Gold Award Girl Scout Class of 2021

Gold Award Girl Scout Class of 2021 THE MARK OF THE TRULY REMARKABLE

May 22 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Leadership in

Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania Executive Leaders Janet Donovan President and Chief Executive Officer

Krystell Fox Chief Financial Officer

Deb Bogdanski Chief Operations Officer

Nancy Venner Chief of Strategy & Policy

Board of Directors

Members-at-Large

Chair of the Board Kathy McCorkle Wormleysburg, PA

Karen D. Best Lemoyne, PA

Deborah D. Vereen New Cumberland, PA

Anthony Billet York, PA

Adrienne Vicari Enola, PA

Stacey O. Irwin, Ph.D. Lancaster, PA

Alison L. Bernhardt Harrisburg, PA

Betsy Keefer York, PA

Jayne Huston Harrisburg, PA

Daren Russ Harrisburg, PA

Judith Windom Camp Hill, PA

Vice-Chair Deborah A. Kolsovsky Scranton, PA Secretary Jeshanah McLeod Marysville, PA Treasurer Bridget Casher New Cumberland, PA

Daniel Sheaffer, Jr. Halifax, PA

Girl Scout Law I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

About the

Girl Scout Gold Award Earning the Gold Award is a Girl Scout’s highest honor. This prestigious award is earned by a select group of Girl Scouts who demonstrate a higher commitment to improving communities and advocating for lasting change. The Class of 2021 numbers almost 60 Girl Scouts from across our 30-county footprint in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Each girl uses her own values and skills to identify a community issue she is passionate about and then determines the topic and audience for her project. Mentors along with each girls’ Gold Award Advisor work with each Girl Scout to support the development of her project.

All of the projects completed this year will have a lasting and positive impact on our region and beyond. The Class of 2021 has exhibited outstanding leadership, exceptional organizational skills and a sincere commitment to investing in their communities. Congratulations!

The 2021 Gold Award Program publication is proudly supported by PNC; Brown, Shultz, Sheridan & Fritz and M&T Bank.

Class of 2021

Gold Award Girl Scouts Bailey Allen New Milford, PA • Susquehanna County Disaster Relief, Civic Engagement, Health, Public Safety, Education • Medic Mask Disaster Project Bailey created disaster preparedness kits that she will give to the fire department to hand out as needed in her community. She made 60 string bags filled with items like dry socks, flashlights, first aid supplies, water bottles, and masks. She plans to educate her community on natural disasters, how they can be prevented, and what to do when one occurs.

Elisabeth Aparicio York, PA • York County STEAM, Outdoors, and Life Skills • My Little Free Library Elisabeth wanted to encourage local elementary school students to start reading early and develop a love of reading. She held a book drive to collect books for children who may not have access to them at home and received 200+ donations in books from the community. Elisabeth created a website with resources as well as finding books that are appropriate for each age/development level.

Gabby Appel Lititz, PA • Lancaster County Children’s Issues • Forever Friend Gabby wanted to work with and impact children in the foster care system. Growing up, her family fostered children and youth through The Bair Foundation. Gabby wrote a devotional booklet centered on introducing Jesus to the kids in foster care. The topics were based on experiences and struggles she saw with the children her family fostered.

Jordan Baney Camp Hill, PA • Cumberland County Children’s Issues, Health, Arts, Culture & Heritage, Healthy Relationships • Dreamcatcher Kit Jordan decided that she wanted to tackle the issue of finding ways for teenagers who are in hospitals long-term to find inspiration and distractions in that environment. Many programs focus on younger children or families, and Jordan wanted to find a way to focus on the older child/teenager demographic.

Taylor Billman Hershey, PA • Dauphin County Disaster Relief, Health, Public Safety, Elderly Issues • Masks for our Healthcare Heros Taylor aimed to help essential workers stay safe during the COVID-19 crisis. In addition to directly sewing and donating masks, Taylor created a website and educational sheet to teach others how to make masks.

Overall, Taylor’s project donated over 200 masks and taught countless others how to do the same.

