2017 Girl Scout Gold Award

2017 Girl Scout Gold Awards

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines As one of 112 Girl Scout councils chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA, Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines serves more than 26,000 girl members and more than 9,000 adult members across 41 central and eastern North Carolina counties. With the administration headquarters in Raleigh, regional service centers in Goldsboro, Fayetteville, and Wilmington, the Council delivers leadership programming and provides relevant and engaging opportunities for all girls, and rewarding volunteer experiences for adults.

The Girl Scout Gold Award Since 1916, Girl Scouts have successfully answered the call to Go Gold, an act that indelibly marks them as accomplished members of their communities and the world. The Girl Scout Gold Award stands for excellence and leadership for girls everywhere and is the highest and most prestigious achievement in Girl Scouting.

When a Girl Scout embarks on her award journey, she makes a commitment to take action and create a lasting change in her community. She demonstrates significant leadership, planning, networking, and organizational skills as she spends, on average, one to two years working to complete her Girl Scout Gold Award Take Action project.

Awarded to fewer than six percent of Girl Scouts annually, girls who earn the Girl Scout Gold Award join generations of young women who have made a difference in their community both locally and globally. In recognition of their achievements, Gold Award Girl Scouts who join the United States Armed Forces enter at one rank higher than other recruits.

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines congratulates each of our 2017 Girl Scout Gold Award recipients for achieving their goals and earning this distinguished honor.

Girl Scouting’s Highest Award Since the Council’s unification in 2007 which established Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines, 633 Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors have achieved the highest award in Girl Scouting.

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines takes great pride in recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of the 72 young women who earned the Girl Scout Gold Award in 2017. Hats off to all of our award recipients for demonstrating courageous leadership, advocacy and compassion, and taking action to make the world a better place.

Steps to the Gold Award Fulfilling the requirements for the Girl Scout Gold Award starts with the completion of two Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador Journeys. After the Journey requirement has been fulfilled, girls spend a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work and service towards their Gold Award projects, which includes these steps: • • • • • • • •

Identifying an issue Investigating it thoroughly Inviting others to participate and building a team Creating a plan Submitting a proposal to the Girl Scout Gold Award Committee Gathering feedback Taking action Educating and inspiring others

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2017 Girl Scout Gold Award Recipients Caitlin Cristine Allison

Kimberly Anne Gebbia

Sophia Grace Payne

Tyasha Lashay Arrington

Katherine Kellam Glass

Emily Catherine Pennington

Kelli Elizabeth Autry

Sydney Syrah Gyurek

Christine Marie Potter

Megan Brianna Bean-Ross

Sally Ruth Hammer

Harley Rose Margot Jayd Powell

Patricia “Josie” Beasley

Caroline Marie Hobin

Gabrielle Przybyszewski

Grace Alexandra Biddell

Kelli Lauren Hutson

Gwyneth A. Reece

Irena Christine Brain

Sarah K. Kleckley

Emily Grace Roberson

Savannah Lauren Brooks

Amanda Katherine Lugo

Simran Kaur Sidhu

Jordyn Brown

Yara Mahmoud

Emmy Rachel Soll

Kennedy Logan Byrd

Hannah Elise Mariani

Mikayla Diane Sortisio

Leah Katlynn Campbell

Logan T. Martin

Carly E. Stines

Josephine Jillanne Casey

Elizabeth Nancy Maydew

Claire Elizabeth Sturgill

Brennan Elizabeth Cavaliero

Samantha LynnMarie McCartney

Aysia M. Swepson

Elizabeth Dora Colston

Georgia Dawn Mercer

Emily Brooke Thorne

McKenna Caroline Crawford

Bryn Ashley Merritt

Taylor Townsend

Allison Grace Cummings

Andrea Nicole Mesa

Sanjana Vadlamudi

Nidhi Desai

Elena Danielle Miller

Anjali Velu

Amanda Rose Diard

Juhi Aashish Modi

Ingrid Elizabeth Watts

Ashley Lynn Dugan

Helena Lois Moore

Ashley Nicole West

Savannah Josephine Durham

Elizabeth Christine Mosch

Christine Elizabeth Wilkins

Heather Elizabeth Erlemann

Clara Elizabeth Newkirk

Serena Nicole Wisnewski

Sara Catherine Fox

Ashlea Nicolle Nicholas

Anna Kathleen Wisniewski

Trinity Elizabeth Garza

Erin Leigh O’Donnell

Rachel Elizabeth Wock

Shaunna Gay

Emily Kathryn Patton

Lindsey Denning Worley

2017 Recipients | 5

Caitlin Cristine Allison

Tyasha Lashay Arrington

Kelli Elizabeth Autry

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Book Buddies Issue: Literacy

Rocky Mount, Edgecombe County Project: Shoot Out Bullying Issue: Bullying

For her Take Action project, Caitlin organized a tutoring club to help elementary students with reading comprehension. The club allowed for young students to receive the individualized attention and instruction necessary to excel in their current classes as well as build a strong literacy foundation for their futures. To ensure every student had the opportunity to receive tutoring, Caitlin recruited fellow high school students with strong reading skills to visit fifth grade classrooms and provide lessons in grammar and analyzing passages, and to boost children’s confidence in reading. Over time students grew more comfortable in their lessons and were eager to share their newly acquired skills with their teachers and classmates.

Durham, Durham County Project: Elementary Education Helpers Issue: Literacy

Inspired by her own experiences with bullying, Tyasha created an anti-bullying focus group where she educated young girls on ways to stand up to bullies and create an inclusive environment. She held her focus group at a local church where she gave a presentation on bullying and provided examples to help the girls understand the harmful effects bullying can have on others. Her group also learned different ways of addressing bullying behaviors and how to build warm and welcoming environments through team building exercises. To further increase awareness and education, Tyasha also created an informational brochure on the issue, which she distributed to local churches.

