MIDLAND, Texas — For the past 32 years, the Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest have been honoring women in the Permian Basin during their "Women of Distinction" event.
On Friday night, they honored four more women who have make a difference in the West Texas community at the Petroleum Club in Midland.
"It started 32 years ago with some women realizing that there are so many women within our community doing amazing things and they're not recognized," CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest Patty Craven said.
One of the founders of the event Betty Ann Prentice had a hand in starting this whole thing.
"And then we came up with the idea of having a gala like tonight," Prentice said.
"Really, we want to go ahead and help our women shine," Craven said. "We want to recognize them. We want to applaud them and really give them that extra oomph to know that they really are doing a great job and we appreciate everything that they're doing."
More than three decades later, that tradition is still alive and well.
"These women were chosen to be Women of Distinction for their community outreach, their actions within their businesses, and how they really come through and shine regularly helping people around them," Craven said. "The Girl Scout motto is 'girl scouting builds courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. These women are doing exactly that and we want to recognize them."
The honorees this year include a doctor, a nurse and other notable women.
"And tonight we're lucky enough to have Krista Escamilla, Kathy George, Valerie Sparks and Dr. Reagan Viney that we'll be celebrating," Craven said.
And for some of them, this distinction is full circle.
Like Valerie Sparks, a nurse whose been at Midland Memorial Hospital for 40 years.
"I was a Girl Scout when I was much younger, in Harlan, Iowa," Sparks said. "And to be here in Midland, Texas and to be honored by the Girl Scouts; it is quite significant. I was quite involved with the pandemic, COVID vaccine distribution throughout the Permian Basin."
Being one of the frontline workers during the pandemic definitely warrants this distinction.
As does being in Girl Scouts almost your entire life, like Dr. Reagan Viney, who even leads her own troop now with her daughter.
"Girl Scouts was my home," Dr. Viney said. "It was my niche. I loved it growing up. [...] And so it is full circle [...] it is very much a part of who I am. Because there are ladies in this room that are here because I've known them since I was in first grade, and they've been a part of my life through girl scouting and it's just a really neat experience to be a scout with them and now be a leader and involved in the Girl Scouts now."
And the circle doesn’t end there for Dr. Viney.
"The neat thing is my mom was one of the first few [women honored] and so kind of come full circle within our family as well," Dr. Viney said.
Two members of that family are among the more than 325 different women in the Permian Basin honored by the Girl Scouts.
Showing that in an area like West Texas that’s seemingly so male dominated, these women have also been dominating.
To learn more about the Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest, click here.