Lucia Bonk Laurel Run, PA • Luzerne County Outdoors, Elderly Issues, Environment & Sustainability, and Health • Bear Creek Village Trail Clean-up Lucia created distinguishable paths with signs and gravel along the Bear Creek Village Trail. By doing so, she made it easier for her elderly neighbors, including her great aunt, to visit with each other since the paths connected to their yards.

Briana Boswell Kingsley, PA • Susquehanna County Children’s Issues, Education, Poverty • Making Reading Fun Briana built a free library so members of her community could have access to free books. She also made literacy packets for the first graders at her school to help promote home engagement with academics.

Lauren Braught Mechanicsburg, PA • Cumberland County Environment & Sustainability, Outdoors, Children’s Issues • Camp Small Valley Tree Planting Lauren wanted to target climate control and the sustainability of one of GSHPA’s camp properties. She researched tree planting and how it was linked to biodiversity and worked with GSHPA staff and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to find the best types of trees to plant. Lauren led volunteers in planting 50 trees and also created a training on tree planting.

Amber Brose New Freedom, PA • York County Life Skills and Arts, Culture & Heritage • Rhythm for Life Amber used her love of music to tackle the issue of the preservation of music history in her community, while also encouraging future generations to love music. She saw lack of participation and engagement in the music education program in her school district, so she worked on converting old music program footage into a digital library to be used in classes.

Delaney Castagna Lancaster, PA • Lancaster County Arts, Culture & Heritage, Healthy Relationships • Camp in a Box Delaney saw a need presented by the COVID-19 pandemic for more flexible camp options for Girl Scouts and other youth organizations. She created a Camp in a Box that can be used by service units, troops, and other groups to have a socially distanced but still fun and interactive camp.

Emma Chaplin Camp Hill, PA • Cumberland County Civic Engagement, Poverty, Health, Children’s Issues • Camp Hill Earl Besch Food Pantry Emma recognized that there are families in her town that are struggling with food insecurity. She created a food pantry to support families in need in the Camp Hill School District and also advocated for permanent space for families to access food when needed.

Emily Christoff Halifax, PA • Dauphin County Children’s Issues, Healthy Relationships, Life Skills • Bullying Awareness Emily wanted to tackle the issue of bullying in her community and chose to work with the local youth center for her project. She created a program to teach others about the dangers of bullying, how to react to bullying, and the need for positive self-esteem and support to help prevent bullying.

Anna Connolly York, PA • York County Children’s Issues, Education, Health, Sports • Indian Rock Elementary School Gaga Pit Anna wanted to encourage students at her local elementary school to be more active and play outside more. She created gaga pits at the elementary school that can be used by students and other children during and after school so they can use electronics less, learn teamwork and sportsmanship, and have fun being more active outside.

Jenna Davis Hughesville, PA • Lycoming County Health, Healthy Relationships, Sports • Team-building Softball Clinic Jenna addressed the disconnect between the senior high and junior high players of the Hughesville High School softball team. The two-day clinic covered the importance of health, preseason prep, strength training, and stretching. It also gave the upper and lower classmen a chance to have some fun and bond together over a sport they love.

Sarah Deckinger Lords Valley, PA • Pike County Environment & Sustainability, Outdoors, Health, Education, Animals • Pollinator Garden Sarah planted a garden at her community center using perennial flowers that are known to attract pollinators. Each year, these plants will come back after the winter months and attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects.

Allyson Deihl Willow Street, PA • Lancaster County Health • HOPE Garden Allyson was concerned that mental health is still being stigmatized so she decided to create a safe space in her community for anyone struggling with their own mental health. She created a garden that had different sensory objects that would promote calm and peace for those using the park and even chose plants that were known for their calming properties.

Zoe Elaro Milford, PA • Pike County Human Rights, Education, Civic Engagement, Disability Issues, and Healthy Relationships• Diversity Club Zoe created a Diversity Club at her high school to give students of all backgrounds a place to make connections and express themselves. One of her goals was to spread awareness on issues such as mental health, LGBTQ topics and social difficulties. Zoe set up a permanent bulletin board in the school to post information and provide resources for students.

