NEW YORK, N.Y. – UMass Lowell women’s lacrosse alum Noelle Lambert was named the 2020 Women of Worth National Honoree, as announced by L’Oréal Paris on Giving Tuesday.
After being named one of 10 Women of Worth finalists and receiving $10,000 for her Born to Run Foundation back in October, Lambert was selected as the 2020 National Honoree through a nationwide, online public vote. She was honored with an additional $25,000 to support her mission of providing specialized prosthetics to amputees.
“It is such an incredible honor to be the 2020 Women of Worth National Honoree,” said Lambert. “To be recognized among the other nine amazing honorees is such a humbling experience. Thank you so much to every single person who voted for myself and the Born to Run Foundation. This wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for you. And lastly, thank you so much to L’Oréal Paris for this amazing donation and all of this recognition. This is going to change so many people’s lives.”
Despite losing her leg in a moped accident in 2016, Lambert fought her way back to the field with her River Hawk teammates. In 2018, she launched the Born to Run Foundation and now, in 2020, not only is Lambert’s foundation thriving, but she is continuing her athletic journey as a Team USA Track and Field Paralympian.
The Born to Run Foundation has now donated 10 specialized prostheses in an effort to help other amputees pursue their own athletic dreams and achieve lifetime goals. Despite the physical challenges she faced, Lambert believes that losing her leg may have been one of the best things to happen to her, as it has instilled her with a new purpose to give back and leave a lasting impact.