Sparkie Folkers, her mom, Cherry Fitch and Colleen Starr attend the event at the Saenger Theatre. As I sat in the fourth row of the Saenger Theatre in Pensacola, surrounded by women wearing purple feather boas and being entertained by a troupe of dancing Sacred Heart Hospital doctors and VIPs, I felt as if I were in the middle of a dream sequence.

The surreal experience began when I was nominated for a "Spirit of Women" award. The Spirit of Women award was devised by Sacred Heart Hospital to honor local women and their accomplishments, specifically in health care and other community benefits. Two winners are selected from the 18 and over age group and one youth winner is selected from 18 and under age group.

One hundred and nine women were nominated for the award, and most of us converged upon the Saenger with our friends and families for a pre-ceremony buffet which included being served by the same tuxedo-clad doctors and VIPs who later appeared on stage shaking their money makers and crooning to the audience.

Sue Straughn and Barry Silverman emceed the event, which included entertainment and presentations by Sacred Heart's leader and the respected neurosurgeon Dr. Alexa Canady.

Shirley Cornett clowns for the camera before the Spirit of Women awards. Cornett won in the healthcare category because she helped organize the Good Samaritan Clinic offering free medical care. The event, while lighthearted, also recognized the unique role women play in society.

Many of the women were nominated for spearheading a socially significant project. Others stood firm against powerful adversities. Some launched successful businesses that had a positive impact on the community.

While seeing the caliber of women nominated for the award, I wondered how I possibly could be listed among these giants in their fields. Surely I would be exposed as an imposter if I didn't find a way to get up and shed my identifying boa.

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to leave your seat in the Saenger because of the narrow rows, so I continued to sit, flanked on one side by Whitney Harris, 16, a sophomore at Gulf Breeze High School, and Melanie Waite, a teacher at Gulf Breeze Middle School.

Other Gulf Breeze ladies and girls nominated included Renee Bookout, Shirley Cornett, Becky Dunn, Cherry Fitch, Sarah Halstead, Shelley Mann, Karen Murray, Nancy Newland, Jillian Sise, Cheree Suttles and Beverly Zimmern.

The big winners of the night were Shirley Cornett, who won in the healthcare category, although she deserved to be nominated also for her community spirit. Cornett and her husband, Fred, created a free medical clinic to assist those who could not afford health care in Santa Rosa County. The Good Samaritan Clinic opened in 2004, right after Hurricane Ivan devastated Northwest Florida. She accomplished the Herculean task of obtaining funding for this endeavor at a critical time for our community. Since then, more than 1,200 patients have received medical advice and prescription m e d i c a t i o n s . Cornett also serves as the executive director of Interfaith Ministries, which has assisted nearly 3,000 people in need with financial aid, food, and clothing.

The community

The community spirit award winner was Catherine Gallagher. As the creator of the "Heart Gallery" of Northwest Florida, Gallagher has helped provide hard-toplace children in adoptive families. In addition, Gallagher helped found Gulf Coast Kids' House, which provides a safe environment for children of abuse to talk about issues affecting them, and helped establish a Habitat for Humanity chapter in Pensacola among other good deeds.

The youth award winner was Carissa Burkett, a student at West Florida High School. Burkett, Cornett and Gallagher also will vie for national Spirit of Women awards. If any of our local winners win an award on the national level, she will be flown to the national Spirit of Women Awards ceremony later this year.

Sacred Heart Health System also honored IMPACT 100 as the recipient of its Spirit of Women Presidential Award.