The Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus honored four award recipients at the Women of Excellence breakfast Nov. 13, 2012. This annual event celebrates women who do outstanding work to benefit girls in crisis. Proceeds from the ceremony benefit the Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus, based in Arlington, Mass., which helps girls ages 11-18 who have behavioral and mental health issues or who have been abused, neglected or sexually exploited.

The honorees were: Paula Stahl, Ph.D., of Back Bay, founder and executive director of Children’s Charter; Meg Vaillancourt of Charlestown, senior vice president of corporate relations for the Boston Red Sox and executive director of the Red Sox Foundation; Connie Chow, Ph.D., of Watertown, executive director of Science Club for Girls; and Alicia Canady Adamson of Dorchester, founder and executive director of Young Black Women’s Society.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley served as mistress of ceremonies and presented the awards.

Connie Chow, PhD Executive Director of Science Club for Girls Science Club for Girls provides girls in under-served communities free science and engineering hands-on programming. Under Chow’s leadership, Science Club for Girls, has connected more than 800 K-12th grades girls, mostly from underrepresented groups, with women scientists and engineers who guide them in hands-on exploration.

Paula Stahl, Ed.D Director & Founder of the Children’s Charter Trauma Clinic Children’s Charter Trauma Clinic is Massachusetts’ largest provider of outpatient trauma-focused services for children who are victims of sexual trauma and their families. The clinic provides outpatient mental health treatment to low-income children and families dealing with trauma from sexual abuse, neglect, assault, rape, loss or chronic illness.

Meg Vaillancourt Executive director of The Red Sox Foundation. The Red Sox Foundation is focused on improving health, educational and recreational opportunities for children as well as social service programs focused on youth and families in the inner city. Under Vaillancourt’s leadership, the Red Sox team charity has contributed nearly $50 million to New England-based nonprofit programs.

Alicia Canady (Rising Star Award) Executive Director of the Young Black Women’s Society Young Black Women’s Society was established to empower, mentor and develop black girls and women. Their purpose is to provide a platform for women and girls of color to further develop their personal, professional and civic lives. She also is development director of Affinity Programs with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.

Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012 7:00-9:00 a.m. The Harvard Club 734 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston Sponsorships and Tickets available now.

The Women of Excellence Breakfast has been a tradition of the Germaine Lawrence Treatment Center in Arlington for more than a decade and, after recently merging with Germaine Lawrence, we are excited to carry on this tradition.

This event celebrates several women whose perseverance, creativity and dedication have helped at-risk girls find a path to a safe and productive future.

We are honored to have Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley serve as mistress of ceremonies for the program Nov. 13 at the The Harvard Club of Massachusetts beginning at 7 a.m.

This year’s honorees include:

Connie Chow, PhD Executive Director of Science Club for Girls Science Club for Girls provides girls in under-served communities free science and engineering hands-on programming. They reach more than 1,000 girls each year in the greater Boston area.

Paula Stahl, Ed.D Director & Founder of the Children’s Charter Trauma Clinic Children’s Charter Trauma Clinic is Massachusetts’ largest provider of outpatient trauma-focused services for children who are victims of sexual trauma and their families.

Meg Vaillancourt Executive director of The Red Sox Foundation. The Red Sox Foundation is focused on improving health, educational and recreational opportunities for children as well as social service programs focused on youth and families in the inner city.

Alicia Canady (Rising Star Award) Executive Director of the Young Black Women’s Society Young Black Women’s Society was established to empower, mentor and develop black girls and women. Their purpose is to provide a platform for women and girls of color to further develop their personal, professional and civic lives.

You can reserve your ticket or sponsorship at youthvillages.org. Please contact Kristin Wright at 781-937-7931 to learn more about this event or the work Youth Villages is doing to help children and families in Youth Villages.

For tickets and more information, visit www.soupsunday.org.

(From left) Bryan Jordan, CEO of First Horizon and Youth Villages national board member, Patrick Lawler, Youth Villages CEO, Mario Morino and Matt Morino

Nonprofit leaders from around the Mid-South heard Morino speak on the critical importance for nonprofits to measure their impact through documented outcomes.

“Mario sparks the kinds of critical conversations that every nonprofit board and leadership team should have in this era of austerity,” said Patrick W. Lawler, Youth Villages CEO.

Leap of Reason

After a 30-year entrepreneurial career in the computer software industry, Morino founded the Morino Institute, a charitable organization that explores and promotes ways for internet companies to advance positive social change. He is the author of the recently published “Leap of Reason – Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity” and a co-founder and chairman of Venture Philanthropy Partners. VPP seeks to benefit the lives of children from low-income neighborhoods by strengthening the nonprofit organizations that serve them. Venture philanthropy uses the principles of venture capitalism to boost high-achieving nonprofit organizations.

Youth Villages is highlighted in the book as one of the nonprofit organizations that has focused on collecting data and improving outcomes for children in its programs.

Below, see the interactive, custom Google Map of restaurants participating in Soup Sunday 2011, sponsored by Konica Minolta.

Soup Sunday is February 27, 11a.m. to 2p.m., and tickets are now available online.

Larry Kiehna of Collierville and East Memphian Jim Hofer, chairmen of Euro Fest, and Jim Duke, longtime member of the Birtish Sports Car and Motorcycle Club of Memphis, pose with some classic cars at last year’s Euro Fest.

The 4th Annual Euro Fest, organized by the British Sports Car and Motorcycle Club of Memphis, is set for Saturday, Oct. 2 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Youth Villages Bartlett Campus at 7410 Memphis-Arlington Rd.

The event, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Memphis, presents a wide variety of classic, vintage and rare European sports cars, sedans, motorcycles and touring cars brought in from around Tennessee and across the Mid-South. This year’s featured marquee is Mercedes-Benz.

The show is free to the public, and event proceeds and donations benefit Youth Villages, a private nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping troubled children and their families. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their show favorite in the People’s Choice category.

The festival draws at least 100 cars and more than 1,000 visitors. To view pictures of cars at previous Euro Fests, go to www.memphisbritishcars.org.

Judging and tech sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Awards will be presented at 3 p.m., followed by a fun rally at 3:30 p.m. starting at the Bartlett Campus.

Awards will be given out in the following categories: Best of Show – High Point Car and Longest Distance Traveled, as well as People’s Choice.
 Concessions, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs will be available.

Cars participating in the show must be registered by 10 a.m. on Oct. 2. Cars can be registered Thursday, Sept. 30 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Hampton Inn at the Wolfchase Galleria at 2935 N. Germantown Parkway. You may also register your car on Friday, Oct. 1 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Youth Villages Bartlett Campus at 7410 Memphis-Arlington Rd. or the morning of the show between 8 and 10 a.m. at the show site. Cars may also be registered by mail. To download a registration form, go to http://www.memphisbritishcars.org.

The British Sports Car Club LTD. of Memphis is one of the country’s oldest and most successful British car clubs. Founded in the early 1950s, the club has more than 100 members from the Memphis metro area, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama, Illinois and places as far as 500 miles from Memphis. The annual car and motorcycle show is the largest in the region and attracts car fans from neighboring states and from as far away as Canada and Florida.