Alexis Esher York, PA • York County Education, Life Skills, Children’s Issues, Civic Engagement • M. O. C. S. (Music Organization Closet System) Alexis saw that the music department at her school had no organizational system. She cleaned out and organized the music practice room. She entered the uniforms and concert attire into a new inventory system and had volunteers from the National Honors Society assist in her work.

Together they completed more than 85 hours worth of volunteer service.

Samantha Fike Howard PA • Centre County Animals, Environment & Sustainability, Outdoors • Pollination Garden at Camp Golden Pond Samantha worked with the staff at Camp Golden Pond to identify a need to increase pollinator species in the area. Since this camp is used by many Girl Scout groups and other organizations, she saw this as a great opportunity to also educate others on the importance of pollinators and preserving their habitats.

Carley Furlow Harrisburg, PA • Dauphin County Environment & Sustainability, Health, Poverty, Outdoors• Harrisburg City Community Garden/Farmers Market Carley’s project addressed the issue of food deserts in many urban areas, specifically the city of Harrisburg, by creating garden boxes and educational materials for families in the city to have access to fresh, healthy food for their families.

Katie Gavek Centre Hall, PA • Centre County Health, Healthy Relationships, Outdoors, Sports, Advertising/ Marketing • Tri-Municipal Park Entrance Sign Katie noticed that a new local park in her community did not have very good signage about all of the amenities the park had to offer. The park committee saw that usage of the facilities was low and Katie decided to work with them to help promote the park and increase usage of the community space.

Molly Gulden Mechanicsburg, PA • Cumberland County Arts, Culture & Heritage, Military/Veterans Affairs, Education • Preserving Family History Molly’s project was focused on the preservation of World War II history based on her family’s experiences during the war. She worked with the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle to preserve documents and tangible items saved by her family throughout the years that could be used as a physical exhibit in the future. She also created a website.

Alexa Hartman Harrisburg, PA • Dauphin County Education • A Life of Faith Alexa wanted to share the history of the Lutheran faith by working with a local pastor who has a rich life of experience and knowledge in serving as a Lutheran. Alexa created a 9 part video series that she uploaded to YouTube and hosted a Zoom meeting where church and community members were welcomed to learn more about her project and the video series.

Haley Hebenton Fairfield, PA • Adams County Elderly Issues • Occupational Therapy/Recreation Cart Haley wanted to tackle the issue of keeping seniors in nursing homes engaged and improve their quality of life by creating an occupational therapy and recreation cart. Especially during COVID, many nursing home residents don’t have a lot of activities to stay physically and mentally engaged, so Haley created a portable cart that provided activities.

Taylor Heck

Dauphin, PA • Dauphin County Children’s Issues, Education, and Civic Engagement• Tutoring for Tots Taylor noticed a lack of tutoring resources for elementary school children in her school district and decided to create a tutoring program using high school students. This program was held after school with the high school students helping the elementary school students with homework and other assignments over a four-month period.

Michaela Heller Mechanicsburg, PA • Cumberland County Life Skills, Education, Health, Healthy Relationships • Substance Abuse Awareness Club Michaela’s project focused on creating a Substance Abuse Awareness Club at her high school to raise awareness of substance abuse. She created the Break the Silence Club, which focuses on the opioid epidemic, but addresses all forms of substance abuse, and provides education and resources.

Samiya Henry Harrisburg, PA • Dauphin County STEAM, Human Rights, Civic Engagement, Health and Education • One Small Step Towards Life on Mars Samiya combined her love of space, law and civics to create a Space Bill of Rights. She created a survey to gather thoughts and ideas of those around the world reaching people from the USA, Africa, Spain, Italy and the Philippines. She identified constitutional concepts to create a framework for future life in space.

Alyssa Hoffman Watsontown, PA • Northumberland County Civic Engagement, Public Safety, Sports• Cross Country Bridge Alyssa replaced a bridge that is part of a cross country course at her school, Warrior Run High School. She worked with the school board, engineers and members of her community to make her vision a reality.

