MORE THAN 500 ATTENDED THE 5TH ANNUAL NATIONAL LATINA CONFERENCE IN UNIONDALE

Garden City, NY July 26, 2005

More than 300 girls and 200 adults from around the country cooked with the Long Island Marriott’s hotel’s executive chef, changed car tires in 90 degree heat, and learned salsa dancing in a room full of innovative young dancers at the 5th Annual National Latina Conference, hosted by the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Inc. With the help of many local donors, including the event sponsor, Bank of America, this year’s Conference was the perfect venue for girls to embrace New York’s diverse Hispanic/Latino culture.

“As the fastest growing segment of population in the US, the Hispanic community is estimated to constitute 17% of Long Island's total population by the year 2020,” said Donna Ceravolo, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. "To build awareness and understanding of this changing cultural dynamic, the conference helped girls appreciate diversity and grow more familiar with their cultural surroundings.”

Weekend highlights included well-known emcees and radio and television personalities Celinés Toribio and voice of Nickelodeon’s ‘Dora the Explorer,’ Kathleen Herles. JD Natasha, international singer-songwriter, gave an inspirational keynote speech, followed by a rousing musical performance.

The Welcome Fiesta opened with a special ceremony featuring the flags of the 21 Latin countries and girls dressed in native country costumes. The rest of the weekend was jammed packed with informative workshops and seminars offered to both girls and adults to instill confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of security. On Saturday, girls enjoyed a full day in New York City as they took in the sights at South Street Seaport, Ellis Island, United Nations and Times Square during a coach bus tour. In the evening, they set sail on a dinner cruise around New York Harbor and enjoyed dinner, dancing and nighttime viewing of the Statue of Liberty and NYC skyline.

The Conference closed with a farewell brunch and a theatrical performance of the 2005 Imagen Award winning off-broadway play, ‘Yo Soy Latina,’ that tells the story of Latinas of all nationalities, ages, and attitudes who try to make sense of what it means to be a Latina in America – a performance that mirrored everything the girls and adults had experienced during this conference hosted by the Girl Scouts of Nassau County.

Girls from states such as Kansas, Indiana, and Texas, as well as fellow Girl Guides from Honduras, took away with them a “memorable, life-changing experience,” something that the Girl Scouts of Nassau County were hoping to achieve since it began its year-long planning process..

“Girl Scouts of Nassau County wishes to thank all its volunteers who helped make this event a success” said Claudia Pagán, the conference coordinator. “In addition, we want to recognize the support of our Event Sponsor, Bank Of America, as well as all our additional sponsors, Ace Communications, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Delta Airlines, Firestone Complete Auto Care, Harvest Home Mortgage, HSBC, Jem Latin Dance Studio, Long Island Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Long Island Radio Group, Noticia Hispanoamericana, SBC Foundation, Simmons College, The Dove Self-Esteem Fund, Verizon and Winthrop University Hospital.”

Girl Scouts is a contemporary movement that helps girls discover fun, friendship and the power of girls together. With nearly 23,000 girls growing strong, Girl Scouts of Nassau County is big (serving 1 in 5 girls in Nassau County) and keeps growing every day. The organization seeks to give all girls in Nassau County the opportunity to realize their full potential and become better prepared for the future. Girl Scouts of Nassau County: Big, Contemporary, We change lives.

For more information about Girl Scouts, please contact Donna Rivera-Downey, Director of Marketing at 516-741-2550, ext. 260 or visit www.gsnc.org.