ELLM Girl Scouts Awarded Highest Honor

ELLM, NY (July 9, 2018)—Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently hosted its annual Gold Award ceremony at Adelphi University. During the event, more than 70 local Girl Scouts earned their Gold Awards, including Kate Anderson, Sarah Christian, Madeline Doyle, Kate Duffy and Caleigh Goldman of ELLM. 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. Each girl spent more than 80 hours over the past year planning, executing and presenting the results of her project, which aimed to make the world a better place for others as well as herself.

“These young women are among an exclusive group of leaders who have earned the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. I commend each and every one of them for the countless hours they have spent dedicated to their project—not only to empower and better themselves, but to make the world a better place,” said Rande Bynum Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Gold Award projects have positively impacted girls’ lives, their communities and the world for over one hundred years.”

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

Through her project “Planting Center for the Community,” Kate created an easily maintainable and accessible garden for the residents and staff at The Brielle Assisted Living Community. After hearing about the center’s intention to start a cooking program, she thought building a garden would be a great way to contribute. After collecting supplies from several local businesses, Kate helped the residents build their harvest garden. She also held her own cooking sessions to educate the residents about the importance of healthy eating. The raised garden structures will remain at The Brielle for residents and staff to use and enjoy for years to come.

Kate is a rising senior at Lynbrook High School where she is an active member in the National Honor and National Art Honor Societies. Kate is also a member of her school’s varsity swim team. Her favorite Girl Scout memory is being part of the Girl Scout cookie program and learning valuable life skills.

For Sarah’s project, “Kids Club Organic Vegetable Garden,” she educated the children in her community about the benefits of healthy eating. After learning that many children from her church weren’t aware of what it meant to eat healthy on a daily basis, Sarah decided to take action by building a garden. Sarah enlisted the help of the children from her church to build and plant the garden. She also held educational sessions that helped the children understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods. The garden will stay at the church, and informational pamphlets were made available for community members.

Sarah is a rising senior at Lynbrook Senior High School. She is an active member in the wind ensemble as a flutist and a member of the National Art Honor Society. Her favorite Girl Scout memory is a trip she and her troop took to a ropes course where she was able to spend time with her friends.

Through her project, “Lynbrook Village Pool Swim Team Mentoring Program,” Madeline educated her swim team members about the importance of swimming safety. She held educational sessions for her team members, helping them practice the various strokes and ways to stay safe in the water. Madeline also educated her peers and their families by writing educational blog posts on the team’s website. She included information about the operation of a swim team as well as safety tips for the children and teens on the team.

Madeline is a rising junior at Lynbrook High School where she is a member of the swim team. She also plays the violin for the school’s chamber orchestra and is an active member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the National Honor Society. Her fondest Girl Scout memory is winning her troop’s bake-off and making it into the finals.

Kate wanted to raise awareness about the importance of communication between and across generations for her project, “Connecting Generations.” Kate believes that we all have a great deal to learn from one another, which was what inspired her to create her project. In holding informational sessions for middle school students, Kate was able to reach out to her peers, helping them to understand the importance of communication. She also coordinated for her high school peers to visit Atria Tanglewood, where the students were able to build relationships with the senior residents. Kate continues to update her blog with ways to bridge the generation gap.

Kate is a recent graduate of Sacred Heart Academy where she was a member of the varsity swim team, speech and debate club and the musical theatre program. She will attend Quinnipiac University in the fall. Kate’s fondest memory is Girl Scout Government Night at Lynbrook Village Hall.

After losing her father and Girl Scout leader to cancer, Caleigh wanted to educate youth on how they can take charge of their health through her project “Cancer Aware-ness.” She went to local middle and high schools to educate the students on the most common types of cancers and the screenings available to detect them.

Caleigh also created and printed her own brochures containing information about the different cancer screenings available to patients. They can be found in local doctor’s offices and are available for people to read as they await their appointment.

Caleigh is a recent graduate of East Rockaway High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society and Yearbook Committee. She was also a member of the track team. In the fall Caleigh will be attending San Diego State University. Her fondest Girl Scout memory is spending time with her troop and troop leader.

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 Scout Council before embarking on her project. The Girl Scout presents her final conclusions as the last step of the journey.

Lifelong value comes with having earned a Gold Award. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, Gold Award Girl Scouts 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.

We’re the Girl Scouts of Nassau County: We’re 22,000 strong – 17,000 girls and 5,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ from Nassau County to change the world. Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout Troop, and every year since we’ve honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We’re the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs in Nassau County, across Long Island and throughout the United States and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success.

We’re the Girl Scouts. To volunteer, reconnect, donate or join, visit www.gsnc.org or contact Donna Rivera-Downey at 516 741-2550.