Jan Verhage
Photo: Courtesy of GSCNA
Jan Verhage has been the executive director of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital for the past 21 years and has been with the organization for almost 40. Since the council has no in-house event staff, Jan and her team of managers plan all fund-raisers, retreats, meetings, and other events. This week, she put together their annual Gold Awards (the highest award for Girl Scouts) at Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as a 100-person Board dinner reunion at the council president's home.
Catering: “When you work with great vendors and can rely on them to make the event a success, you don’t have to spend all day worrying. Our primary vendor for the vast majority of our events is Ridgewells in Bethesda, owned by Susan Lacz. It's a full-service firm that does the most fabulous food you’d ever eat in your life. One of the wonderful things they've done for us over the years is at our Camp C.E.O., which involves senior executives and teen girls spending a week at one of our resident camps in Virginia. The most popular night at camp is when Ridgewells comes down and Susan works with the girls to plan and design a formal dinner party, with fresh flower centerpieces, music, table conversation topics, and more, all planned by the girls. It’s a piece of giving back that’s just not common; it’s exceptional. A mother told me that when her daughter got back from camp, she decided to plan a formal party for her father’s birthday—with flowers, place cards, the whole nine yards. Ridgewells teaches them the art and importance of beautiful party planning."Flowers: “Exquisite Design Studio always does a fabulous job. [Owner and designer] Jen Dolan is the best. And she, too, helps us with the special night at Camp C.E.O."
Photography: “Hilary Schwab from Poolsville, Maryland, has been a photographer in the area for over 20 years—and with us for about six. She’s actually one of our troop leaders, and she has a special way of capturing the essence of her subjects; the most sparkling smiles we get are always when Hilary is behind the camera. She’s great at action shots, like photographing the girls on kayaks, as well as the receptions and other special events. She also does a lot of work for businesses in the area."
Catering: “When you work with great vendors and can rely on them to make the event a success, you don’t have to spend all day worrying. Our primary vendor for the vast majority of our events is Ridgewells in Bethesda, owned by Susan Lacz. It's a full-service firm that does the most fabulous food you’d ever eat in your life. One of the wonderful things they've done for us over the years is at our Camp C.E.O., which involves senior executives and teen girls spending a week at one of our resident camps in Virginia. The most popular night at camp is when Ridgewells comes down and Susan works with the girls to plan and design a formal dinner party, with fresh flower centerpieces, music, table conversation topics, and more, all planned by the girls. It’s a piece of giving back that’s just not common; it’s exceptional. A mother told me that when her daughter got back from camp, she decided to plan a formal party for her father’s birthday—with flowers, place cards, the whole nine yards. Ridgewells teaches them the art and importance of beautiful party planning."Flowers: “Exquisite Design Studio always does a fabulous job. [Owner and designer] Jen Dolan is the best. And she, too, helps us with the special night at Camp C.E.O."
Photography: “Hilary Schwab from Poolsville, Maryland, has been a photographer in the area for over 20 years—and with us for about six. She’s actually one of our troop leaders, and she has a special way of capturing the essence of her subjects; the most sparkling smiles we get are always when Hilary is behind the camera. She’s great at action shots, like photographing the girls on kayaks, as well as the receptions and other special events. She also does a lot of work for businesses in the area."
