Marlboro Girl Scouts Awarded For Community Service Initiatives

MARLBORO, NJ - 31 Monmouth and Ocean County Girl Scouts were recently named recipients of the Girl Scout Silver Award, which serves as the highest award presented by the organization for scouts in sixth through eighth grade.

Tackling complex issues such as cyberbullying, cancer care support and environmental sustainability, the winners were honored at a drive-thru ceremony last month at the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore Program Activity Center in Farmingdale.

This year, Marlboro girl scouts Kristen Lau and Karina Shivlani teamed up to create the “Sunrise Senior Citizen Center Zumba program,” aimed at keeping seniors active and engaged in exercise by establishing a dance program for seniors within their care facility. The girls used Zumba techniques to develop the dance program and modified them to suit the abilities of senior citizens, according to a news release from the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore.

Months before the pandemic, the scouts danced with seniors for an hour per week. The girls also developed videos of Zumba dances and edited them for the seniors to keep and use.

Similarly, scouts Marilena Acosta, Adriana DiLorenzo and Sophia Newman (who hail from Marlboro and Manalapan) focused their efforts on a virtual project to provide emotional support to local peers. The trio’s final product, called “What to Do When You're SAD,” featured tutorials on social media and YouTube to give individuals specific methods to cope with negative emotions. The tutorials are aimed at young students but are available for anyone to use.

To win the prestigious award, Girl Scouts must fulfill several requirements including taking on a community project that makes a lasting impact. Throughout the process, scouts aim to develop organization and leadership skills that benefit their community.

“Especially this year, we are truly proud of the impact that our Silver Award Girl Scouts have made in their communities,” said Eileen M. Higgins, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. “Collectively, they devoted over 1,500 hours toward making their communities a better place to live.”