Girl Scouts of Connecticut Honor 86 Girl Scouts with Gold Award

Emily Coderre of Waterford has 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.

Emily educated local Girl Scout troops, elementary school students, parents, and high school staff and introduced them to the Gemma E. Moran Food Center. Emily handed out flyers, created posters, and inspired the community to host a peanut butter and jelly drive, creating over 14,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Local Girl Scout troops will continue to donate peanut butter and jelly jars and Emily’s flyers and posters will remain at the schools. Emily’s local high school will also continue to participate in the drive. After graduating high school, Emily plans to continue to help others by working at a non-profit organization.

“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.