Last Thursday evening, Victoria was honored by the Girl Scouts of the Central Coast as one of their 2010 Women of Distinction for her work with the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF) and SMA. Two extremely accomplished women were honored along with Victoria: Laura Benson, Vice President and Private Banking Relationship Manager of Northern Trust, and Heather Georgakis, Dean of the Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law. Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider and District Supervisor Janet Wolf — both past Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction –presented all three honorees with recognition letters from the State of California, County of Santa Barbara, and City of Santa Barbara. In short, Victoria is humbled to be mentioned in the same category as these wonderful women and all of the past honorees. It was a memorable evening and we were so glad that we could bring Gwendolyn and share it with some very close, supportive friends.
To say that Victoria was shocked by this recognition is putting it much too lightly. We wish we were still like most people in the world: completely in the dark about a deadly disease called SMA, it's brutal impact on so many bright children, and the complete devastation that it imparts on so many wonderful families. We wish it's degenerative effects weren't going to take our daughter from us and we wish there wasn't any reason for us to have started the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. But that's not our reality. And while we've accepted the brutal facts of this awful disease for Gwendolyn, we refuse to accept that it can't be changed for others in the future. We're proud of what we've accomplished with GSF over the past year, but accolades have never been what we seek. And, in all honestly, we're uncomfortable with them. So, Victoria was beyond honored and humbled, and a bit overwhelmed by it all.
Girl Scout Ashley Almada interviewed and then introduced Victoria and she did a great job. I think the following from Ashley's introduction speech sums it up:
I have the privilege of introducing you to one of the most wonderful women I have ever met. She is an exceptional person who gives true meaning to qualities such as courage, compassion, and generosity. Words cannot convey the bravery and strength that Mrs. Strong embodies. When one is faced with adversity and hardship, we really find out what we are made of.
And Victoria made a wonderful, heartfelt speech that I know was not easy for her to deliver. She did such a great job. I'm so proud of her and I thought I'd share a portion:
I don't believe what my husband and I are doing is remarkable or extraordinary. We all have the power within us to make a difference. We simply made the choice not to accept the status quo and to channel our passion toward trying to make a change. I am so grateful for organizations like the Girl Scouts for instilling these values in the next generation of young women so they, too, can make the choice to push for more, right injustices, or, perhaps, help cure a little known disease killing our children.
I am extremely proud of Victoria and what she is accomplishing battling SMA on all fronts — legislation, awareness, fundraising, funding research, support — while being an incredible mom and caregiver to Gwendolyn and a wonderful wife and partner to me. Her courage, her determination, her strength, her honesty, her openness, her unending passion to continue refusing the “there's nothing to be done…” notion and instead channeling every ounce of her reserve energy into changing this brutal disease. I love you sweetie and congratulations on this great honor. You deserve it.