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To help establish a solid learning foundation among elementary school students, Kelli created a tutoring program at Aldersgate Afterschool to supplement traditional classroom lesson plans. To help launch her program, Kelli gathered students from her school’s National Honor Society to volunteer as tutors. The tutors used games and hands-on activities selected and created by Kelli to bring education to life and make learning fun and engaging. Additionally, Kelli collected donations of books and school supplies to give to the after-school center to ensure students had learning and literacy resources available. Kelli’s tutoring group remains active and continues to provide students with the extra help needed to have successful academic futures.

Megan Brianna Bean-Ross Durham, Durham County Project: Dancing Towards a Healthier Me Issue: Healthy Living Megan combined her background in dance and passion for teaching to encourage children to stay fit and pursue a healthy lifestyle. Through a 14week program at Forest View Elementary, she educated children about healthy eating and the ways they could stay active through physical fitness. During her workshop, Megan provided instruction on basic dance steps in over 10 different styles of dance and encouraged students to think outside the box in terms of choreographing their own routines. By using dance education as a solution to staying fit and by preparing and discussing healthy foods for the children to foster better eating habits, Megan promoted a happier and healthier future.

Patricia “Josie� Beasley Clayton, Johnston County Project: Music Connections Issue: Musical Education After researching the benefits of musical education, Josie took action to make it more accessible within her community. Josie established a Booster Club for the Instrumental Music Program at Longleaf School of the Arts (LSA). She recognized that there is often a lack of musical education due to poor funding, and by starting the LSA Booster Program students were provided the opportunity to follow their future musical passions and interests. As part of her project, Josie also taught music lessons at the Salvation Army of Wake County Community Center. Her dedication to music and the community allowed her to enrich the lives of others by providing them with the tools they need to unleash their musical creativity.

Approximately one million Girl Scouts have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent since 1916.

The Girl Scouts' highest achievement honors young women who demonstrate extraordinary leadership skills.

2017 Recipients | 7

Grace Alexandra Biddell

Irena Christine Brain

Savannah Lauren Brooks

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Extra-Curricular Activities: A Path to Success Issue: Youth Activities

Cary, Wake County Project: Providing Creative Artistic Enrichment Activities for Senior Citizens Issue: Senior Citizen Engagement

Hillsborough, Orange County Project: Learn Healthy, Live Healthy Issue: Healthy Living

After noticing a lack of access to extracurricular activities among underprivileged students, Grace worked to develop a free program for students transitioning from homelessness to having permanent housing. She partnered with PLM Families Together to hold monthly activity sessions for children that included sports and crafts.

She also engaged kids in lesson plans on character, adding a theme to each session encouraging positive character and a happy lifestyle. Grace’s project gave students an opportunity to grow and learn in an environment that fostered inclusivity.

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To provide senior citizens with higher self-esteem and greater physiological health through creative arts, Irena taught art classes at Jordan Oaks Senior Living and Retirement Community.

Hoping to increase social interaction and learning opportunities among senior citizens, Irena researched, planned, and taught weekly classes aimed to inspire residents. By sharing her artistic skills with the seniors, Irena encouraged rewarding and creative social enrichment to her students and improved their overall quality of life with fun activities. Her artistic project will thrive through her school’s Art Club as they continue to teach classes at the center.

In an effort to inspire children to pursue a healthy lifestyle, Lauren created a program at Hillsborough Elementary School through which she explained the importance of being active and eating well. During her classes, Lauren discussed healthy recipes and snack choices, personal hygiene, hydration, and staying physically active. In addition to her lessons, she led the children in games to show that being active was fun and fulfilling. She achieved her goal of educating 500 children on the subject, and hopes that they encourage their families to implement a healthy lifestyle as a result of her lessons.

Jordyn Brown

Kennedy Logan Byrd

Leah Katlynn Campbell

Cary, Wake County Project: Let’s Join Together and Fight Animal Abuse Issue: Animal Abuse

Raleigh, Wake County Project: MEGA Lifestyle Health Fair for Raleigh Boys & Girls Club Issue: Healthy Living

Goldsboro, Wayne County Project: Little Flower Library Issue: Senior Citizen Engagement

As a passionate animal advocate, Jordyn’s project focused on increasing community awareness of animal abuse, particularly for farm animals. To educate her community, Jordyn created brochures on farm animal mistreatment and how to help through organizations like the Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge.

As part of her project, she partnered with the Refuge to build an enrichment herbal garden for chickens and turkeys to roam at the facility. In addition, she attended North Carolina Humane Lobby Day with the Humane Society and spoke about animal cruelty. Jordyn was honored for her efforts with a Young Leadership Award from the Humane Society.

To promote leading a healthy lifestyle, Kennedy planned and coordinated a health fair at the Raleigh Boys & Girls Club. She called it the MEGA Lifestyle Health Fair because the focus of the event was on improving mental health, introducing healthy eating, and encouraging group activity while maintaining a positive attitude. Kennedy highlighted the importance of these topics by discussing smart food choices, teaching dance choreography, and holding an anti-bullying and mental health workshop. The children enjoyed participating in Kennedy’s activities and learned that being healthy can be fun.

To increase brain stimulation and social interaction among elders with Alzheimer’s and dementia, Leah created a library at the Countryside Assisted Living facility. She collected books for the library and held a social at the facility where residents created fun bookmarks to encourage creativity and a love of reading. Leah also established a reading program at her high school through which students make regular visits to the facility to read to the residents and ask them reading comprehension questions. Leah’s library and reading program will continue to provide an engaging way for community members to interact with the elderly, allowing them to maintain strong social and cognitive skills by reading together.

2017 Recipients | 9

The Girl Scout Gold Award project addresses a need within a girl's local or global community and provides a sustainable solution.

