Four Bristol/Warren Residents Will Receive Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Rhode Island, Inc. (GSRI) is honored to present Jane Carney, Elisabeth Iacono and Isoke Samuel from Bristol and Elizabeth Cox from Warren with the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest and most prestigious achievement in Girl Scouting. On Saturday, May 31, they will be among twenty four Girl Scout Gold Award recipients who will be honored during a ceremony at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet in Cranston, RI. Cierra Putnam, a reporter from NBC 10, will emcee the ceremony, which will feature the third annual Young Women of Distinction (YWOD) Awards.

• Jane Carney: Jane held a reader’s theatre workshop called “Out Loud” to teach a group of elementary school students acting skills and qualities. The students performed a show for the residents of the Rhode Island Veteran’s Home. Jane has been a Girl Scout member for twelve years and is a member of troop #926. She is a senior at Mt. Hope High School and will be attending Simmons College.
• Elizabeth Cox: Elizabeth noticed that in this economy, people often have very little money to buy new clothes. To address this, she held a “Clothing Exchange” at the First Congregational Church, where she collected clothes and redistributed items to those in the community who needed them. Elizabeth has been a Girl Scout member for thirteen years and is a member of troop #462. She is attending the Community College of Rhode Island. 
  
• Elisabeth Iacono: To encourage more students to study music, Elisabeth created two educational videos highlighting the music programs at Kickemuit Middle School and Mt. Hope High School. Elisabeth has been a Girl Scout member for ten years and is a member of troop #229. She is a senior at Mt. Hope High School and will be attending the University of New Hampshire.
  
• Isoke Samuel: During a week-long summer program, Isoke taught children that recycling is fun by transforming trash into art projects. A binder and DVD with instructions for each of the projects is available as a resource at the Roger’s Free Library. Isoke has been a Girl Scout for nine years and is a member of troop #229. She is a senior at Lincoln School.
  

"Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award designation is truly a remarkable achievement, and these young women exemplify leadership in all its forms," said Neil Stamps, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Rhode Island. "They saw a need in their communities and around the world and took action. Their extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and leadership is making the world a better place."

At this year’s ceremony, GSRI will also recognize Girl Scout Silver Award recipients with a special salute.  The YWOD awards will be presented to top recipient Melissa Mirza of North Attleboro, MA, who will receive a $1,000 scholarship, and runners-up Angela Paoletta of Hope, RI and Haley Wohlever of Barrington, RI, will both receive $500. Their projects have been selected based on creativity, sustainability, and impact.

Currently, between 5-6% of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award annually. To be eligible, a girl must demonstrate leadership while spending a minimum of 80 hours assessing a need and designing a solution, finding the resources and the support to make it happen, completing the service project, and inspiring others to sustain it, all leading to making a measurable and sustainable difference in her community. Some universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to Gold Award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements.

About Girl Scouts of Rhode Island

Girl Scouts is the world’s preeminent girl leadership organization where, in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in the real world. Girl Scouts of Rhode Island, Inc., in partnership with 2,600 adult volunteers, serves 8,700 girls from Rhode Island, Pawcatuck, CT, and these communities in MA: Bellingham, Blackstone, Attleboro, Fall River, North Attleboro, Plainville, Somerset, Swansea, Westport, Wrentham, Millville, Rehoboth and Seekonk, MA.

For additional information on events happening in Rhode Island, please visit www.gsri.org, follow @GirlScoutsRI on Twitter, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GirlScoutsRhodeIsland 

About Girl Scout Gold Award

The Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting; it recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects. Since 1916, approximately one million girls have successfully answered the call to go gold, an act that indelibly marks them as accomplished members of their communities and the world.