Local Girl Scouts "Take The Lead" And Honor Outstanding Women In Their Communities

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP) highlights its mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character when Scouts "Take the Lead" to honor some of the area's most distinguished women, whose leadership and achievements have made the world a better place. GSEP provides Scouts the opportunity to run the annual Take the Lead program from start to finish, showcasing their poise and maturity as emerging leaders.

"To see young Girl Scouts in action at our Take the Lead events is to be amazed at their remarkable potential," said CEO Natalye Paquin. "We are very blessed to have outstanding honorees serving as role models for our young Girl Scouts, and we are excited to recognize each of them. For more than 100 years, Girl Scouts has been dedicated to creating supportive environments for developing leadership skills in girls. Through programs like Take the Lead we empower this generation of girls to reach their full potential and become dynamic leaders in their communities and beyond."

Take the Lead events are planned for the months of March, April and May and represent GSEP's three primary Service Center regions:

Philadelphia – March 5: Hyatt at The Bellevue in Center City
Honorees:

• Romona Riscoe Benson – Manager of Corporate Relations, PECO
  (Past President and CEO, African American Museum in Philadelphia)
• Joan Carter – President, UM Holdings, Ltd.
  (Past and first female President, The Union League of Philadelphia)
• Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake – President, Independence Blue Cross Foundation

Berks County – April 17: Sovereign Performing Arts Center
Honorees:

• Michelle M. Davis – Community Volunteer
• Crystal Gilmore-Harris – Reading High School Cheerleading Coach, Reading Youth Cheerleading Director at Reading School District
• Yvonne Frey Oppenheimer – Consultant to Non-Profit Organizations (Retired)
• Michele Richards – Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking, Fulton Bank

Lehigh Valley – May 1: Holiday Inn Conference Center, Fogelsville
Honorees:

• Anne Baum – Vice President, Lehigh Valley Capital BlueCross
• Jane Ervin – President & CEO, Community Services for Children, Inc.
• Kit Hower – Owner, Blankstone Farm Alpacas

For more information about Take the Lead tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please call 215.564.2030 ext. 1036 or email [email protected].

About Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania
Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP) is the largest girl-serving organization in Pennsylvania and builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. What was started in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia by founder Juliette Gordon Low as one small, yet dedicated troop of girls has grown into 2.3 million Girl Scouts across the U.S. today. GSEP serves 41,000 girls in partnership with 15,000 volunteers in Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton and Philadelphia counties. Today, 80 percent of women in leadership and executive roles in the U.S. were Girl Scouts. Girl Scout alumnae comprise 70 percent of women in the U.S. Congress. For further information about Girl Scouting, how to join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, call 215-564-4657 or visit www.GSEP.org.

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For more information, contact:
Jamie Bartolino
For The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania
215-790-4165
[email protected]

SOURCE Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania