*****For Immediate Release*****

The New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women will present the Commission's 7th Annual Women's Recognition Award on September 17 at the Governor and Executive Council meeting in Concord. Please note the date change. This award is given each year to a woman chosen by the Commission for her contributions to the state and for her personal and professional accomplishments.

The recipient of this year's Women's Recognition Award is Claire Houston of Exeter. Ms. Houston is the founder and Executive Director of the Women Supporting Women Center in Exeter. The Center offers classes and discussion groups to New Hampshire women who are in need of counseling and support. Ms. Houston has created an environment in which women can gain support, education, and empowerment to change their lives for the better.

Nominations for the Women's Recognition Award are open to the public. Other nominees for 2003 were: Alice Zachos, Concord; Senator Katherine Wells Wheeler, Durham; Paula Weeman, Concord; Nancy Ryan, Lee; Pamela Remick, Lancaster; Carol Murray, Epsom; Eileen Murphy Bartlett, Stratham; Kristann Moody, Barrington; Debra Miller, Manchester; and Dr. Gwendolyn Gladstone, Exeter.

The Women's Recognition Award is made annually in conjunction with Women's Equality Day, August 26, and is part of the Commission on the Status of Women's activities designed to address issues in women's lives and to recognize women of achievement in the state. For more information about the Women's Recognition Award ceremony or the Commission on the Status of women, please call 603-271-2660, or visit the CSW website.