Lisbeth Riis Cooper and others win the YWCA’s annual awards.

by Tiffany Narron . photo by Justin Belleme

At a packed awards ceremony with much-talked-about stacks of bacon as appetizers, the YWCA of Asheville gave three prestigious awards to Asheville-area women. The 25th annual Tribute to Women of Influence, at the Diana Wortham Theater, honored philanthropist and mental health advocate Lisbeth Riis Cooper, Yaira Andrea Arias Soto of the Center for Participatory Change, and Women for Women, a giving circle that’s part of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

Soto, a Colombia native, works with Latino immigrants through the Center and other grassroots groups. Riis Cooper, cofounder of the nonprofit CooperRiis Healing Community, with her husband Don Cooper, opened their first mental health facility on an 80-acre organic farm near Columbus in 2003. They opened a sleek, light-filled Montford facility last year. Lisbeth was one of VERVE’s 2010 “Women to Watch.”

The YWCA’s 25 honorees (pictured above) were divided into three categories: equality, empowerment and transformation, based on the YWCA’s mission of empowering women and eliminating racism. This year, awards went to both individuals and groups. Proceeds from the event, some $36,000, benefit YWCA programs. Kitty Schaller, former head of Manna FoodBank and the 2010 honoree, handed out the awards. Bacon (and other tasty treats) were catered by Corner Kitchen.