Girl Scouts of Gateway Council will hold its fourth annual St. Johns Women of Distinction event to honor influential female leaders in St. Johns County who exemplify the Girl Scouts’ values and live out the Girl Scout Law.
This year’s honorees are Vanessa Garrison, Jocelyn Spates and Keri Matthews. The three women will be celebrated during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 11:30 a.m. The event, presented by Publix Supermarkets Charities, is free and open to the public. All funds raised from this annual celebration will help bring Girl Scouts to more than 1,200 girls in St. Johns County, including 120 who participate in our community development program that allows their entire Girl Scout experience to be fully funded by donations from the public.
Vanessa Garrison currently serves as a charge nurse in the MICU at Flagler Health+. She has played a critical role in helping to treat patients and helping to slow the spread of COVID-19. Garrison is currently in graduate school at the University of North Florida with aspirations of becoming a nurse practitioner.
Dr. Jocelyn D. Spates is a professor of pharmacy practice and the associate dean of clinical affairs at Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Omega Phi Omega Chapter in St. Augustine, where she served as president of for three years, and is also a youth leader at her church.
Keri Matthews is a co-founder of Matthews Design Group, which focuses on assisting large manufacturing facilities with automation solutions and helping companies create and implement successful processes to improve efficiency, streamline workflow and reduce costs. Matthews has a passion for helping children and has served on the Family Advisory Council of Wolfson Children's Hospital since 2007. She was a former Girl Scout leader and coached youth recreational soccer for many years.
Information on how to watch and participate in this virtual award ceremony, which will be live-streamed on both Facebook and YouTube, can be found at bit.ly/wodsj2020.
