During the dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic, three Connecticut women did their part to brighten the lives of women and girls throughout the state. Girl Scouts of Connecticut (GSOFCT) is honoring these female leaders at its 26th annual Breakfast Badge Awards ceremony. This year”™s recipients “Women Who Shine,” are exceptional role models recognized for their outstanding achievements in creating solutions for their communities during the pandemic. The fundraising event will take place on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 a.m. at the Hartford Marriott Downtown, 200 Columbus Blvd.
“These extraordinary women are brilliant leaders who created original programs that helped mitigate serious issues during the pandemic and have made a positive impact on the Connecticut community,” said Diana Mahoney, CEO, Girl Scouts of Connecticut. “They have each become beacons of light during a very dark time in our state”™s history.”
This year”™s honorees are:
Francine Farkas Sears of Guilford, president, Francine Collections Ltd. and Women in Business (WIB) Ltd; women”™s business enterprises designing and producing women”™s and girls”™ laptop cases, luggage and accessories. Sears has designed 74 clothing and accessory pieces for Girl Scouts of the USA and has spent a lifetime mentoring girls and women.
Jendayi Scott-Miller from Hartford is founder, CEO and president of Angel of Edgewood (AOE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to working on the issue of food insecurity in the state. AOE provides grocery giveaways, business development, workforce training and an entrepreneur training program for those in the Greater Hartford area.
Melanie Sinche is from West Hartford and assistant dean for academic affairs, director, Career Development Center and executive director of Women”™s Leadership Center at the University of St. Joseph (USJ). After 2020, when Connecticut and the world were experiencing a time of “darkness,” she designed a career development program for area women in health care so that they could network, share experiences and learn from each other, while teaching USJ mentors how to use their grit and persistence to overcome the various challenges of the pandemic.
Elizabeth Driscoll Jorgensen, CADC of Insight Counseling in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and a consultant to Newport Healthcare is the keynote speaker. She is a nationally recognized expert in counseling, particularly in engaging resistant teens and motivating them to change. Liz has received a Congressional Award in 1994 for her work in treatment innovation and prevention and was recently featured in the Netflix documentary, “Take Your Pills.”
Tricia Hyacinth, chairperson of the Breakfast Badge Awards and member of Girl Scouts of Connecticut”™s Board of Directors is founding executive director of Five Frogs Inc., the only statewide, multisector leadership development organization building a movement for equity in Connecticut. Previously, she spent nine years with Fairfield County”™s Community Foundation where she was senior director of the Fund for Women & Girls. She holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut.
All proceeds from the Breakfast Badge fundraiser support the annual Fund for GSOFCT to sustain its mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character. The fund promotes affordable and accessible programming throughout the year for over 18,000 girl-members and provides essential resources for more than
