KING

KIRKLAND, Wash – When two friends decided to start their own wine label, they did it with the goal of using proceeds to support a favorite cause – furthering the education of low-income girls in Washington state.

When Angel Paullin was little, a good education seemed like little more than a daydream. Neither of her parents went to college and she describes an abusive upbringing that finally ended two years ago when she and her sister were taken in by members of their church.

Despite the turmoil, Angel got good grades and now is buying books for the start of her freshman year at Northwest University. Her goal is to become a doctor.

"I want to eventually have my own clinic in Africa,” said Angel.

Her dream is being fueled and partially financed by two lades she never met until last month. Kathy Johanson and Stacy Lill are longtime friends who realized over dinner two years ago that they could merge their two biggest passions.

"We started talking about charity and talking about wine, and we said ‘you know, we should start our own winery! A girl winery!’” said Kathy.

The result is O Wine.

"Medium chardonnay. It’s got some oak in it but it’s not over-oaked. It’s just really refreshing,” said Stacy.

Five percent of the proceeds of each bottle goes towards and educational scholarship for low-income, high-potential girls. Angel is the first to receive one.

Not only does she get $20,000 towards school, but the unique scholarship requires each recipient to accept a mentor into their lives.

"We feel as though if they have a guide, other than a parent, other than a teacher in their lives, it sometimes help them make the right choices,” said Kathy.The women are so enthusiastic about Angel and her abilities, they’ve taken on the task of being her mentor for the next four years.

"I think it’s awesome what they're doing. That there's people that care that there are girls that go through stuff every day that don't have any hope unless people like Stacy and Kathy help them,” said Angel.

Even though she’s too young to drink, Angel says she’s sure of one thing – that the wine providing her scholarship is well named since the “O” stands for opportunity.

O Wines generally retail for $12.99 a bottle and can be found at numerous stores. The women hope to increase their donations from five percent of each bottle to 50 percent in the next three years.