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Josephine Jillanne Casey

Brennan Elizabeth Cavaliero

Apex, Wake County Project: Crafts for Kids Issue: Patient Comfort

Apex, Wake County Project: Love Bears All Issue: Patient Comfort

Josephine’s Take Action project addressed the lack of creative activities and entertainment available to children staying in the hospital long term. To address the problem, she researched, planned, and tested craft ideas before creating instructional art binders detailing 15 general crafts and 16 holiday themed crafts to entertain and comfort the children. She also collected art supplies and creative entertainment including bubbles, books, playdough, puzzles, and coloring books to give to Duke Children’s Hospital along with her binders. To further uplift patients and their families, Josephine created a piece of art to hang on a hospital wall.

Leveraging her innovation skills, Josephine’s project helped to make children’s hospital stays more enjoyable through creative play.

Hoping to raise awareness about congenital heart disease while improving patient comfort, Brennan collected small teddy bears and blankets to donate to the UNC Chapel Hill Newborn Critical Care Center. The teddy bears’ purpose is to be put under an infant’s arm to create comfort in the hospital bed, reduce bed sores, and support ventilator tubing. She educated the children and adults at her church on the illness through a Pancakes and Pajamas event, and collected donations for her cause. Brennan exceeded her goal and collected over 150 bears and blankets to donate to the hospital. Her church will continue to host the Pancakes and Pajama event annually in February during congenital heart defect awareness month.

Elizabeth Dora Colston Roanoke Rapids, Halifax County Project: First Christians Church Family Activity Center Renovation Project Issue: Community Renovations Recognizing that the First Christian Church needed renovations in a building utilized by the community, Elizabeth took action by collecting donations and using them to beautify the building. She worked to rally community members to help her complete a variety of updates, including painting the walls, replacing ceiling tiles, building a protective case for the projector, replacing window blinds, and ordering vinyl Bible verses to decorate walls. Elizabeth created a clean, safe, and enjoyable space for church and community groups to enjoy for years to come as the church continues to upkeep her renovations.

McKenna Caroline Crawford Cary, Wake County Project: Bringing Music to Those in Need of Healing and Comfort Issue: Musical Therapy Channeling her passion for music, McKenna provided increased musical opportunities to community members in need. After conducting research that showed her that music could lessen pain, stabilize heart rate and breathing, preserve memory, and decrease anxiety, McKenna recruited musical members of her community to volunteer to perform at hospitals and assisted living centers around town. She spread awareness of the benefits of musical therapy and worked with the DooR to DooR healing arts program at UNC Hospital. Additionally, McKenna held a CD drive to provide music to patients when live performers are unavailable. Thanks to her project, the number of musical volunteers greatly increased, and the patients and residents benefitted from their visits.

Allison Grace Cummings Castle Hayne, New Hanover County Project: Family Relationships in the NICU Issue: Patient Family Care Allison focused on making hospital stays more comfortable for families with an infant in the NICU. Allison realized this could be an extremely difficult time for families, and wanted to help parents and siblings feel comforted. She designed an educational NICU coloring book for older siblings to provide a better understanding of the situation, and created NICU milestone cards for the parents to serve as a memory of their journey. Allison also gave a presentation to her classmates to educate them about the NICU. Through her project, Allison helped strengthen family ties while also educating her peers.

2017 Recipients | 11

Nidhi Desai

Amanda Rose Diard

Ashley Lynn Dugan

Cary, Wake County Project: Pages of Change Issue: Immigrant Hardships

Raleigh, Wake County Project: God’s Garden at Hope Reins Issue: Environmental Education

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Children’s Mission Day Issue: Youth Activities

Acknowledging that there were many unseen and unheard of hardships that come with matriculating into a new culture, Nidhi wrote a novel describing the experiences of four different teenage immigrants to help increase awareness and empathy. She interviewed immigrants who had moved to her community to provide accurate details in her novel. Nidhi’s goal was to serve as a medium between immigrants and other students in an effort to help to diminish stereotypes and assumptions.

Nidhi helped to create a more welcoming and inclusive society through publication of her novel, which is available online for others to read free of charge.

In an effort to improve the learning of children who benefit from Hope Reins, Amanda renovated the garden on premises called God’s Garden and donated environmental learning resources. The garden, which provides visitors with fresh produce and knowledge about plants and nutrients, was in need of several repairs in order to continue its mission of serving the local community. Realizing the importance of the garden, Amanda spruced up its appearance, created a storage area for supplies, and built a walkway for easy access. In addition, she created an educational workbook to supplement the garden along with a fun and immersive scavenger hunt activity.

Amanda wrote a blog sharing her project and recipes utilizing the plants, and hosted an event at which she taught children how to use the garden to make flavorful meals.

To educate children on ways that they could make a difference in their community, Ashley planned a mission day at her church for young members.

She taught the children the importance of service, how they could get involved, and led them in projects benefitting the community to inspire them to get started helping others. The activities included making and delivering flowerpots to homebound members of the church and packing kindness bags to be distributed during services to those in need. Ashley’s project not only benefitted the children, but the elderly who enjoyed the chance to meet and interact with younger members of the church.

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Savannah Josephine Durham Fuquay Varina, Wake County Project: Bass Lake Mural and Library Issue: Environmental Education After finding out that Bass Lake had few books for children’s nature classes, Savannah decided to take action. She collected donations and stocked their library with 185 books. She then organized the library and created a database checkout system. In addition to the library, her Bass Lake Park advisors asked her to create an educational mural. The mural that she painted is 51 square feet and depicts what types of animals can be spotted at the park during certain times of the day, including a Great Blue Heron, a Box Turtle, a Barn Owl, and a White-Tailed Deer. Savannah’s efforts created a more welcoming atmosphere for park visitors and provided further wildlife knowledge to children.

