FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 16, 2012
CONTACT: Maria DeCabooter
______________________________________________________________________________________
Honoring the Leaders of Today and Tomorrow at Girls and Women of Distinction
April 21, 2012
9:00am- 11:00am
The Historic Manning House
450 W Paseo Redondo #212
The Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona will recognize over fifty amazing girls and women from across Southern Arizona at the 2012 Girls and Women of Distinction on April 21st at the Historic Manning House. This annual event is part of a national Girl Scout program that celebrates the accomplishments of girls and women for their Girl Scout achievements and the impact they make in their communities.
At the ceremony four girls will receive their Girl Scout Gold Award, which is the highest achievement a girl can be given. In order to earn this prestigious award, which only 5% of all eligible Girl Scouts receive, girls must demonstrate their leadership skills as they plan, promote, and manage a service project that has a sustainable impact in their community and beyond. In recognition of their achievements, Gold Awardees who join the armed services enter at one rank higher than other recruits. The recipients from Troop 484 earned their Gold Award through their Hearts for Diamonds Project, through which they raised $36,000 to outfit classrooms for young cancer patients in the Bone Marrow Transplant Ward at the Diamond Children’s Medical Center.
While the event is titled Girls and Women of Distinction, one man will also be honored. Martin Landon, known affectionately as “the Cookie Dad,” will receive the CEO Award in recognition of his outstanding service to Girl Scouts. Notes Megan Black, the Council’s Cookie Program Manager, “Martin supports new and returning troops as they grow in the Girl Scout movement. He has grown cookie sales in the Tri-Star Service Unit by 5,000 boxes, a 21% increase. He also visits booths to show support for local troops and basically goes out of his way for Girl Scouting.”
This year’s ceremony coincides with the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts. As part of the 100th celebration efforts, Girl Scouts of the USA recently launched an ambitious campaign, ToGetHerThere. The campaign’s focus on girl leadership greatly excites CEO Debbie Rich, who believes that “leadership experiences are what make Girl Scouting unique. Girls need wise adults who not only inspire them but trust them. The adult volunteers being recognized have all shown their deep commitment to supporting girls and helping girls reach their leadership potential. For that we cannot thank them enough.” As for the girls, Rich emphasizes that “they have mastered our traditional 3 C’s: cookies, camps, and crafts, and they exemplify the modern 3 C’s: the courage to act, the confidence to achieve, and the character to change the world. Watch out, because these girls have a very bright future!”
Girl Scout awards will also be presented in the following categories: Silver Award, Pray Award, Graduating Seniors, Top 10 Cookie Sellers, and Top Selling Cookie Troop. Adults volunteers will be honored in the following areas: New Found Treasure (New Volunteer), Treasured Gem (Seasoned Volunteer), and CEO Award (exemplifies the Girl Scout Promise and Law).
For more information about Girls and Women of Distinction, please contact Maria DeCabooter at 520.319.3175 or mdecabooter@girlscoutssoaz.org
2012 Girls and Women of Distinction Honorees
Girl Recognition
Gold Award Recipients: Ashley O’Neal, Jennifer O’Neal, Lauren Evans and Sharon Fass
Silver Award Recipients: Makenzie Koontz, Breanna Williams, Cayla Samson, Bethany Goad, Catherine Bean, Ellie Cline, Holly Hanson, Michelle Jaquette, Cheyenne Lockhart, Lora Lorenstein, Hannah McDaid, Jaclyn Melendez, Hallie Nitido, Pheonix Pittman, Brynn Sparling, Sara Anderson, and Ashley Counts
Pray Award: Sophia Compton, Leslie Courville, Hannah Draper, and Dulce Gonzales
Graduating Seniors: Amanda Metropoulis, and Danielle Adams
Top 10 Cookie Sellers: Mary Ruiz (5,007 boxes), Stephanie Urbina (4736), Cassie Jump (3359), Korbyn Davis (3037), Sarah Fowler (3007), Tiffanie Jump (3004), Elizabeth McCormick (3000), Dierdre Dimmick (2012), Tabitha Kellum (2007), and Jorden Zeng (2005).
Top Selling Troop: Troop#645 (sold 13,805 boxes) Sophia Compton, Rachel Whitaker, Nadira Mitchell, George Ballenger, Abigail Caldwell, Quinn Patterson, Leah Langejans, Jasmyne Godoy, Emily Bittman, Isabella Carrion, Mary Ruiz, Yazmin Romero, Kyla Ramon and Olivia Suzarrey
Adult Recognition
10 Year Pin: Ann Metropoulus
25 Year Pin: Cheryl Murphy
Volunteer of Excellence: Martin Landon, Carla Reiter, Jodi Sullivan, Cynthia Harris Smith
Treasured Gem: Christina Carlos, Rachel Coury, Dawn Henderson, and Patricia Small
New Found Gem: Crystal Smith, Susie Anderson
CEO Award- Martin Landon
###
