The Poolesville Day Committee has been naming a Grand Marshal to lead the annual parade since 2004.   During that time, a wide range of deserving citizens who have gone “above and beyond” in service to the Poolesville area community have been named as Grand Marshal, receiving well deserved recognition as selfless leaders.  All nominations come from the community, and a final selection is made by a vote of the Committee. 

 

This year, Brenda Murtha was named Grand Marshal for Poolesville Day.

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Brenda and her husband Joe moved to Poolesville in 1974 and have been residents for over 50 years.  Married for 53 years, the two raised five children and have eleven grandchildren.  Both have been committed community leaders, involved in or leading many local organizations. 

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Brenda was especially involved with the Girl Scouts and was a leader in the GSCNC (Girl Scouts Council of the Nation's Capital).  She also had positions, not just as a troop leader in Poolesville, but also in the Service Unit Registrar, Cookie Depot and is still most years outside Poolesville Elementary signing up kids at back to school.  She was also very active leading regional camps and influenced Girl Scout activities statewide. She led many girls to the highest levels of Girl Scouting through their bronze, silver and gold awards.

Brenda was also a leader in establishing and running Camp Sunshine, a local Girl Scout Day Camp that provided opportunities for thousands of girls over the years.

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Brenda (and her husband who sadly recently passed away) were also very active in the community at St. Mary’s Church in Barnesville. Brenda even today participates in many aspects of life at St. Mary’s, from the huge dinners to vacation Bible school to the Sodality Funeral Committee, the “Funeral Ladies” as some call them.  They are a group of women who plan, organize, cook, clean and serve funeral luncheons at St. Mary's, purely on donations.  It is a true labor of love and mercy.  Brenda is tireless, humble and unassuming in her volunteer work, but it is not an exaggeration to say that many in the community know and appreciate her contributions to the vitality of St. Mary’s parish.

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As if all of this were not enough, Brenda is also on the board of the Thrift Store in town and has been volunteering there for decades.  She has also gotten her kids and grandkids involved in volunteering there too.  This is a true passion for her, and she loves the community aspect of the work and supporting the many local families that use the Thrift Store.

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Brenda also spent many years at Mary of Nazareth school in Darnestown, running the before and after care program for kids. 

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When asked how she reacted when she learned she was the choice for Grand Marshal, she responded “I laughed and said, ‘Are you serious’”?  After a moment she added “I am really humbled.  There are so many people in Town who do so much!”   Brenda is certainly right about that.  Our Town and the surrounding areas have what could be called an “embarrassment of riches” with so many good people giving of themselves each day to help others in the community.

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Brenda’s impact on the youth of our community and beyond is evident, especially the many ways she has been involved in helping mentor, lead and nurture young people.    With so many young people facing difficulties in our society and in many cases struggling, Brenda‘s long standing commitment to her community, especially to the youth, was a major reason she was selected to be Grand Marshal.