Neighbor News
Girl Scouts of Connecticut Honor 86 Girl Scouts with Gold Award
Two Girl Scouts in North Stonington Receive Highest National Girl Scout Honor
Photo: Garcia, Gouvin
Kylie Garcia and Justine Gouvin of North Stonington have received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.
Celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year, the Girl Scout Gold Award requires Girl Scouts grades nine through 12 to 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. Nationally, only 6 percent of older Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award.
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Kylie created an after school program where senior citizens and children in her community came together at a local nursing home to read a story and complete a craft, breaking down the walls and opening up communication and a bond of friendship between the two generations. Because of its success, Kylie’s local library will add the program to their curriculum and the senior center and elementary school will continue to promote the program and its benefits throughout the community.
Justine’s Gold Award Project, “Emily’s Reading Garden,” was created to remember a former student at her local high school who passed away from cancer. Justine and her team created a garden in her memory filled with Emily’s favorite colors, themes, flowers, a bird bath, and a handmade wooden bench. Because of her positive impact on those around her, Emily’s garden is used frequently by community members and teachers, students, family members of Emily. The school’s groundskeeper continues to maintain and sustain the garden as well as others in the community.
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“Since 1916, approximately one million Girl Scouts have made a sustainable impact in their communities,” said Mary Barneby, CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut. “We are so thrilled to honor a record number of girls this year and we are excited to see how many more incredible young women will continue to change the world in the next 100 years!”
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.
