Six Barrington Residents Will Receive Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Rhode Island, Inc. (GSRI) is honored to present Kasey Cardin, Kimberly Kelly, Suzanne Kunitz, Helen Prates, Olivia Thornton and Haley Wohlever,  all from Barrington, 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.

• Kasey Cardin: Kasey taught a variety of hands-on craft lessons to children from low-income families living in the Prospect Street Housing Development in Pawtucket. She incorporated lessons on getting involved with the community and helped the children build confidence and self-esteem. Kasey has been a Girl Scout member for eleven years and is a member of troop #426. She is a senior at Barrington High School and will be attending Providence College.
• Kimberly Kelly: Kimberly transformed an used office at Interim House, a temporary shelter in Providence, into a library and resource center for residents. She collected books for the library and designed and painted a mural to make the space welcoming.  Kimberly has been a Girl Scout member for twelve years and is a member of troop #563. She is a junior at Barrington High School.
  
• Suzanne Kunitz: Suzanne facilitated sewing and photography classes to girls in the Key Program, which provides services under the Rhode Island Department of Child, Youth and Families (DCYF). She has been a Girl Scout member for twelve years and is a member of troop #563. Suzanne is a junior at Barrington High School.
• Helen Prates: Helen helped girls in the Key Program, part of DCYF, who do not have a lot of family support or many resources, by teaching an 8-week life skills course. Helen has been a Girl Scout member for seven years, and is a member of troop #563. She is a junior at Barrington High School.
• Olivia Thornton: Olivia worked with the Audubon Society to design and create a children’s garden located at the Fisherville Brook Audubon Society in Exeter.  She has been a Girl Scout member for twelve years and is a member of troop #426. Olivia is a freshman at the University of Rhode Island, majoring in theater.
  
• Haley Wohlever: To provide a safe recreational area for community members to enjoy, Haley designed three interconnected trails on parcels of land off of Wampanoag Trail, which had been allotted for conservation use. She proposed the walking trails design and five-year implementation to the Town of Barrington Conservation Commission, who accepted the plan. Haley has been a Girl Scout member for twelve years and is a member of troop #563. She is a junior at Barrington High School. Haley is a runner-up for the YWOD and will be receiving a $500 scholarship.
  

"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.  In addition to Haley, the YWOD awards will be presented to top recipient Melissa Mirza of North Attleboro, MA, who will receive a $1,000 scholarship, and runner-up Angela Paoletta of Hope, RI. 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.