100th Anniversary Float

[Charlene Domschot]

On January 2, 2012, 14 Greater Los Angeles Area Girl Scouts and Girl Scout alumnae will come together to ride into history on the Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary Float as it cruises down Colorado Blvd. in front of millions of parade watchers and TV audiences in the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade®. Representing the spirit of Girl Scouts past and present, each rider was selected based on their Girl Scout history, accomplishments and achievements in community service. These accomplished ladies serve as role models and inspirations to all girls around the world.

Featured riders include newly appointed and first Latina Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the USA, Anna Maria Chávez, a lifetime Girl Scout member, award-winning lawyer and community leader. She will be joined by Senior Vice President and Manager of National Fund Finance at Union Bank, alumna Gayle I. Boyle, whose personal story of how Girl Scouts has empowered three generations of Girl Scouts in her family was the winning entry from among a plethora of entries of impressive female executives.

Also riding will be Renee Hoss-Johnson and Brianne Johnson, the mother-daughter design team of the Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary Float. Hoss-Johnson, an award-winning Float Designer and Production Designer at Sony Studios will ride the float with her daughter, design student and Girl Scout alumna, Brianne. Jessie Klemme, captain of the all-Girl Scout 2008 Championship Robotics team and the youngest Girl Scout alumna on the float, will ride standing near the award-winning robot representation on the float.

Local area Girl Scouts riders representing a range of age levels include: Carissa Coane, Brownie Girl Scout from Pasadena, CA; Chloe Jackson, Brownie Girl Scout from Inglewood, CA; Valerie Reseigne, Brownie Girl Scout from Upland, CA; Lorie Meza, Cadette Girl Scout from South Pasadena, CA; Katie Xia-Ian Kaessinger, Cadette Girl Scout from Torrance, CA; Katie Dickins, Senior Girl Scout from Claremont, CA; Haley De Boom, Ambassador Girl Scout from Lakewood, CA; Malia Mailes, College Student from La Cañada, CA; Caley Versfelt, College Student from Manhattan Beach, CA;

GSGLA invites all Girl Scouts and former Girl Scouts to ride alongside these honored Girl Scouts, virtually, by dedicating a float flower and getting their name on the float. In hopes that every flower on the float represent a Girl Scout or Girl Scout alum, for a donation of $5 per name, Girl Scouts from all over the world can be honored on the 100th Anniversary float and ride the float, virtually. For more information on the float flower dedications, visit the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles website at www.girlscoutsla.org.

Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles serves more than 40,000 girls in partnership with more than 23,000 volunteers from over 350 diverse communities of Los Angeles County and parts of Kern, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles is the largest girl-serving non-profit agency in Los Angeles. The council’s programs engage girls in the areas of Arts & Culture, Business Smarts, Environment & Outdoor Adventure, Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM) and Wellness & Healthy Living. To join, volunteer, reconnect or support, visitwww.girlscoutsLA.org or call 1-888-GSGLA-4-U.

Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts will celebrate a century of leadership in 2012 with events happening throughout the country. Hosting the organization’s 100th anniversary float is just one of the ways Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles will help kick-off the organization’s centennial year, and GSGLA will host a number of centennial celebrations, including Girltopia at the L.A. Convention Center on October 29; a float entry in the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade; a Women of Distinction luncheon honoring former Girl Scouts and industry leaders; and a council-wide Camporee. For more information on 100th Anniversary opportunities, visit www.girlscoutsLA.org.

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