Guest Editor Shonda Rhimes helped select candidates for our 2016 Awesome Women Awards. (Photo by Amanda Demme)

Guest Editor Shonda Rhimes helped select candidates for our 2016 Awesome Women Awards. (Photo by Amanda Demme)

Good Housekeeping’s 2016 Awesome Women Awards have been presented to several inspiring women throughout the country. As Guest Editor Shonda Rhimes said, these are “25 of the smartest women out there – women who’ve never met a problem they couldn’t solve; women who are redefining race, fighting poverty, reinventing fashion, literally saving lives and more. They are inspiring, amazing and awesome – just like you. Because the only difference between being a woman and being an awesome woman lies in how you define yourself and how you choose to live your life. If you believe yourself to be awesome, you can be.”

Harnessing the healing power of comfort food 

Adina Bailey, 42: Co-founder, Take Them a Meal (takethemameal.com)

On a December night in 2007, Rachel Beery, a mother of four, collapsed from a rare and potentially fatal heart condition. During her long recovery in bed, Rachel’s best friend, Adina Bailey, began coordinating meal deliveries to the family from friends and co-workers. “I thought I’d lose my mind,” said Bailey. “I was constantly giving out instructions.” She asked Scott Rogers, a web-savvy friend, to post a map to Rachel’s house and a sign-up sheet online, and Take Them a Meal was launched. The free site has helped facilitate the delivery of more than 6 million meals, even offering prepared dishes for sale to earn enough to cover website fees.

Good vibes: “Every day, I see people who are deliberately choosing to care for someone else,” said Bailey. “In a world where there’s always such bad news, I’m constantly reminded of how good people can be.”

Bailey’s favorite comfort meal: “Chicken noodle soup. It’s love in a pot.”

 Helping at-risk infants survive and thrive 

Jane Chen, 37: CEO and co-founder, Embrace Innovations

Every year, nearly 3 million newborns worldwide die within their first 28 days of life, most from lack of access to simple interventions, such as incubators to keep them warm. In 2008, when Jane Chen was a student at Stanford’s business school, she set out to solve this problem for a class assignment and, with her team, invented Embrace, a low-cost infant warmer made with a waxlike substance that maintains a constant temperature for up to eight hours without electricity. Jane spent four years in India developing the product; by 2014, she was distributing the blankets in India, Afghanistan and Africa, attracting a $125,000 donation from Beyonce along the way. More than 200,000 babies have been saved, and Jane hasn’t let up: Last year, she launched Little Lotus, a retail line of swaddlers made with NASA spacesuit material; each Lotus item sold helps save a baby’s life with an Embrace warmer. She’s definitely earned an A-plus.

Jane’s sanity-saver: “Surfing. It keeps me grounded. The ocean reminds me that everything is always changing, so you’ve got to be present.”

Raising self-esteem, one lipstick at a time 

Karissa Bodnar, 27: Founder and CEO, Thrive Causemetics

Karissa Bodnar’s life changed when her best friend died of a sarcoma in 2013. She sat by her friend’s side throughout treatment and during her final hours. “Kristy thrived through it all,” Bodnar said. “On the day she passed away, she was still so positive.” A month later, Karissa, then a product developer at L’Oreal, decided to use her expertise to launch a new kind of beauty company. Her makeover mission: To create makeup with a give-back promise – for every product sold, she donates one to a woman whose self-image could use a pick-me-up: a cancer patient or someone who is entering the work force after suffering from the effects of domestic violence. Since 2015, Thrive Causemetics has donated over 40,000 products to women. Says Bodnar, “We’re bringing heart to beauty.”

ON ANOTHER MATTER … 

Why They Love Double Dutch 

This past spring, childhood friends Tanisha Rinehardt, 36, and Della Burns, 37, were brainstorming fun ways to stay in shape when an idea jumped out at them: Why not bring back double Dutch, a schoolyard staple in Philadelphia, where they grew up? “We did it all the time; it’s probably how we managed to be so fit,” said Rinehardt. Using Facebook, they organized a free public double-Dutch event one Sunday in April at Philly’s Awbury Park. The number of RSVPs had climbed so high that they realized they’d need an event permit, and they ran out to buy all the plastic clothesline they could find for people to jump with.

Since that first event, Philly Girls Jump has held weekly meetups, and spontaneous jumpers – e.g., teens en route to the prom, a woman late for a date – have joined in for the fun as well as for the fitness benefits. “You’ll be jumping for hours and not realize it until your legs feel it the next day,” said Rinehardt.

 Recalls Alert 

The following products and vehicles were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Unless otherwise indicated, discontinue use of the products immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a refund. For more information about the products, call the manufacturer or CPSC’s toll-free hotline, 800-638-2772. Only some cars or trucks recalled are affected. Contact a dealer for your model to see if it is included in the recall. The dealer will tell you what to do.

PRODUCT/VEHICLE  PROBLEM

Starbucks stainless-steel straws, sold exclusively at Starbucks stores nationwide and online at Starbucks.com from June 2012 through June 2016 for about $6 for a set of three straws. The beverage cups with straws were sold for between $11 and $30.

The stainless-steel straws are rigid and can poke children in the mouth, posing a risk of injury. Consumers should not allow children to handle or use the stainless-steel straws. For more information, contact Starbucks at 800-782-7282 from 3 a.m. to Midnight PT daily or online at https://news.starbucks.com com and click on “stainless-steel straw warnings.”

2016 Jeep Cherokee 

The right halfshaft may have been incorrectly manufactured, causing it to fracture without warning. A fractured halfshaft may disconnect from the drive axle, increasing the risk of a crash. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right halfshaft free of charge. The recall began June 30, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler’s customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler’s recall number is S39.

© Hearst Communications Inc.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate