Girl Scouts Of San Gorgonio Council Present Women Of Distinction Awards

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council (GSSGC) named Ofelia Valdez-Yeager, chief administrative liaison to the Superintendent in the Riverside County Office of Education, as the top female leader in San Bernardino and Riverside in the health and fitness industry.

With a long history of work and advocacy in education, Ofelia Valdez-Yeager of Riverside represents a commitment to the impact of increased knowledge and cultural sensitivity on issues of health and health education. Ofelia currently serves as Chair of the Latina Women's Health Forum,amily Health Insurance a grassroots organization founded in 1998 to educate women in the Riverside area on various diseases affecting the Latina community. The Forum holds frequent educational conferences throughout Riverside County for lower income, Spanish-speaking girls and women on a variety of issues such as menopause, obesity and sexually transmitted diseases.

Ofelia was in the first group of EOP students to enter UC Riverside where she completed her BA and teaching credential. She went on to act as instructor and counselor in schools and programs throughout the region focusing on bilingual education. Her committee and volunteer work includes organizations such as Little League, Head Start, YWCA, Junior League and United Way to name only a few. She was elected to the Riverside Unified District Board of Trustees in 1992, making her the first Latina elected to the local school board.amily Health Insurance Ofelia currently works as the Chief Administrative Liaison for the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools.

"Ofelia is recognized for making outstanding achievements in her professional and personal lives that embody the Girl Scout ideal of courage, confidence and character," said Jessica Lawrence, the Girl Scouts chief executive officer. "Girl Scouts is the world's preeminent organization for girls and women. With nearly 100 years of experience, Girl Scouting has a long established history of leading the industry in terms of leadership development. With that kind of record behind us, we are confident in our selection of Ofelia as the top female leader in achievements in the health and fitness industry in the two-county area."

The Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon is scheduled for April 16, 2008 at the Riverside Marriott, 3400 Market Street in Riverside, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Event hostesses are Patti Cotton Pettis, executive director for Loma Linda University Children's Hospital Foundation and a member of the GSSGC board of directors, and Gail Guge, CBA, APR, managing director for Wilkin Guge Marketing and recently named Business Woman of the Year. For more information, please contact the GSSGC at (800) 400-4475 or online at www.gssgc.org.

The Women of Distinction program is a strong symbol of Girl Scouts' commitment to the leadership development of girls in the community. amily Health Insurance All the honorees have made a significant impact to their community by demonstrating the ideals of Girl Scouting. They serve as important role models in helping girls develop into successful and confident young women.

The Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon is sponsored by America's Best Cookies (ABC), Security Bank, Marketwire and Burgess Moving & Storage and is open to the public. Tickets are $50 per person. Proceeds support programs for local girls to help them develop to their fullest potential and become competent, resourceful women. For more information, call (800) 400-4475 or visit www.gssgc.org.