Girl Scouts honor female leaders at ‘Take the Lead’ ceremony

Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania hosted its annual Take the Lead Berks County event on April 3 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Reading, where it honored some of Berks County’s most distinguished women and first-ever corporate champion whose leadership and achievements have made our community a better place.

“We look forward to our Take the Lead program every year,” said Kim E. Fraites-Dow, chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania. “This signature fundraising event honors our community’s most distinguished women whose leadership and professional achievements make a significant impact in our region, and on the lives of our close to 40,000 girls and 15,000 adult volunteers.”

Unique to the Scouts, Take the Lead enables girls and women from the community to forge long-lasting mentoring relationships designed to teach girls the skills they’ll need to become the leaders of tomorrow. Four deserving high school aged Girl Scouts had the opportunity to shadow an honoree for a day, reflect on the experience, and present her with a Take the Lead award at the event, attended by 500-plus community leaders.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania provides girls the opportunity to run the annual Take the Lead program from start to finish, serving as masters of ceremonies, hosts and award presenters showcasing their poise and maturity as emerging leaders.

This year, the following women were recognized:

• Carey Babczak, vice president, business services officer, BB&T

• Laurie Peer, partner, RKL LLP and president, RKL Wealth Management

• Marilu Rodriguez, Esq, owner, RB Legal Counsel

• Tracy Schott, MS, MSW, producer, writer and filmmaker, Schott Productions

• Penske Women’s Network, Corporate Champion

Event co-chairs for the 2019 Take the Lead event were Karen Marsdale, president, Greater Reading Chamber Alliance, and Toni Miller, senior vice president and chief financial officer, Boscov’s, and Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania board member.

For more information about Take the Lead, visit www.gsep.org/takethelead or call 215-948-5123.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Girl Scouts who ran the annual Take the Lead program from start to finish, serving as master of ceremonies, hosts and award presenters showcasing their poise and maturity as emerging leaders.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Penske Women’s Network, Take the Lead Berks County’s first-ever corporate champion, at the 2019 event.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Left to right: RKL Wealth Management President and RKL LLP Partner Laurie Peer; BB&T Vice President and Business Services Officer Carey Babczak; Schott Productions Producer, Writer & Filmmaker Tracy Schott, MS, MSW; and RB Legal Counsel Owner Marilu Rodriguez, Esq. at the 2019 Take the Lead Berks County ceremony.