Heather Elizabeth Erlemann

Sara Catherine Fox

Cary, Wake County Project: Kicks for Chicks Issue: Youth Activities

Wilmington, New Hanover County Project: Art for All Issue: Arts Education

Believing that all children should have access to organized sports, Heather kicked into gear by holding soccer clinics at a local club for girls from underprivileged families. During her clinics, she taught the girls soccer basics and ran drills with them to encourage them to pursue opportunities in sports and to stay healthy. She also held an equipment drive and collected over 300 items including cleats, balls, athletic clothing, and more, to give to the club so that girls could utilize them when playing soccer there. She also created a drill book so that adults could continue to lead clinics for the girls. She hopes that her clinics and tools inspire the girls to be active and join athletic teams in the future.

To make the arts more available to students in the Exceptional Children program at her school, Sara led art workshops for them. She planned, organized, and gave lessons on the importance of art and led them in art activities. With arts funding and opportunities shrinking, Sara wanted to provide an outlet for the students to express themselves. She implemented a variety of one-on-one activities to teach students self-expression through photography. Sara’s hard work paid off through positive interactions with the Exceptional Children, who loved taking pictures and seeing what they could create. In the future, the program will continue to implement more art lessons as a result of her project.

2017 Recipients | 13

Trinity Elizabeth Garza

Shaunna Gay

Kimberly Anne Gebbia

Fuquay Varina, Harnett County Project: Child Abuse: Ending the Silence Issue: Child Abuse

Fayetteville, Cumberland County Project: Sew What Issue: Sewing Skills

Cary, Wake County Project: The Return of the Native Issue: Environmental Protection

Realizing that many of her peers disposed of tattered clothing rather than mending or recycling, Shaunna held sewing workshops and a clothing drive to encourage reuse of clothing.

She held six workshops at her school and church where she taught attendees the skill of sewing. She also held a clothing drive, and had the participants in her workshop mend the clothes that were slightly damaged. In addition, they sewed dresses and headbands to donate to the non-profit organization Little Dresses for Africa. Her project demonstrated the importance of helping those in need and she hopes it inspires her peers to be more selfsufficient in mending their clothes in the future.

Kimberly educated her peers while improving the environment by creating a North Carolina native plant garden at her high school. While non-native plants can be invasive and harmful to the environment, native plants support the local food chain. Kimberly labeled the plants with their scientific names and then published articles in her school newspaper, gave presentations, and created a book about her garden.

Kimberly’s garden was officially certified as a Native Plant Garden by the president of the North Carolina Native Plant Association. She hopes that her project inspires others to choose plants native to their environment when creating their own gardens.

Trinity focused on the issue of child abuse by educating the community with presentations. During her presentations, Trinity detailed the statistics regarding child abuse, why abuse happens, the types of abuse, and the consequences.

She provided them with information on how to report abuse and what to include in their report. To supplement her presentation, she had a police officer and a Guardian Ad Litem speak about the roles that they play in protecting children. She provided her audiences with a handout that she created as a reference. Because of Trinity’s commitment to change, more community members will be prepared to help a child in need.

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Katherine Kellam Glass

Sydney Syrah Gyurek

Greenville, Pitt County Project: Camp Don Lee Chapel Issue: Community Renovations

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Kids Love Capes Issue: Patient Comfort

After realizing Camp Don Lee’s chapel was underused because it needed renovations, Katie took action to collect supplies and make necessary updates to the building. She spoke with the camp director and identified physical improvements that could be made including repainting interior walls and the exterior façade and placing benches around the chapel. By doing so, Katie created a more inviting space for campers, staff, and other visitors to enjoy. She also held a discussion group for middle school girls at the newly renovated chapel about the importance of quiet followed by a scripture scavenger hunt. Katie’s improvements to the chapel encouraged people to begin to utilize it again for peaceful worship.

Wanting children staying overnight at hospitals to feel comforted, brave, and strong, Sydney created and donated capes to inspire them. Sydney took the lead by founding a club at her school to help her collect material donations and make the capes. She donated a total of 65 homemade capes to Duke Children’s Hospital. Her goal for her capes was to encourage children to have hope, overcome their fears, and realize their inner strength as their own hero of their lives. In addition to delivering the capes to local hospitals, she also created a website and brochure to educate others on the importance of bravery as well as how to continue her project in years to come.

In recognition of their achievements, Gold Award Girl Scouts who join the armed services enter at one rank higher than other recruits.

2017 Recipients | 15

Sally Ruth Hammer

Caroline Marie Hobin

Kelli Lauren Hutson

Cary, Wake County Project: Turning Garbage into Gold Issue: Recycling

Fuquay Varina, Harnett County Project: Mini Med School Issue: Medical Education

Durham, Durham County Project: Kelli Project: Basket for Kids Issue: Patient Comfort

Alarmed by the excessive amount of useable produce that goes into the landfill every day, Sally focused on more constructive ways to use the waste. She worked with local farmers, grocery stores, restaurants, and the community to provide an alternate outlet to dispose outdated produce. Sally collected produce to turn it into fuel for other life forms and to compost it for the use of growing more produce. Farmers benefitted from her project by receiving free animal feed, and restaurants saved money on waste disposal. Sally’s problem-solving abilities helped her improve the environment, and she brought the community closer by encouraging them to work together to make a difference.

With an interest in medicine, Caroline familiarized students at her high school with the field by organizing a medical education fair. Caroline collaborated with Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine and Harnett County Schools to plan the event and participating students experienced a simulated surgery, exploration of the human body using virtual reality, ultrasound, intubation instruction, and patient assessment. This offered a glimpse into the fields of medical professionals via hands-on skills labs at an actual medical school taught by current medical students. Caroline hopes that her Mini Med School inspires students to pursue a career in the health care industry.

Kelli collected donations and created care baskets for the Duke Children’s Hospital containing items to entertain and comfort patients during their stay.

She recognized that the children can get stressed and anxious if they are bored, and wanted to provide them with activities to keep them occupied. Kelli provided the hospital with nearly 100 care baskets containing items like homemade blankets, stuffed animals, and games. Additionally, Kelli showed her dedication to her cause by giving presentations in the community to inspire others to take action as well and donate. Thanks to Kelli’s project, ill children will be able to take comfort in knowing that they are not alone.

