Thank you to the Honorees and everyone who came together to support this fabulous fundraiser and momentous event!

Special thanks to these wonderful sponsors:

Gold Sponsor –   Sonoco www.sonoco.com   

Bronze Sponsor –

            McLeod Health www.mcleodhealth.org

Pearl Sponsors –

      BlueChoice HealthPlan Medicaid  www.BluechoiceSCmedicaid.com

      Carolina Bank www.carolinabank.net

      Carolinas Hospital System www.carolinashospital.com

      Chick-fil-A of Florence www.chick-fil-a.com

      Belinda Copeland and Cliff McBride

      First Reliance Bank www.firstreliance.com

      Pepsi Cola of Florence www.pepsico.com

The night was filled with celebration and the room filled with exquisite items for auction. Supporters of Girl Scouts of Eastern SC and their chosen Mary Dean Brewer Women of Distinction Honorees assembled for an evening at SiMt in Florence on March 20th, 2014 to honor and celebrate the 2014 honoree list of dynamic, successful women. The committee chose 7 deserving women. They were:

Marie Carter of Elliott, SC – Retired Librarian

Trisha Caulder of Florence, SC – Retired Educator

Dr. Janet Sallas Crowe of Goose Creek, SC – Veterinarian, Creekside Veterinary Clinic

Jill H. Lewis of Florence, SC – Vice President of Institutional Advancement & Development,

Florence-Darlington Technical College

Debbie W. Hyler of Florence, SC – Executive Director, The School Foundation

Lois Ruggeiro of Charleston, SC – Director Lower School, Ashley Hall School

*Posthumous Lifetime Achievement:  Blanche Turner-Lawless of Myrtle Beach, SC

These are women who are chosen for their leadership abilities and positive effects on their community as well as being an example for younger women coming up behind them. They are exemplary individuals who continually make the world a better place.

The Mary Dean Brewer Women of Distinction's Committee did such a great job of pulling off another stellar year of this event. The Service units of Girl Scouts of Eastern SC participated in a gift basket design contest. The baskets from all over GSESC's 21 counties council area featured anything from authentic Gullah Geechee items like Sweetgrass baskets and she crab soup... to fine SC framed art... to weekend golf getaways ...to spa treatments. Also up for bid were several notable items of collector's sports memorabilia.  Some lucky person and skilled bidder swooped down to pick up 4 round trip SouthWest Airlines tickets, someone else picked up a bargain in a bag in the way of a Dooney & Bourke purse and yet another delighted bidder scored big with a romantic wine and elegant dining package. The bids were spirited, enthusiastic and generous. Overall, the net fundraising success was one for the books! The net profit was over $29,000.

The evening's event was hosted and emceed by WPDE's Allyson Floyd. The entertaining and much beloved auctioneer Bill Yonce was the auctioneer for the night.

Photos from the event can be found on our Facebook page in our Women of Distinction 2014 Photo Album at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.739489856085008.1073741854.104745346226132&type=3&uploaded=26

Some of the current and past honorees (pictured above)

Below from left, 2014's honorees: Dr. Jan Sallas Crowe, Dr. Jill H. Lewis and Trisha Caulder

To nominate someone you think is deserving for next year's Mary Dean Brewer Women of Distinction Awards, please watch our website and social media for nomination instructions and guidelines. Nominations for 2015 will be accepted between July 1st through November 1st of this year.