Joni and Friends Receives American Heritage Girls’ Molly Pitcher Award

By |Published On: July 16, 2010|Categories: Press Release|

Joni and Friends International Disability Center is the recipient of this year’s Molly Pitcher Award from the American Heritage Girls, a Christ-centered scouting program dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. While usually awarded to individuals, Joni and Friends was selected this year for its service to others as well as its work assisting American Heritage Girls (AHG) in development of its special needs curriculum and merit badge.

Established in 2000, the Molly Pitcher Award is named after Mary Hays McCauley, the wife of a Revolutionary War participant who herself risked the dangers of the battlefield to bring cold pitchers of water to wounded and weary men. AHG recognized that same dedication to service to others in the staff at Joni and Friends, and specifically the team in its Ohio office which worked most closely with AHG in the curriculum development process.

“Joni and Friends is an exemplary organization and is a group that I am so proud for our girls to get to know and learn from,” said Patti Garibay, AHG national executive director. “It is both a great pleasure and a great honor to announce Joni and Friends as this year’s award recipient.”

Donna Hughes, director of the Ohio office of Joni and Friends, will accept the award today on behalf of Joni and Friends at the annual American Heritage Girls convention in Cincinnati, the location of the organization’s headquarters. She will convey greetings from Joni Eareckson Tada, founder and CEO of Joni and Friends.

“We were blessed and humbled to learn that American Heritage Girls has chosen Joni and Friends to be the recipient of the Molly Pitcher Award,” Tada said. “I want to thank them for this special recognition of our work among people with disabilities and their families, whether here in the States or around the world.”

American Heritage Girls was started in Cincinnati in 1995 in order to offer a faith-based leadership development program to girls ages 5-18. Through the AHG program, girls are enriched physically, mentally and spiritually through a diverse range of badge activities, community service projects, camping and more. AHG began with 100 girls in 10 troops and currently has 100,000 girls in troops in 39 states, and its new independent girl program, the Trailblazer Program, in two European countries and Japan.

Learn More About Joni and Friends

Since 1979 Joni and Friends has committed to reaching and serving people with disabilities with practical help and the saving love of Jesus.

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