton was inspired by how physically and emotionally challenging it was to be a caregiver to a seriously-ill loved one, and that hospitals were often not equipped to help the caregivers in a meaningful way. She started The Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center (KHCC) at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) where family caregivers can receive non-judgmental emotional support and practical assistance in everything from helping family members reach consensus with a loved one’s care, to helping to understand the discharge plans, to providing caregiver support post discharge. These are all free services, thanks to philanthropy,  for those with loved ones at NWH, at another facility or at home. Since 2006, at least 12 other hospitals have replicated the KHCC Family Caregiver Support model and KHCC has grown from 500 family interactions a year to over 8,000 per year.

“Our 2016 L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth are passionate and vibrant women united in a mission to improve the lives of others,” said Karen T. Fondu, president of L’Oréal Paris.  “Through their actions, the Women of Worth demonstrate an inner strength that is transformative to their communities and the embodiment of our brand belief that celebrates the intrinsic worth and beauty of every woman.”

2016 WOMEN OF WORTH HONOREES

Recognized for their vision and ambition, Hamilton’s fellow honorees support a variety of admirable causes, from connecting underserved children with mentors through video, to finding vacation homes for families of women with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, to providing law enforcement data to eradicate child predators, and everything in between.

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