Girl Scouts of Nassau County Receives Mutual of America Foundation's Frances R. Hesselbein Award for CAP 10

Girl Scouts of Nassau County (GSNC) was recently presented with the 2025 Frances R. Hesselbein Award from the Mutual of America Foundation. . The award, which is part of the Foundation's national Community Partnership Award, recognizes work already completed through GSNC's Community Action Plan 10 (CAP 10), a programmatic initiative which has delivered STEM, life skills and leadership programming to girls in communities in need across Nassau County since 2022.

"I have always admired Frances Hesselbein and the pathways she created for others to succeed, so it is humbling to receive an award in her name for the work we are doing to make sure girls in our community have access to opportunity," said Rande Bynum, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. "CAP 10 exists because we asked ourselves what girls need most and whether we were truly reaching the ones who need us. This recognition tells us we are on the right path."

Subscribe

GSNC launched CAP 10 in 2022 after realizing that too many girls face barriers that limit access to high-quality enrichment outside the classroom.Rather than asking girls to come to us, we meet them where they are —partnering with schools and community organizations to provide engaging, hands-on programming at no cost to families.

In Westbury, GSNC's work with the Yes We Can Community Center began with a single STEM activity, an egg drop challenge that asked girls to design a structure capable of protecting an egg from breaking. That first session grew into a permanent Girl Scout troop at the center and, more recently, a Science Fair partnership with National Grid, a model of sustained, hands-on programming that GSNC has since replicated across its CAP 10 communities.

"We are proud to honor GSNC and its CAP 10 program with the Frances Hesselbein Award. This program truly exemplifies the goal of the award to address social challenges in more than one community, as well as Frances's philosophy that 'to serve is to live,'" said Stephen J. Rich, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Mutual of America Financial Group. "By bringing STEM and leadership opportunities directly into underserved neighborhoods, GSNC has built a model that other organizations can look to as they work to expand access in their own communities."

In 2025, more than 1,225 girls aged 5 to 18 across 11 schools took part in CAP 10. Of those participants, 300 girls completed the requirements for a STEM badge, and 200 girls took part in leadership development programming.

The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is one of three national honors given each year through the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award. The award is presented to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community or that demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. Since 1996, the award has recognized 271 partnerships from across the country.

GSNC leaders say the need for programs like CAP 10 has only grown. According to Girl Scouts of the USA's 2026 State of the Girl report, seven in ten girls ages 5 to 13 report feeling lonely, and nearly one in three girls ages 12 to 17 has an unmet mental health care need. GSNC points to CAP 10 as a model for providing the consistent connection and community that research shows girls need most.

For more information about Girl Scouts of Nassau County or to learn how to join, volunteer, reconnect or donate, visit www.gsnc.org.