Ilana Jacobson Mechanicsburg, PA • Cumberland County Education, Children’s Issues, and Health • Power Rock and Anxiety Lessons Ilana faced the COVID-19 crisis by producing educational videos and tutorials for students and Girl Scouts in her area. Her goal was to teach them about coping with stress and anxiety during an unprecedented time in order to promote mental health for children.

Norah Kelly Scranton, PA • Lackawanna County Arts, Culture & Heritage, Health, Outdoors • Giving Local Artists a Voice!

Norah used her project to promote the work of local artists, while spreading joy and inspiration through her community. She worked with 14 artists, including herself, to paint motivational messages and beautiful pictures along the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail.

Taylor Koda Hershey, PA • Dauphin County Life Skills, Human Rights • Jane Austin Society Taylor used her Gold Award to promote female empowerment within young women in Hershey. The Jane Austin Society, a high school club created by Taylor, tackled a large variety of systemic issues facing women throughout history. Taylor utilized the stories to demonstrate how young women can be empowered today.

Brynn Lancelotta Lititz, PA • Lancaster County Disaster Relief, Public Safety, Health, Life Skills • Making disinfectant to help prevent disease spread Brynn was concerned about the need for affordable and accessible cleaning solutions after seeing the impact of COVID-19 on her community. She researched effective, affordable and sustainable cleaning solutions and created educational resources for her community.

Genevieve Larkin

Clifford Township, PA • Susquehanna County Sports, Outdoors, Health, Life Skills • GoGold Healthy Living Genevieve created a dedicated place to exercise at a community park so people of all ages can maintain a healthy lifestyle. She placed a map at the entrance of the walking trails, and put four fitness posts with different exercises and stretches around the park.

Katherine Lauriello Dillsburg, PA • Cumberland County Appreciation of Literature, Outdoors, Education • Amelia Givin Butterfly Garden Katherine combined her interest in reading with a need for outdoor space at the Amelia Givin Library. She installed a garden filled with plants to attract and support local insects, like butterflies, while adding outdoor seating to allow library goers to enjoy their books outside.

Rachel Lembeck-Edens State College, PA • Centre County Life Skills, Education, Children’s Issues • Creative Play Kitchen Rachel wanted to promote positive childhood development throughout her community. She constructed a play kitchen at her local preschool to assist children in developing their communication, social and cognitive skills in addition to fine motor skills.

Anna Lentz Camp Hill, PA • Cumberland County Children’s Issues, Education, Environment & Sustainability, Outdoors • Camp Hill Butterfly Garden Anna wanted to use her Gold Award Project as an opportunity to educate the local community while adding a place to rest and relax in Camp Hill.

She created a sustainable garden filled with flowers and plants to attract local butterflies.

Anna Lumsargis York, PA • York County Arts, Culture & Heritage, Education • York County Women’s History: Trailblazers of the Past and Leaders of the Present Anna saw a need in her community to update and expand the women’s history archives at the York History Center. She noticed that throughout the county there was a lack of documentation and accessibility in regard to women’s history. She wanted to bring awareness to the role of women in leadership and service.

Alaina McCloskey

Centre Hall, PA • Centre County Outdoors, Life Skills, Environment & Sustainability • Fix 96 Alaina wanted to bring a historical building in her community back to life after it had fallen into disrepair. The Progress Grange Building #96 in Centre Hall was built in the 1900s. Alaina worked to repair and refurbish the building so it could be utilized by the local community.

Katie Mussett Bellefonte, PA • Centre County Life Skills, Environment & Sustainability, Human Rights • Say No to Fast Fashion Katie wanted to bring awareness to the negative impacts of fast fashion in her local community and throughout the world. She centered her project on teenagers and young adults to provide them with information about fast fashion and more environmentally friendly options.

Kate Naughton Hershey, PA • Dauphin County Environment & Sustainability, Education, Outdoors • Tree Education at Camp Catherine Kate noticed a need for additional environmental education at a local camp in her area, Camp Catherine. She worked in partnership with the Penn State Extension team to create a program identifying trees throughout Camp Catherine and to educate visitors. Additionally, Kate created resources and materials for groups who utilize the camp to use.

