The YWCA Westmoreland County’s 19th Annual Girls in Pearls Fashion Show — Birthday Edition was held in October at Rizzo’s Malabar Inn in Crabtree.
This event included hors d’oeuvres, a buffet dinner, dessert and a special birthday cake to celebrate the YWCA’s 65 years of empowering women and eliminating racism. The show also featured fashions from the YWCA Thrift Shop in Greensburg.
Each year, the YWCA collaborates with the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Women United to acknowledge a “rising star.” The Rising Star Award recognizes a woman, 35 years of age or younger, who exhibits early professional success and potential to obtain marked achievement, demonstrating a willingness to help others, especially women and girls.
This year’s recipient was Mollie Repko. A mother of three children, she works as a clinical instructor of both sophomore and junior nursing students at Saint Vincent College through Carlow University. And as co-owner of Hidden JEM Farm in Unity, she helps to manage the planting, picking, arranging and sale of homegrown flowers.
She has hosted Girl Scout troops and the 4-H Clover Buds at her flower farm, educating them on the importance of the ecosystem. Hidden JEM Farm gives back to the community by gifting a bouquet of flowers to members of the community who have given back to others.
