Scouts honor
The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania hosted their 25th annual Take the Lead awards ceremony March 1 at the Rittenhouse Hotel. In a program led by Girl Scouts ages 8 to 18, awards were presented to Temple University president Ann Weaver Hart; Michele Ridge, wife of former Gov. Tom Ridge; Kyra McGrath of WHYY; and Pamela Browner White of the Eagles. The event for 325 guests, cochaired by Leslie Anne Miller and William Sasso, raised $205,000 for the Girl Scouts.
Toast of the town
The Kimmel Center hosted a Homecoming Reception Feb. 26 at the Academy of Music Ballroom to honor Philadelphia native Judith Jamison for her achievements as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. On July 1 Jamison will end her 21-year tenure as head of the dance company and pass the baton to director-
designate Robert Battle. Among the 100 guests who attended the reception were chief cultural officer Gary Steuer, City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, and Anne Hughes, State Sen. Vincent Hughes' mother, who taught Jamison to tap dance. Singer Patti LaBelle greeted Jamison backstage at the Academy of Music during intermission of a performance by the company, which was held before the reception.
Vive la France!
The Philadelphia International Flower Show opened with a black-tie Preview Party Saturday at the Convention Center. More than 2,400 guests got an advance peek at the 10-acre show, "Springtime in Paris," which features a 37-foot version of the Eiffel Tower with 1,000 twinkling lights and six major exhibits showcasing Paris.
In recognition of PNC's 20-year sponsorship of the show, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society president Drew Becher presented PNC regional president J. William Mills III with the society's first President's Award. The evening, chaired by Linda Ann Galante, raised $800,000. Proceeds will benefit the society's City Harvest program and its new Plant One Million campaign to plant one million trees in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware by 2020.
The play's the thing
The Lantern Theater Company held its 11th annual benefit, "A Midwinter's Night Dream," Feb. 18 at the Down Town Club. The evening, cochaired by Lantern Theater board president Stacy Maria Dutton, Nina S. Rosenthal, and Sarah F. Weinstein, honored Lucille Larkin and Ellen Mulroney. The benefit's 125 guests raised $40,000 for the theater, founded by Charles McMahon and Michael Brophy in 1994.