Ashlyn O’Neill Stewartstown, PA • York County Arts, Culture & Heritage, Children’s Issues, Education, Life Skills • Stories Through the Generations and Fortifying the Future Ashlyn wanted to tackle issues commonly experienced by young women in her community. She used her Gold Award project as an opportunity to bring generations together allowing older women from the community to share their stories with younger generations.

Alyssa Page York, PA • York County Children’s Issues, Education, STEAM • Modernizing Safe Sanctuary Training Alyssa saw a need in her local community for more volunteers and resources at the children’s ministry. She worked in partnership with the Zion United Methodist Church to create easily accessible training, resources, and a website for those interested in helping with the children’s ministry.

Congratulations 2021 Gold Award Recipients

Masland & B arric k ADVISORY, INC.

INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVISORS

Caring, Competent, Experienced, Independent Financial Advisors The only 100% Women owned and operated independent Financial Advisory Firm in Central Pennsylvania

Stacey Gibble Barrick, CFP® Former Girl Scout

Audrey S. Myer, CFP® 2003 Gold Award Recipient

3600 Trindle Road, Camp Hill, PA 17011(717) 761-6606 www.maslandandbarrick.com Registered Representatives offering securities and advisory services through Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, a broker/dealer and a Registered Investment Advisor Member FINRA, SIPC. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC is under separate ownership from any other named entity. Some advisory services are offered through Masland & Barrick Advisory, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor.

Eireni Parides Port Matilda, PA • Centre County Children’s Issues, Education, and Hunger • Garden to Table Over a two-year period, Eireni designed and built a raised garden bed at a local children’s center. She worked with the teachers to educate children about hunger in her county and taught them how to plant their own food in the garden.

Maja Paulk New Freedom, PA • York County Disability Issues, Animals • Service Dog Training and Education Maja wanted to raise awareness for service dogs while training one of her own to help those in her community through her Gold Award. Throughout her project, she worked with Rooney, her service dog in training, and Phoenix Assistance Dogs to raise awareness within local Girl Scout troops and beyond.

Ansley Ryan Manheim, PA • Lancaster County Disaster Relief, Education, Health, Public Safety and STEAM • Coronavirus Mask Distribution Ansley saw a large shortage of masks within her community due to COVID-19. She created over 1,000 masks for distribution in her community.

Additionally, she designed and distributed educational resources outlining mask creation instructions and safety throughout the pandemic.

Mary Beth Ryer York, PA • York County Poverty • School supplies Mary Beth noticed there was a lack of accessible and affordable school supplies in her local school district. She created the “Panther Pantry” which is a collection of free school supplies available to those in need.

Mary Beth created a website, video, and educational resources about the pantry for the local community to utilize.

Asiah Savage Hughesville, PA • Lycoming County Education, Children’s Issues, and Health • Peeps with Pipes Asiah held a music camp for young singers. She taught them about different vocal techniques, how to properly take care of their voices, and how to work together as a team. Now the campers aren’t afraid to belt their voices, separately or together!

Nicole Schafer Cresco, PA • Monroe County Arts, Culture & Heritage• Preservation of History Nicole initiated and organized the relocation of a beloved 66-year-old statue, “Our Lady of the Poconos,” when the property the statue sat on was being sold. Once the statue was moved, Nicole landscaped the area so it could be a place of serenity for visitors.

Abigail Schroder Lords Valley, PA • Pike County Children’s Issues, Education, Life Skills • Calming Cart Abigail created a mobile cart for the classroom that provides elementary students with stress-free activities at school. The Calm Cart includes items like educational crafts, puzzles, and audio books for the students to use.

Ella Smith Centre Hall, PA • Centre County Life Skills, Children’s Issues, Arts, Culture & Heritage • Music Booster Concession Overhaul & Education of Music in Our Schools Ella wanted to raise awareness for the importance of music education within her local school district. She created educational resources to teach the community about the history and importance of the school’s marching band. Additionally, she rebuilt and revamped the Music Booster concession stand to ensure future funding for the program.

