Valley Stream Girl Scouts Awarded Highest Honor

VALLEY STREAM, NY (June 30, 2016)— The Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently distributed 101 Gold Awards hosted by the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Candice Biegler and Allyce Yang of Valley Stream were among awardees. Now in its hundredth year, the Gold Award program recognizes the power and dedication shared by an elite group of young women who earn the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. Both Girl Scouts spent more than 80 hours over the past year planning, executing and presenting the results of their projects, which aimed to make the world a better place for others.

“We are extremely proud to celebrate the achievement of over 100 local young women earning their Girl Scout Gold Award during its 100th year,” said Donna Ceravolo, Executive Director and CEO of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “On average, only five percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award, making Allyce and Candice part of an exclusive group of women with the tools to become leaders in the 21st century.”

Gold Award projects have positively impacted girls’ lives, their communities and the world for 100 years. Approximately 1 million Girl Scout alumnae have developed Gold Award projects that addressed local or global issues. After identifying an area of interest, a successful Gold Award recipient performs hours of research and prepares a project proposal to be submitted for feedback and approval to the Girl Scouts Council before embarking on her project. The Girl Scout presents her final conclusions as the last step of the journey.

Both recipients tackled a project that held a deep significance to them. Their projects are described below:

Through her Gold Award project, “Healthy Habits Fair,” Candice held two health fairs to educate young children in her community on the impact the food they eat can have on their health. She also taught them how to make healthy food choices.

Allyce began working with the Girl Scout Gardeners at The Farm at Oyster Bay five years ago. It was the experience here that was the basis of her Gold Award project, “Cold Frames for Cool Crops.” Allyce wanted to provide access to fresh produce year-round to the families that use the Freeport Food Pantry. To accomplish this, Allyce constructed cold frames that would provide fresh produce during the winter months. In addition, she developed a winter gardening curriculum, targeted at local youth to raise awareness about hunger on Long Island.

Lifelong value comes with having earned a Gold Award. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, Gold Award recipients display more positive life outcomes pertaining to sense of self, life, satisfaction, leadership, life success, community service and civic engagement. Recipients of the award who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank for their achievements and can receive scholarships or other recognition from most colleges or universities.

Notable Gold Award recipients include Jan Hopkins, CNN financial news anchor, and Betsy Boze, Senior Fellow at American Association of State Colleges and Universities and President at Kent State University Stark.

We’re the Girl Scouts of Nassau County: We’re 23,000 strong – 23,000 girls and adults who believe every girl from Nassau County can change the world. It began over 100 years ago with one woman, Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low, who believed in the power of every girl. Today, we continue her vision of building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place by helping them discover their inner strength, passion and talents. And with programs in Nassau County, across Long Island and throughout the United States, there’s a chance for every girl to do something amazing. We’re the Girl Scouts. To volunteer, reconnect, donate or join, visitwww.gsnc.org or contact Donna Rivera-Downey at 516 741-2550.