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Sarah Kleckley

Amanda Katherine Lugo

Yara Mahmoud

Winterville, Pitt County Project: Project Read: Open Doors, Open Minds Issue: Literacy

Wake Forest, Wake County Project: Earth Week Issue: Sustainability

Wake Forest, Wake County Project: Young Women Empowerment Club Issue: Women and Leadership

Hoping to strengthen the reading comprehensions skills of children from impoverished areas, Sarah developed and implemented an interactive reading program at a community soup kitchen.

She created a library at the kitchen and collected donations to fill the library to use for her program. Sarah held 10 sessions with the children at the soup kitchen where she worked on developing stronger reading skills. She recruited volunteers to assist her in reading with them so that each child could receive individualized attention. Sarah’s project will allow the children to continue to grow as readers with skills that will last a lifetime.

To promote sustainability and environmental awareness among her peers, Amanda organized an Earth Week at her school. Each day had a different theme and focused on acknowledging the impact that people had on the environment. The themes included Meatless Monday, Trash-less Tuesday, Watch your Water Wednesday, Techless Thursday and Carpool Friday. Her project educated others on topics including excessive water use, wasting energy resources, and more by suggesting simple tasks that individuals could do to help. Amanda launched a social media campaign to educate and empower others to make a difference.

With a passion to inspire women in her community to take on leadership roles, Yara started a Young Women Empowerment Club and held activities around Wake Forest to help future female leaders feel confident in their abilities by building organizational and cooperation skills. Yara hopes by leading these activities that she is providing these young women with the courage and capability they need to lead their own project and take on more leadership roles. By providing a safe space for young women to voice their opinions and take the lead, Yara’s project shows what it truly means to be a G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader).

2017 Recipients | 17

Girl Scout Gold Award recipients embody community leadership and leave behind a sustainable legacy.

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Hannah Elise Mariani

Logan T. Martin

Pembroke, Robeson County Project: Restoring Nature’s Beauty: Education- RestorationPreservation Issue: Deforestation

Chapel Hill, Orange County Project: Medicine Wheel and Talking Circle at the Sappony Tribal Center Issue: Native Teachings

Hannah set out to make the community more aware of the negative effects of deforestation. She educated others on the importance of nature and spending time outside by planting flowers and herbs. Hannah installed various types of plants including organic herbs that can be used for cooking healthy meals. Her project will be sustained by replanting each year and through the irrigation system she installed that will water the plants on a timed schedule. She shared her project with others in the community by giving presentations using her plants as a concrete example of how little things make a big difference.

Logan created a meditative garden at the Sappony Tribal Center to serve as an area for teaching the tribe’s native culture and healing. When she spoke with the Sappony Tribal Council about the need for a quiet and sacred space to communicate with fellow Tribal members, she proposed a meditative garden that would include a Medicine Wheel and seating for Talking Circles.

She created her garden and seating area in a quiet area on Tribal property with a goal of invoking a sense of peacefulness among visitors. The Tribal Council will continue to sustain Logan’s incredible project by completing ongoing maintenance and possible enhancements as part of their annual Youth Camp community service projects.

Elizabeth Nancy Maydew Cary, Wake County Project: US Culture for You Issue: Cultural Matriculation Recognizing that matriculating into a new culture can be extremely challenging, Elizabeth helped teenage refugees in the Triangle adjust to the social and cultural aspects of the United States. She created the Culture Club at Athens Drive High School to introduce refugee students to the various aspects of high school such as attending school dances and preparing for standardized testing. Elizabeth also presented the premise of the Culture Club to 70 people in hopes the project will be introduced in other schools. Elizabeth successfully achieved her goal of making the teenage refugees feel more comfortable and adjusted in their new home.

Samantha LynnMarie McCartney

Georgia Dawn Mercer

Vass, Moore County Project: Awareness is Key Issue: Citizen Awareness

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Research, Design, and Develop Arts and Crafts Projects for Covenant Church Issue: Youth Activities

Believing that awareness is the key to solving important issues, Samantha held three different awareness events with a goal of prevention through education.

During the events, Samantha educated her audience on issues that she felt are prevalent in today’s society, and then informed them on how they could make a difference. The first event focused on domestic violence, intimate partner abuse, and rape culture. The second addressed stress management for high school students and how to be mindful if peers are struggling with mental illness.

The third was CPR, First-Aid, and Prevention of Injury. Samantha hopes that by discussing these topics she will inspire others to take action as well.

For Georgia’s project, she developed activities to aid in teaching the curriculum within Covenant Church’s youth program. She created supplemental teaching materials, such as fun games and crafts, to be used over a three-year time period. Georgia presented her plans to the youth program facilitators and demonstrated the activities so they could adequately explain them to the children. She also made a brochure for parents encouraging them to talk to their children about the lessons and related games and activities. Georgia met her goal for her project by improving the children’s learning in an interactive way.

2017 Recipients | 19

Bryn Ashley Merritt

Andrea Nicole Mesa

Elena Danielle Miller

Durham, Durham County Project: Green Screens for Schools Issue: STEM Education

Cary, Wake County Project: One on One Assistance to at Risk Kids Issue: Academic Assistance

Roanoke Rapids, Halifax County Project: Senior Social Media Issue: STEM Education

Addressing the shortage of STEM resources in public schools, Bryn created a green screen room at Pearsontown Elementary School. The green screen allows for the use of a software program to superimpose subjects onto a different virtual background by replacing the color green with the desired image. This interactive way of learning will expose students to advanced programs and software, a useful tool in the modern world. To ensure that teachers would be able to use it as well as teach the students, Bryn demonstrated use of the software to teachers and student library assistants.

She also created detailed instruction books to sustain her project, giving students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of technology.

