Fritzi Lainoff, of Creve Coeur, was recently awarded the National Council of Jewish Women Enduring Advocate Award, in Washington D.C. on March 20. Lainoff was selected out of nominees throughout the country because of her lifelong commitment to making a difference in her own community and beyond.

Lainoff began her life of advocacy at age 14, picketing a theater that prohibited African-Americans from sitting in the choice sections. She has spent the next 60 years living to better the lives of others.

While raising her children, Lainoff stayed engaged in her community by educating herself about issues that concerned her, such as public education and women’s rights. In doing this, she served as a positive role model for her children and a mentor to her neighbors. Being involved as a volunteer has always given her a sense of accomplishment.

Her involvement in local activities includes: The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW)-St. Louis Section; St. Louis Effort for AIDS; B’nai Amoona Congregation, as Social Action Committee Chair; Holocaust Museum and Learning Center, where she was among the first group of docents to be trained; Older Adult Community Action Program (OACAP), where she helped form a coalition of 78 older adult groups in the St. Louis area to lobby for the Elderly Abuse Bill in Jefferson City; Hadassah; Missourians Against Handgun Violence; and the Jewish Community Center, where she currently serves as a member of the Adult Services Committee.