Local Massapequa Park Teens Earn Prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently celebrated Massapequa Park residents Madeline O., Madelyn R., who were among the 67 young women from across Nassau County to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award this year. The Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouts and recognizes young women who identify a real problem in their community, build a team, and create a lasting, sustainable solution. They were honored at the 2026 Gold Award Ceremony at The Inn at New Hyde Park.

"The 2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts are an extraordinary group of young women, and what they have accomplished goes far beyond the projects they completed," said Rande Bynum, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. "Through this experience, every one of them built real, transferable skills in leadership, problem-solving, public speaking, and project management that will give them an edge in college, in their careers, and in every community they are a part of for the rest of their lives. We are so proud of each of them, and of the lasting impact they have already made right here in Nassau County."

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Girls in grades 9-12 begin their Gold Award journeys by identifying a civic or social issue that holds personal significance to them. From there, each girl builds a team, develops a plan, and leads that team to implement a sustainable solution designed to continue creating impact long after her direct involvement ends. Through programs established at local schools, books donated to library collections, community installations, and digital resources with global reach, these young women leave behind something lasting. Along the way, Gold Award recipients develop into innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers, building resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills that give them a meaningful edge personally and professionally.

Madeline's Gold Award, One Strap Could Save a Life: Requiring Seatbelts for Student Travel on Coach and School Buses, transformed a traumatic personal experience into statewide advocacy for student safety. After surviving the 2023 Farmingdale marching band bus crash, she partnered with New York State Assemblyman Michael Durso to advocate for stronger seat belt policies for student transportation, contributing to the passage of a 2025 New York law requiring seat belts on charter buses and encouraging additional districts to strengthen their own policies.

Madelyn's Gold Award, Forest First, combined environmental education with community building by teaching Jewish teens about deforestation through the lens of Jewish values and traditions. She delivered interactive presentations at temples, youth organizations, and community groups across Long Island, and partnered with the BNTY youth group to organize the "Planters' Dance," a large-scale educational event featuring a tree-themed Havdalah service, climate awareness activities, and a collaborative tree installation.

According to recent research, Gold Award Girl Scouts are more likely to fill leadership roles at work and in their personal lives, and are more civically engaged than their non-Girl Scout peers. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Gold Award Girl Scouts agree that earning their Gold Award gave them skills that help them succeed professionally. Seventy-two percent (72%) said earning their Gold Award helped them get a scholarship. And the impact does not stop there. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of Gold Award alums go on to take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.

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