20 | The Girl Scout Gold Award

Andrea developed a tutoring program at the Ship Outreach and Community Center for children with financial disadvantages. She held individual tutoring sessions during which she helped the students improve math, reading, and writing skills. Additionally, she collected a variety of donations within her community including books, flash cards, and educational games so that the students had engaging learning resources. She also refinished a book case to leave for the children and stocked it with a variety of reading materials. Andrea’s project helped provide students with a solid learning foundation to succeed in and out of the classroom.

Addressing the need for STEM education among the senior citizen community, Elena created a club to show them how to use modern technology. She brought together small groups of individuals to visit a local nursing care facility to share the benefits of using the computer with residents, and taught them to navigate their way around the internet and social media.

She also created a self-teaching handguide which she provided to the facility illustrating her presentations so that her project can be sustained and the seniors can continue to explore technology and all that the internet has to offer. Elena hopes that her project makes it easier for them to keep in touch with family and develop new STEM hobbies.

Juhi Aashish Modi

Helena Lois Moore

Elizabeth Christine Mosch

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Life 101 Issue: Important Life Skills

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Young Lives Issue: Pregnancy Support

Wilmington, New Hanover County Project: When the Alarm Doesn’t Sound Issue: Emergency Preparedness

In an effort to prepare high school students for life after graduation, Juhi went beyond the classroom to teach life skills that are not addressed in school.

Proven to be beneficial to college students and individuals living independently, Juhi taught classes in subjects like preparing healthy meals, using credit and debit cards, credit reports, protecting against identify theft, auto maintenance, job interview preparation, and emergency preparedness. By taking action and familiarizing students with these important life skills, she hopes that her project helped prepare them for adulthood.

Addressing the absence of attention, care, and support that is given to pregnant teenage women, Helena spread awareness about support groups for these women in her community. She worked with Young Lives, an organization dedicated to supporting pregnant teenagers, and began her project by holding a donation drive for supplies that the organization needed. She created social media accounts and flyers to promote her drive and collected 200 items including art supplies, snacks, cutlery, and more.

In addition, she created a brochure for pregnant teenagers providing them with information that she collected from Young Lives including tips and resources to aid them throughout their pregnancy.

Concerned with the safety of deaf and hard of hearing individuals during emergencies, Elizabeth set out to improve communication with individuals and Fire Department personnel. To do so, she created a manual and a DVD providing instruction on American Sign Language. She provided copies of these to each fire station in New Hanover County so that the firemen could practice during their shifts. She also created flashcards containing important signals for emergency situations to be kept in firetrucks. She hopes that her project improves the safety of deaf and hard of hearing individuals during emergencies and eases their anxiety by diminishing the communication barrier between them and those trying to help.

2017 Recipients | 21

Clara Elizabeth Newkirk

Ashlea Nicolle Nicholas

Erin Leigh O’Donnell

Knightdale, Wake County Project: Jump In! For your Health Issue: Healthy Living

Pine Tops, Edgecombe County Project: Second Grade Reading Issue: Literacy

Raleigh, Wake County Project: What to Eat When There is No Corn, Soy, or Wheat Issue: Healthy Living

To inspire children to lead a healthy and active lifestyle in a fun and engaging way, Clara began a jump rope club at the local Boys & Girls Club. During club meetings, she taught children jump roping tips and tricks to inspire them to regularly exercise through exciting and safe activities. She also addressed proper nutrition at the club meetings and the importance of eating healthy, and provided healthy snacks to the students to supplement her lessons. The jump rope club will continue to thrive at the Boys and Girls Club with the help of recruited volunteers so that children can continue to be inspired to be active and eat right.

Focusing on the reading comprehension of second grade students, Ashlea spent time reading with the students to help improve their skills. She gathered a group of fellow high school students with a strong reading background to help her hold tutoring sessions to meet the needs of second graders who needed extra assistance. Her goal was for the students she helped to progress to a higher reading level and be adequately prepared for the third-grade. In doing so, Ashlea helped to instill higher confidence in themselves which will allow them to achieve future academic goals.

22 | The Girl Scout Gold Award

To help children with allergies to corn, soy, or wheat, Erin created a cookbook tailored to recipes just for them. She recognized that these foods can be found in many general recipes, and wanted to make it easier for those with allergies to make healthy and flavorful meals. In addition to her book, Erin created a kid-friendly website featuring her recipes along with instructional videos and pictures, and made them available across multiple social media platforms for easier access. She hopes that her resources assist children in getting the nutrition they need and inspires them to have fun in the kitchen by creating delicious new meals.

Emily Kathryn Patton

Sophia Grace Payne

Clayton, Johnston County Project: Red Wagon Library Issue: Literacy

Hillsborough, Orange County Project: The Angola Project: Supporting Casa da Crianca Issue: Supplies for Orphanages

Recognizing that some children lack access to books and transportation to the library in the summer, Emily set up the Red Wagon Library at a local elementary school. Walking distance for many children, her fun and creative library featured books for multiple grade levels. She also provided snacks, as many of the children who visited were on free or reduced lunch, which they did not have access to in the summer. She collected the books and snacks through collection drives through her church.

Red Wagon Library visitors were able to improve their reading skills throughout the summer, and were excited to check out new books every week without visiting the public library.

After finding out that an orphanage in Luanda, Angola relied heavily on donations, Grace looked to make an impact on the other side of the world by educating the community on the needs of the orphanage. She held presentations and created a video to raise awareness and inspire people to donate. She also held her own collection drive for everyday items needed for hygiene, education, and reasonable comfort. Over the course of two years, Grace gave her presentations, reached out to companies for donations, and launched a donation drive online. By the end of her project, she secured a donation of 100 pairs of shoes from Crocs and collected enough items to ship 10 large boxes of school and art supplies, basic toiletries, basketballs, and undergarments.

