HARRISBURG, Pa., March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- First Lady Judge Marjorie O. Rendell today partnered with the Pennsylvania Commission for Women to celebrate March as Women's History Month and honor women who are making history in Pennsylvania.

"The women we are honoring today will have a lasting impact on the fabric of Pennsylvania. The work that they have done for our students, our children, our spirits, our people, and our history is part of what makes Pennsylvania so great," said First Lady Judge Rendell. "These women have demonstrated the potential we all have to make a difference in the lives of others."    

As the host for the Women's History Month program, the Pennsylvania Commission for Women hopes to remind Pennsylvanians that each day, women are doing extraordinary things.  

"Every day I have the pleasure of working with and meeting women from across the commonwealth and from all walks of life," said executive director Leslie Stiles.  "Their determination, creativity, resilience, and their generosity, are a constant source of inspiration and I am proud that we have the opportunity to honor some of these women today."

The honorees at today's event include:

• Joan L. Benso, of Harrisburg, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children;
• Cindy Little, of Philadelphia, a historian with the Philadelphia History Museum and one of the founders of National Women's History Month;
• State Rep. Kathy Manderino, 194th Legislative District, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties;  
• Thelma T. Price, of State College, a minister and civil rights activist; and
• Rabbi Sandy Roth, of New Hope, founder of the Kehilat HaNahar synagogue.  

The program also featured Wyatt Beddow, a fourth grader at Hoover Elementary School, who read an essay about his great aunt and coal mining pioneer, Maize Beddow.  A performance by Charlotte Blake Alston from Philadelphia, a professional story-teller, narrator and singer, closed the program.

In keeping with the historical theme, the Commission for Women also highlighted its three Legendary Ladies brochures, which are guides to places where women made history in Pennsylvania. The brochures contain maps and fascinating bios of the women who have helped to shape the Pennsylvania we know today.

To request a free copy of the Legendary Ladies brochures, call the Pennsylvania Commission for Women at 888-615-7477 or visit online at www.pcw.state.pa.us.

Media contacts:

Anne Bale, Commission for Women; 717-783-2666

Mia DeVane, Governor's Office; 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the First Lady

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