Bridget Smith of Stamford Earns Highest National Girl Scout Honor

Bridget Smith of Stamford, CT has received her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

In order to earn the Gold Award, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts between grades nine through 12 spend at least 80 hours researching issues, assessing community needs and resources, building a team, and making a sustainable impact in the community. A Gold Award recipient’s accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart as a community leader.

Bridget’s project created a hands-on, interactive exhibit at a children’s museum to help teach children and their families how to prepare for disasters. The exhibit consisted of four stations that featured personal preparedness kits, family preparedness kits, family meeting places, and online resources for emergency preparedness. She also created a scavenger hunt and interactive board games for kids.

Bridget also invited the American Red Cross to conduct a Pillowcase Project workshop. Bridget’s exhibit will continue to be displayed at the museum with training manuals for volunteers to use. Bridget plans to pursue a career in animation and digital media.

“On a national level, only four to six percent of Girl Scouts earn this prestigious honor, and I am beyond proud of our girls,” said Mary Barneby, CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut. “By earning the Gold Award, Girl Scouts set themselves apart as top achievers, and are incredible women of confidence, courage, and character, who make the world a better place. Next year, we are excited to celebrate our 100th year of encouraging girls to Go Gold!”

For more information about the Gold Award or how to become a Gold Award volunteer or mentor, visit http://www.gsofct.org/pages/GoldAward.php.