By Amanda Kalina, Girl Scouts - Mile Hi Council

The 2006 Women of Distinction Dinner drew nearly 900 people to the Marriott City Center Hotel on Oct. 25 to honor this year’s 20 Women of Distinction (WOD) and celebrate the 10th year for this highly anticipated event. Dinner co-chairs, Sheila Bugdanowitz (1998 WOD), president and CEO of the Rose Community Foundation, and Dori Biester (2000 WOD), president and CEO of The Children’s Hospital, paid tribute to the accomplishments of the 2006 honorees in front of the largest crowd ever. 
“It’s amazing to reflect on all the women who have received this honor over the last 10 years,” said Bugdanowitz. “These women have accomplished so much, and it is an honor to be in such good company.”
The dinner, presented by CollegeInvest, the United Way and CW2, benefits the Girl Scouts – Mile Hi Council’s Outreach programs, which provide the Girl Scout leadership development program to more than 5,500 girls who would not have the opportunity to participate without assistance. Since the dinner’s inception, it has raised $1.6 million for this nationally-recognized program.
“The Women of Distinction Dinner has paved the way for the leaders of tomorrow – the Girl Scouts,” said Biester. “Through Girl Scouts, girls build skills that help them reach their full leadership potential.”
The Women of Distinction program is a strong symbol of Girl Scouts’ commitment to the leadership development of girls. This year’s women join the ranks of 287 colleagues who have been named since 1997. The Women of Distinction volunteer their time and commit their financial resources to help empower girls to develop to their greatest potential. They play a vital role in helping girls develop into successful and confident young women.
This year’s honorees include: Katherine Archuleta, Cynthia “Cinnie” Auer, Veronica Barela, Diane Carman, Gay Cook, Phyllis Coors, Taryn Edwards, Leslie Grayson, Carole A. Harrison, Karen Karsh, Rebecca Love Kourlis, Donna Lynne, Karen Newman, Cecilia “Cec” K. Sanchez de Ortiz, Lily Shen, Sandra Shreve, Katharine “Katie” Stapleton, Linda Strine, Tamra Ward and Carolyn Schaefer Wollard.
Special thanks to the Women of Distinction Liaisons, Jennifer Atler and Annie Wohlgenant, and the 2006 Dinner Committee.

Photo captions:

From left: 2006 WOD Honoree Sandra Shreve and friend Mitzi Barnes at the Girl Scouts – Mile Hi Council’s 10th annual WOD Dinner.

From left:   Shauna Pierre-Louis, Celeste Pegues, Aimee Dodge, Asha Blake, News2 at Nine  Anchor and keynote WOD Dinner speaker, Courtney Garcia and Courtney Bunker at the Girl Scouts – Mile Hi Council’s 10th annual WOD Dinner.

From left:   1999 WOD Honoree Myrna Mourning, 2006 WOD Honoree Leslie Grayson and 2001 WOD Honoree Linda Williams at the Girl Scouts – Mile Hi Council’s 10th annual WOD Dinner.