Girl Scout Gold Award recipients represent our most successful and engaged and happiest Girl Scout alumnae.

2017 Recipients | 23

Emily Catherine Pennington

Christine Marie Potter

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Nature Education Kiosk and Field Trip Guides Issue: Environmental Education

Louisburg, Franklin County Project: Comfort Bags Issue: Emergency Preparedness

Taking the lead at a local Christian camp, Emily developed a nature program and informational kiosk for a nature trail. Her goal was to inspire children to get outdoors and learn about nature and the world around them. Emily created an environmental curriculum plan to go in her kiosk, with detailed lesson plans and activities detailing types of plants based on the children’s grade level. She then placed 14 wooden markers around the nature trail to help guide the children through the curriculum. Children at the camp now have access to an awesome learning experience thanks to Emily’s passion for environmental education.

24 | The Girl Scout Gold Award

Hoping to provide comfort to children in emergency situations, Christine made quilted bags and filled them with entertainment items to donate to the Bunn Police Department and Sheriff Department of Franklin County. She secured donations within her community and filled the bags with coloring books, colored pencils, stuffed animals, tissues, and games. Christine created the comfort bags to entertain and distract children that have been taken out of difficult situations including abuse, fire, separation from parents, and more. She hopes to inspire others to become great citizens within their community by helping each other and making the world a better place.

Harley Rose Margot Jayd Powell Raleigh, Wake County Project: A New Take on Holocaust Education in High School Classes Issue: Historical Awareness Harley created an immersive lesson plan on the Holocaust for high school classes to help students feel more engaged in learning. The lesson capitalized on what teachers were already teaching, and she started by evaluating what students already knew about the Holocaust.

Harley then did research and created a curriculum detailing all the different groups of people that were affected.

She then provided teachers with additional resources, filling in the gaps of what students were being taught. Harley hopes students will become more engaged and historically aware in the subject because of her project.

Gabrielle Przybyszewski

Gwyneth A. Reece

Emily Grace Roberson

New Bern, Craven County Project: CCA Orientation Issue: Childcare

Smithfield, Johnston County Project: Coloring Club for Students and Seniors Issue: Mental Health

Apex, Wake County Project: Teaching Students How to Cook Healthy Issue: Healthy Living

With a purpose of helping her peers combat their stress from school while starting a conversation about mental health, Gwyneth founded a therapeutic coloring club. Club members met during school to color as a creative outlet, and during the summer members visited a local senior home to color with residents. Gwyneth’s project gave students and seniors the opportunity to socialize and have fun in a relaxed environment. She also made pamphlets about local resources for depression, anxiety and stress for members of the club to start a conversation about mental health and how to preserve it through methods like art.

Channeling her passion for cooking along with healthy living, Emily educated high school and middle school students on basic cooking skills using healthy recipes. She realized that many of her peers did not know how to cook and that they often relied on fast food to sustain themselves. To encourage them to take control of their own nutrition, Emily created cooking clubs where she gave lessons on cooking healthy meals. In addition, she created a blog where she posted her lesson plans and recipes.

She received positive feedback from members of her club who were excited to bring new skills into their own kitchens.

Thinking outside the box, Gabrielle addressed the need for a calm area for upset children to go to while at a camp called Whispering Winds. Because of issues like homesickness and temper tantrums, children at the camp needed a spot to calm themselves and gather their emotions. Gabrielle created a sensory path for which she installed boxes filled with objects that camp staff members can use to distract the children and calm their nerves. She then gave presentations on the benefits of a sensory path and how to use it to the staff and to parents. She hopes that her project helps children feel comforted and more at peace during times of discomfort.

2017 Recipients | 25

Simran Kaur Sidhu

Emmy Rachel Soll

Mikayla Diane Sortisio

Cary, Wake County Project: Kitchen Garden at Sikh Gurudwara Issue: Food Waste

Chapel Hill, Orange County Project: Healthy Eating for the Food Pantry Community Issue: Healthy Living

Durham, Durham County Project: Look Before You Leave Issue: Children’s Safety

Simran worked with Sikh Gurudwara, a Sikh temple that provides free weekly lunches, to address the problem of food waste. After noticing vegetable scraps and peels were being thrown in the garbage, Simran channeled her inner Innovator by creating a garden that could provide fresh, home-grown vegetables and reduce waste by composting the scraps to use a natural fertilizer. She then recruited volunteers who were members of the congregation to help tend to the garden. Simran presented her project to the congregation and received an overwhelming amount of support and encouragement.

26 | The Girl Scout Gold Award

For her Gold Award Project, Emmy worked with local food pantries to help recipients make the most of their meals.

She created two cookbooks containing recipes that could easily be made with the food pantry items, making mealtime cost-efficient and healthy. She made the cookbooks easily available at the food pantry and online so that families can refer to them at any time. Emmy also helped the pantry set up guidelines for meat donations, and arranged for three churches to collect toiletry donations from their congregations monthly to ensure that pantries are continuously stocked with healthy foods.

To prevent children from having heat stroke after being left in a hot car, Mikayla took action by educating the community on the issue. Mikayla designed brochures in both Spanish and English, a presentation, dashboard stickers, a website, and a public service announcement. She gave the presentations and distributed her resources at the Durham Farmer’s Market and Durham’s Centerfest. All of the materials she designed focused on teaching parents and caregivers different strategies that they can use to prevent these occurrences from happening.

Carly Stines

Claire Elizabeth Sturgill

Aysia Swepson

Cary, Wake County Project: Sea Change: Getting at the Source of Marine Plastic Pollution Issue: Pollution

Chapel Hill, Orange County Project: Voter Information Website Issue: Voter Awareness

Durham, Durham County Project: Identifying, Engaging, & Empowering Justice Involved Families Issue: Family Relationships

For her project, Carly raised awareness about the alarming amount of plastic in the ocean. She focused on sharing with others the different ways that it can affect surrounding marine environments and what people can do to make a change. After doing her research, Carly worked with a local museum to set up an informational program that educates visitors on the issue and provides them with the resources they need to make a difference in the environment. She hopes that her program creates a ripple effect, and shows people that small changes in their everyday life can make a big difference.

