LYNN – For 20 years Girls Incorporated of Lynn has been holding its annual fundraising luncheon, and the 2008 version was the largest and most successful yet as Girls Inc. alumni shared success stories and presented Girl Hero awards to two Lynn residents Thursday at the Danversport Yacht Club.Click Here for a photo gallery from the Girls Inc awards luncheonGirls Incorporated alumnae Patricia Tarrance and Bopha Tum were the keynote speakers and award presenters at the event; marking the first time that Girls Inc. has been able to mark the success of its own members, rather than ask an outside speaker to attend the luncheon.A Lesley College graduate, Tum is a bank manager at Enterprise Bank in Lowell, while Tarrance graduated from Harvard and is currently a math teacher at the Pacific Rim Charter School in Hyde Park. Both are still deeply involved in the organization.Girl Hero award scholarships were presented to two members of the organization this year, Lynn English senior Gisell De la Cruz and Lynn Classical senior Sokleang Keo, who will both be attending the Wentworth Institute of Technology in the fall.Having lived in the United States for just two years, De la Cruz has been a member at Girls Incorporated nearly as long as she has been a citizen of Lynn, participating in a host of programs, including financial literacy and career planning classes that have helped her adapt to the culture and achieve success both in and out of the classroom.Ranked 41st in her graduating class at English, De la Cruz has succeeded despite having to learn English on the fly, and has contributed to Girls Inc. with her bilingual skills through the production of a public service announcement for Latino families, encouraging students to take part in Girls Inc.”When I first came here I was intimidated because of the language barrier, but Girls Inc. helped me figure out who I am and where I wanted to go,” she said. “When I found out I was accepted to Wentworth I went through all of the emotions possible. But after I told my parents the only thing I wanted to do was run to Girls Inc. and tell everybody because the staff is so great, they were always there for me and all of my peers, too.”De la Cruz, who wants to be an architect, will not venture to Wentworth alone, as her good friend and fellow award winner, Keo, will be her roommate at college.Keo has been a member of Girls Inc. for just over a year, and has participated in many programs, including an internship at the Peabody Essex Museum where she produced a documentary on immigrants called “Old Places, New Faces.”She said Girls Inc. introduced her to new people, programs and ideas that inspired her to try new things and improve life for herself and her community.”Girls Inc. made a huge difference in my life, it introduced me to so many things that I never would have experienced anywhere else,” she said. “There are so many opportunities and it made me want to better myself. I love the staff, too. The staff wants girls to succeed and we are able to succeed because of them.”Keo will study engineering at Wentworth, and hopes to become a part of the medical field.The Girl Hero award comes with a $2,500 scholarship for winners, to be used in any way that will help them when they get to college.Girls Inc. also presented the Strong, Smart and Bold Women Award to alumnus and donor Francis Dichner, an adopted Greek immigrant who moved on from Girls Inc. in Lynn to start her own business, R & L Associates, Inc. in Beverly.Dichner, a current board member at Girls Inc., joined the organization at age nine after her adoptive father died suddenly of a heart attack. Through her time as a member, she thrived in the safe environment and built her confidence to become one of the area’s most successful business women.Touched by the award, Dichner spoke of the support she received in her time at Girls Inc., and how now it is more important than ever to support the organization to help teenage girls realize their dream