Vicky Smulowitz Shavertown, PA • Luzerne County Education, STEAM • Women In STEM Career Exploration Vicky addressed the lack of women in STEM careers. She organized a discussion with three panelists, who spoke about the stigmas surrounding women in STEM careers, and educated young women about some of their future career options.

Mary-Rachel Strawser Mechanicsburg, PA • Cumberland County Outdoors, Environment & Sustainability • Environmental Clean Up Mary-Rachel wanted to tackle a need for outdoor space at her church through an environmental cleanup program. She worked in partnership with the church to create a safe and accessible facility for the community to enjoy.

Samantha Sutton Dallas, PA • Luzerne County Life Skills, Health • Cookbook and Recipe Library Samantha created a library full of cookbooks and recipes at her local food pantry in order to encourage healthy eating within her community. She also provided information on how to budget for healthy eating. Overall, her cookbook library supplied over 100 cookbooks to her local community and educated them about healthy eating.

Emma Thompson Cresco, PA • Monroe County Civic Engagement, Education, Environment & Sustainability, Outdoors, Children’s Issues • Outdoor Classroom/Meditation Area Emma created an Outdoor Classroom & Meditation Space - a beautiful place to appreciate the environment, enjoy learning, and engage in thoughtful reflection. She designed the garden, carefully researched which plants and trees would best suit the space, salvaged rocks for a rock wall, and incorporated art by creating 10 scripture stones.

Ella Urosevich Mountain Top, PA • Luzerne County Children’s Issues • Learning in the Virtual Age Ella worked to bridge the education gap for children in underprivileged families. She provided every Pre-K student in the Pre-K Counts program with a supply bag and activity booklet. With access to art supplies and books, Ella said, the children will be better prepared for kindergarten, regardless of family income.

Olivia Wilson Hummelstown, PA • Dauphin County Life Skills, Civic Engagement, Health, Poverty, Children’s Issues • The Helping Hands Project Olivia wanted to expand the Cocoa Packs program for in-need families in her community. She saw the need for personal hygiene products for families experiencing poverty, so she started a community drive to collect hygiene products and distributed them to the families in the program.

Hannah Wright New Oxford, PA • Adams County Children’s Issues, Education, and Life Skills • An Extension of Learning Hannah saw a need for additional opportunities for middle school students to learn about robotics. In order to address this issue, she created a program to encourage those students to pursue robotics in high school. She also developed a plan and schedule to continue the program next year.

Jessica Zajac State College, PA • Centre County Children’s Issues • Jumpstart for Jared Box Jessica wanted to address the issue of children with serious or terminal illnesses not having access to fun items during their time in the hospital.

She partnered with the Jared Box Project to create more opportunities for Jared boxes to be in hospitals throughout the State College area, as well as a video for Girl Scout troops across the country to learn more.

A message from

The Gold Award Management Team Dear Gold Award Girl Scout, We wanted to take this opportunity to say a few words to this incredible group of Gold Award Girl Scouts. The 2021 Gold Award Class has shown such resilience, flexibility and problemsolving skills while completing the Gold Award projects during a global pandemic. You have managed to find solutions and innovative ways to address challenges in your community during these difficult times.

We have been so honored to work with each and every one of you throughout your Gold Award journey. Your projects addressed a number of issues such as poverty, human rights, preserving the environment, and honoring history. Your fearlessness and dedication is a continuous reminder that Girl Scouts truly make the world a better place.

As you are surrounded by your friends and family, take a moment to recognize your accomplishment: you are a Gold Award Girl Scout. We are so proud of you and can’t wait to see the many amazing things you will accomplish in the future. You inspire us to be our best selves, pursue our passions and let nothing stand in our way toward greatness.

As you go out in the world, remember that you will always be a part of Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.

Yours in Girl Scouting, The Gold Award Management Team

Rebekah Stefl

Brynne Hall

Welcome to a vibrant network of over 50 million Girl Scout alumnae, who make the world a better place!

Join the Girl Scout Network by visiting girlscouts.org

Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania 350 Hale Ave. Harrisburg, PA 17104 - Phone: 800.692.7816 Email: MemberServices@gshpa.org