Girl Scouts of Oregon & SW Washington “Women of Distinction Awards” Honor Two Remarkable Women

Portland, OR. Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington honored Sally Bany and Dr. Judith A. Ramaley with the 2016 Marie Lamfrom Women of Distinction Award for their distinguished service, excellence in leadership and important contributions as role models for girls. Honorees included women like Judge Adrienne Nelson, 2015 Honoree, Peggy Maguire, 2015 Honoree, Dr. Judith A. Ramaley, 2016 Honoree, Sally Bany, 2016 Honoree, Governor Barbara Roberts, 2013 Honoree, Barbara Alberty, 2014 Honoree, and Mary Shaver, 2014 Honoree. (Photo credit, Andrea Lonas)

Laural Porter, KGW News Anchor and host of KGW’s current affairs show, emceed the event on September 19th with more than 560 Girl Scout alumnae and community supporters in attendance. The event raised over $160,000 to implement the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and enhance programs in financial literacy, healthy living, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and outdoor skills for more than 14,000 girls throughout Oregon and SW Washington.

A testament to the value of investing in girls’ leadership, Girl Scout Gold Award recipient Karina Shah shared her experience in the leadership program. “Looking back at my 12 years in Girl Scouts, it’s hard to think of what I would do and who I would be without this organization. Girl Scouts has taught me so many important life skills and values. It has shown me how to be a leader, to respect myself and others, to build healthy relationships, to advocate for myself and to think about other people. The experiences Girl Scouts has brought me are endless and I can’t thank enough the people who have made my Girl Scouting experience possible.”

The event’s success was bolstered by a $25,000 Challenge Grant generously given by Wells Fargo. The match was met and exceeded thanks to the incredible support of alumnae and community. The event’s Gold Sponsors included The Standard and Portlandia Club Inc. Silver sponsors are Brown and Brown, Ferguson Wellman, Cambia and Garrett Hemann Robertson P.C.

“You know what Bluebird would say… a Girl Scout can do anything,” honoree Sally Bany reflected on her grandmother, Marie Lamfrom who served as a troop leader for a special needs troop in Portland for 35 years. She served on the Girl Scout council’s board of directors and received the highest award a Girl Scout adult can receive, the Thanks Badge. Lamfrom co-founded the company that would become Columbia Sportswear.

For more information, or to express interest in sponsoring the 2017 Women of Distinction Luncheon, contact Shannon Spencer at sspencer@girlscoutsosw.org or call 503-977-6843.

About Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington

Our council serves nearly 15,000 girl members in 37 counties with the help of over 10,000 adult members. The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Every opportunity in Girl Scouting develops these essential skills in an all-girl, inclusive, safe environment. Our century of success is demonstrated by the fact that 70 percent of female CEOs on the Fortune 500 list and 59 percent of women serving in the U.S. Congress are Girl Scout alumnae.