People power communities. Every person who steps up to engage, listen, and act with compassion and purpose contributes to the health and wellness of a community. Especially girls.

Girls see a world of possibilities. They demand equity, offer compassion and kindness, and jump into action to resolve social issues whenever and wherever they see a need. But right now, girls also need support as they navigate peer pressure, unrealistic expectations, racial inequity, gender bias, and other threats to their social/emotional and mental health. To thrive, girls need advocates who rally around them, encourage them, and invest in them. They need you.

Please join us on March 29 to support the critical work of Girl Scouts and sustain access to leadership and formative experiences for every girl in our community.

We are honored to recognize our awardees who have made the world a better place by advancing opportunities for girls and women.

Meet the Honorees:

Luminary Award

Jessica Sarowitz will be receiving the prestigious Luminary Award. Jessica is the Managing Partner of 4S Bay Partners LLC, a family office management company that oversees several private businesses, real estate, and investments in diverse industries such as domestic and international payroll, UK payroll, film-making and commercial & residential real estate holdings.

Jessica is also the Managing Family Director of her family’s charitable foundation, the Julian Grace Foundation, which funds various philanthropic ventures through an entrepreneurial and social impact lens. These ventures have included orphanages and clinics in Central America, innovative education programs for foster kids, state-of-the art urban centers for arts and technology education, vocational training, environmental causes, the preservation of indigenous cultures and many other educational and social justice programs.

Jessica is passionate about correcting the source of a problem in authentic partnership with communities in need, as well as providing people a steppingstone to transformative opportunities and experiences. Jessica is also an avid tennis player and believes that a healthy lifestyle can fuel the mind and body to positive outcomes.

The Girl Scout’s Own Award

The Girl Scout’s Own Award honors our very own GSGCNWI Board Member, Sherina Maye Edwards. Sherina is the President and Chief Executive Officer of INTREN and joined the company in 2020 having originally served as a member of the Board of Directors.

Sherina has led INTREN to a significant increase in operational efficiency, cost reductions, and safety excellence, resulting in record-breaking financial results. Sherina has held a broad range of leadership roles that provide the breadth of experience and understanding required to lead innovative change.

In addition to her extensive involvement with various civic organizations, Sherina is founder of the Women’s Energy Summit and the Women’s Energy Network of Chicago. She is nationally recognized for championing diversity and inclusion within the utility and energy sector and her leadership led to the creation of the Illinois Utilities Business Diversity Council and the ICC’s Office of Diversity and Community Affairs.

“I could not be more proud to serve the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana as a board director and as a friend,” says Sherina. “The mission of this phenomenal organization aligns with everything I believe in – nurturing and cultivating leadership amongst young women and training them up to be our future leaders with the ultimate courage, confidence and character.”

Corporate Award

Receiving the Corporate Award is Bank of America, a long-standing partner of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Accepting the award will be Cindy Murray, Managing Director of Global Operations. Bank of America has been a valued collaborator with Girl Scouts GCNWI over many years and we are thrilled to honor this relationship.

Cindy is the executive for Unemployment Operations within Global Compliance and Operational Risk (GCOR). Prior to joining GCOR, Cindy was the head of Loan, Lease and Trade Operations. This team has responsibility for the global end-to-end implementation, servicing, and operations for credit offerings to business banking, commercial and corporate clients, leasing products, trade finance solutions, and traded loan products. Cindy was instrumental in leading the efforts to develop and implement automation solutions and technology enhancements to improve the overall client experience.

On receiving the Corporate Award, Rita Cook, President Bank of America Chicago said, “It’s a tremendous privilege to accept the Corporate Award from the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, which recognizes Bank of America’s longstanding partnership with this esteemed organization. For nearly two decades, we’ve proudly supported Girl Scouts programming that puts young girls on a path to positive futures and helps them become agents of change in our communities. There’s no greater honor than supporting our next generation of young women.”

Don’t Miss Out

Join us on March 29 to celebrate these incredible honorees, along with girls and women who are leading with purpose and passion.

Thank you to our sponsors

Sponsors as of March 2, 2022