[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 11, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E801]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JAN VERHAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 11, 2010

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Jan 
Verhage for her outstanding service as Executive Director of the Girl 
Scout Council of the Nation's Capital for the past 25 years. For a 
quarter century, Jan has dedicated her life to building girls of 
courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. 
Many of our daughters and granddaughters who live here in the 
Washington area benefit directly from the amazing, innovative and 
outstanding programs organized under Jan's purview.
  Under her guidance and leadership, the Girl Scout Council of the 
Nation's Capital has experienced unprecedented growth, including a 
membership that has tripled in size. Today, the council serves 90,000 
members in the District of Columbia and 25 surrounding counties in 
Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. During Ms. Verhage's tenure as 
Executive Director, more than 2,700 girls earned the Gold Award, the 
Girl Scouts' highest honor, earned for developing a sustainable 
community service project.
  Jan has also been instrumental in reaching out to underserved 
communities, by targeting girls of different racial, ethnic, or 
language backgrounds and by providing financial assistance to girls 
from low-income families, in order to deliver Girl Scouting to all 
girls. Her innovative initiatives include training college students to 
lead troops in at-risk communities; a road safety program for teen 
girls; and programs that address critical issues such as self-esteem, 
healthy living, financial literacy and peer pressure.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Jan Verhage for 25 years 
of dedicated service to girls in the Greater Washington Region. I wish 
her the best in her future as Chief Operating Officer of Girl Scouts of 
the USA.

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