The Girl Scouts of Delaware Raritan Council celebrated the accomplishments of girls and adults in a ceremony hosted by ETS on May 20. Appreciation Awards, which recognize adult members who have delivered outstanding service, were bestowed upon Debi Ribardo, Louisa Ho, and Anne Clifton. ##M:[more]##
The Distinguished Leader Award, which recognizes a leader who has made outstanding contributions to the girls through continuous, educated, and responsible service, was awarded to Carol Murphy. One of six Women of Distinction Scholarships, which recognize accomplished and deserving Senior Girl Scouts, was awarded to Sohni Reddy.
Ribardo, the WWP service unit director, is also a leader and the service unit cookie chair. She serves on the Council’s product sales task group and volunteers at Oak Springs and helps with many events as a First Aider. She is an active supporter and participant of dune grass and tree plantings.
Ribardo, a Plainsboro resident since 1979, was born in Connecticut, and raised in Hopewell. She has degrees in fine arts from Mercer County Community College and the College of New Jersey. She was a florist for 14 years and then a research and administrative assistant at Educational Testing Service for 10 years. Her goal is to return to school for certification as a cardiovascular technician.
Louisa Ho, a long-time volunteer, and co-service unit director, has worked to increase diversity of membership and attendance and participation at leader meetings. She began as a leader, and as a consultant, she has continued to generate new events for the service unit to keep the girls and adults active and involved. Ho and her troop have taken a Brownie troop under their wing to ensure that these 18 girls have the Girl Scout experience.
Born in Butte, Montana, Ho was raised in California. She has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in transportation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the past she was an operations manager at NJ Transit. After the birth of her second child, she chose to work part-time as a consultant. She currently works part-time for Transystems, a transportation consulting firm.
Ho, a West Windsor resident, is a leader because of her daughter, Rebecca Van Dyke, who just finished sixth grade at Grover Middle School. Ho has been her leader since she was in kindergarten. Her son David Van Dyke, a cub scout, just finished fourth grade at Village School.
Anne Clifton maintains the service unit leader roster for more than 150 volunteers, and she is also a leader, service unit cookie manager, service unit training coordinator, and maintains the service unit library. She also presents training sessions for the cookie sale every fall.
Born and raised in central New Jersey, Clifton graduated from Lehigh University, with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, and Rutgers University, with a master’s in chemical engineering. She was a chemical engineer for more than 11 years at a manufacturing facility for Hercules. Currently she is a volunteer with Girl Scouts, and is a catechist and Bible study facilitator at St. David the King Church.
Carol Murphy, a volunteer and leader for 14 years, began as a leader of her older daughter’s Daisy troop and continued with her younger daughter’s troop, where the girls are now Seniors. She has continually taken in new girls looking for troops and encourages leaders to continue on with their own troops. In addition she served as registrar for the large WWP service unit for seven years. She helps her girls to search out service projects, among them a coat drive, a book drive, and tree planting as well as to run stations at service unit events.
Murphy is often the first to offer a helping hand, going on many camping trips as an extra because she is CPR, first aid, and camping certified. A Plainsboro resident, she was a Girl Scout as a child for six years, and more recently, leader of troops 1110 and 1659 for 13 years. Her daughters Anne, 18, earned the Gold Award, and Katie, a student at High School South, is also a Girl Scouts.
Reddy, a Girl Scout for eight years, is also a dedicated volunteer for WomanSpace, a shelter for abused women, and Heart and Hand for the Handicapped, which aids handicapped children. Born in Long Island, New York, she has lived in Plainsboro for 13 years, and is a 20007 graduate of High School North. She will attend American University of Antigua at its offshore campus in India to pursue a career in medicine.
