White Dog's Wicks among Girl Scouts honorees

Six female leaders from around the area received awards for "four-star quality" in a four-star hotel Tuesday night -- including University City restaurateur and social activist Judy Wicks. The women all received awards for lifetime achievement in the tourism and hospitality industry at the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Pennsylvania's 13th annual "Take the Lead" awards, held at the Four Seasons Hotel at Logan Square in Center City. "Take the Lead is the highlight of the year for our Council," said Barbara Gohn, vice president of Wilmington Trust of Pennsylvania and chairperson of the event. "It presents a terrific opportunity for individual Girl Scouts to meet women leaders in the community. The ceremony gives several Girl Scouts the chance to personally interact with the honorees. Members of the Girl Scouts interviewed each of the six women to learn more about their background and achievements. In addition, the girls served as moderators and presenters of the awards. "This provides significant positive role model and mentoring discussions," Gohn said. Wicks, through her popular restaurant the White Dog Cafe -- located on the 3400 block of Sansom Street -- promotes community involvement and social activism by hosting frequent talks and lectures. "Table Talk" lectures by non-profit leaders, politicians and professors and "Tuesday Night Storytelling" are mainstays on White Dog's slate of events. Wicks also sponsors trips to Cuba, Southeast Asia, Russia and Central America to give patrons a taste of the cuisine and culture of countries which have limited relations with America. "I wanted to be valuable in terms of community service and also make a living," Wicks said. "So I started to combine community service through my work." Wicks' unique integration of good food and activism, she said, allows her to do what she loves while still express her deepest values. Other women honored, such as Karen Dougherty Buchholz, expressed a similar love for their work. As executive director of Philadelphia 2000, Buchholz orchestrated the effort to bring the next Republican National Convention to Philadelphia. "My advice to young girls today is to set high standards for yourself, always be prepared, have a good strategy and outwork everyone else," Buchholz told the audience. Other women featured included Mamie Hicks, an educator and mentor at Benjamin Franklin High School; Meryl Levitz, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Philadelphia tourism and marketing organization; Dianne Semingson, president of DLS International Inc.; and Ahmeenah Young, the Pennsylvania Convention Center's vice president for sales and marketing. "All of the women selected provide young girls a range of opportunities that they can aspire to," said Lynn Martin Haskin, a Girl Scouts planning committee and board member. "These six women show a commitment to a diversity of roles which provide real world aspirations for young women as they grow up."