More Than 1,000 Gather in Honor of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Women of Distinction 20th Anniversary Luncheon

On Friday, October 25, the Hilton Anatole lit up Thin Mint green as more than 1,000 Dallasites gathered to celebrate the 20th Anniversary Women of Distinction Luncheon presented by Verizon.

From the moment guests arrived, the most sentimental elements of Girl Scouts set the stage for an inspiring event. With a photo booth featuring the organization’s iconic Girl Scout cookies as a backdrop, the recognizable Thin Mint green serving as the event’s colorway, a car (courtesy of Toyota) filled with Girl Scout cookies where guests could estimate the total in hopes for plane tickets courtesy of Southwest Airlines and banners featuring some of the organization’s most inspirational young women.

Attendees moved into the ballroom to dine on a seasonal grain bowl and duo of tantalizing desserts while listening to a variety of motivational speakers, including the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Jennifer Bartkowski, the State of the Girl Q&A with the 2024 Mary Anne Cree Young Women of Distinction Rida Ahmed, Dylan George and Katherine Polimerou (moderated by Elena Sacca Smith), event co-chairs Andrea Weber and Kim Williams, and the finale – the Real Talk. Real Women. Discussion with the Women of Distinction Caren Lock and Cassandra McKinney. Ahmed, George, and Polimerou represented some of the most impressive young women the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas are helping to shape today, with Gold Award projects impacting all aspects and areas of our city. 

Guests clamored to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win one of three outstanding packages, including a Travel Getaway Package (featuring two international round trip flights from Southwest Airlines and a $500 shopping spree courtesy of Galleria Dallas), a Highland Park Village Shopping Package (including a $300 gift card from Lele Sadoughi, a shopping party for 10 to 15 guests at the Dallas store and a $250 Highland Park Village gift card), and a Floral Package (featuring a $500 gift card from Garden Gate Floral).

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas has continued to make a monumental impact in the community over the past 20 years, with 95 percent saying they found a safe space in Girl Scouts and 90 percent saying because of Girl Scouts, they are doing activities they would not have done otherwise. 85 percent say they know they can do important things and 90 percent say that when they see someone hurt or upset, they want to make them feel better.

Spotted amongst the crowd included: Bridget Lopez, Ellyce Lindberg, Kit Addleman, Elizabeth Gambrell, Candace Winslow, Tracy LaRosiliere, Mary Martha Pickens, Roslyn Dawson Thompson, Anne Motsenbocker, Millie Bradley, Renee George, Sara Johnson Davis, Michelle Thomas, Dee Brown, Trisha Cunningham, Sarah Losinger, Robbi Luxbacher, Minerva Rodriguez, Linda Yohe, Kristy Faus, Missy Wyszysnski, Terra Najork-Peterson, Carol Holmes, Dawn Greiner, Natalie Davenport, Rhonda Goetsch, Aneeta Gooma Sule, Ashley Russell, Beth Babb, and Joyce Goss.

Here’s to another, even better 20 years, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.