Pictured: Susan Saint James, Lisa Niemi, Maria Shriver and Elizabeth Edwards 

11:00am | The annual Women’s Conference, a celebration of leading female figures that takes place in Long Beach each fall, announced its Minerva Awards winners and will expand to a three-day format to encompass a new fundraising march against Alzheimer’s.

The conference will take place from October 24-26 at Shoreline Village in downtown Long Beach. Tickets will go on sale to the public on June 23 and typically sell out within minutes.

The five winners of the Minerva Awards include Oprah Winfrey, Sandra Day O’Connor, Sister Terry Dodge, Oral Lee Brown and Carolyn Blashek for their legacies of service.

“This year’s Minerva Award honorees are women who live with a deep sense of purpose and who are passionately dedicated to serving others,” said Maria Shriver, founder of the Women’s Conference and wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “These Minervas all identified problems and unmet needs in their communities and have worked tirelessly to solve them. By honoring them, we hope to inspire others to be Architects of Change just like them.”

The weekend of events will be kicked off with the Maria Shriver’s March On Alzheimer’s and candlelight vigil on Sunday, October 24, from 3:00pm-7:00pm. The public can register to participate in the event at womensconference.org. A minimum $25 donation is required. Celebrities such as Leeza Gibbons and Pete Gallagher will help host the event and other celebrities are also scheduled to appear.

“Alzheimer’s is a mind-blowing disease that disproportionately impacts women – both as victims and caretakers of loved one’s suffering from it,” said Shriver. “With more than 5 million people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in this country and a new diagnosis every 70 seconds, I believe it’s time to pick up the pace and start marching to defeat this devastating disease.”

More to come…