Wanting citizens to be more aware and educated during community elections, Claire created a website to provide them with the information that they need to make informed decisions when voting. Her website contains basic information about each candidate and their positions on different issues within the community. The website was utilized for her school’s student government election, and was extremely successful among students because it made it easy for them to access information on candidates at any time before voting. She hopes to inspire other schools and communities to create similar websites and included instructions on how hers can be duplicated for their own election needs.

Worried that family relationships would deteriorate when a parent is incarcerated, Aysia set out to help children adjust during this difficult time.

Aysia’s goal was to assist families with maintaining positive relationships, as well as supporting them and reconnecting them to one another and their communities. She created a Life Skills booklet that included housing options, community resources, employment suggestions, and tips for building and maintaining family relationships. Aysia leveraged her communication skills to connect to a variety of different families and help them maintain healthy and supportive relationships.

2017 Recipients | 27

99% of Girl Scout Gold Award recipients say belonging to Girl Scouts has positively impacted their life.

28 | The Girl Scout Gold Award

Emily Brooke Thorne

Taylor Townsend

Goldsboro, Wayne County Project: STEM Camp Issue: STEM Education

Raleigh, Wake County Project: SMART GIRLS READ Issue: Literacy

To address the lack of engineering and science classes in her community, Emily started a STEM camp at her local YMCA. Her camp gave elementary, middle, and high schoolers access to basic science and engineering classes tailored to their age group. Through the STEM camp the children gained a better understanding of the basics of engineering, and Emily conducted hands-on activities to encourage problem-solving skills like those used by an engineer. The project will be sustained as an annual camp at the YMCA. Through her project, Emily hopes to spark an interest among children in the topics to inspire them to seek out further STEM opportunities and continue to expand their knowledge.

To spark an interest in literacy among young girls in her community, Taylor sought to fight the stigma that reading is for educational purposes only. She held a literacy camp to generate excitement about books and to encourage children to read for fun. Her camp featured visits from local authors, and she created 10 book club kits with books of varying levels and a set of diverse female characters to send home with campers.

To create further engagement in reading and her project, Taylor created a website providing information on how others can hold their own literacy camps.

Sanjana Vadlamudi

Anjali Velu

Ingrid Elizabeth Watts

Cary, Wake County Project: Helping People with Invisible Diseases One Blood Drop at a Time Issue: Invisible Diseases

Cary, Wake County Project: Bringing Awareness to Therapeutic Riding Issue: Therapeutic Riding

Oriental, Pamlico County Project: Be WSTed (Water Safety Taught) Issue: Water Safety

Combining her love of horses with her passion for making the world a better place, Anjali launched a campaign to make people more aware of the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding.

Believing therapeutic riding to be a beneficial confidence builder for people with special needs, she created several short events including social media campaigns, an open house, and five to ten minute presentations to inform the community of the practice so that more people utilize it and donate to support it.

Her project benefitted the North Carolina Therapeutic Riding Center in its initiative to help children with special needs and their families.

After saving a young boy from a rip current, Ingrid decided to promote water safety for her Gold Award project.

With a lack of resources and organizations in her community that educate on safety in and around water, Ingrid identified a need to inspire conversation about learning to swim among children and their parents. Ingrid designed a program consisting of models and handouts to teach children basic water safety skills. She presented her program in different venues throughout Pamlico County, including daycares, town festivals, and more.

Ingrid believes that if her efforts save one child from drowning then they were successful.

Sanjana designed her project to raise awareness and support for people suffering from invisible diseases, with a special focus on individuals who would require blood transfusions. Sanjana recognized that these diseases are not always advocated for on a higher scale, and wanted to inspire people to get more involved in helping out. To do so, Sanjana held a community blood drive, as there is often a shortage of blood donations for the diseases because people do not know they exist. Sanjana made an impact by informing the community of the issue and collected 28 pints of blood to donate.

2017 Recipients | 29

Ashley Nicole West

Christine Elizabeth Wilkins

Serena Nicole Wisnewski

Zebulon, Wake County Project: Camp Smiles with Words and Numbers Issue: Literacy

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Garner High Tennis Wall and Routine Issue: Healthy Living

Hurdle Mills, Person County Project: Orange County Lock Box Initiative Issue: Controlled Substance Disposal

To provide academic support to children with financial difficulties, Ashley held a reading camp to help children develop the foundation that they need for success. Her camp offered them the chance to develop new skills in a fun and social environment featuring reading, crafts, games, and visits from members in the community. She sent the children home with resources to continue to develop these skills like worksheets, books, and school supplies. Thanks to Ashley’s extra help, children received access to an experience that will help them to grow and reach their full potential in school.

Christine sought to inspire children and young adults in her community to become more active through tennis. To do so, she built a tennis wall at Garner Magnet High School and created three different tennis wall routines for players to utilize at the high school and at Garner Parks and Recreation summer camps. Her routines were created for various skills levels and featured diagrams and explanations of proper drill techniques. In addition, Christine conducted an informational session at her school during which she demonstrated her routines and explained the benefits of using a tennis wall to be active. Christine’s project served as a way to inspire more children and adults to live a healthy and active lifestyle by pursuing athletic opportunities.

30 | The Girl Scout Gold Award

Feeling strongly that controlled substances should be disposed of accordingly, Serena promoted the safe storage, safe disposal, and safe prescribing of controlled substances in Orange County. She educated the community about the importance of safe storage and safe disposal and encouraged local pharmacies to sell lock boxes using data she collected from a lock box pilot program. Serena created a survey that will be used in the statewide “Lock Your Meds” campaign.

She also participated in safe disposal events where unused and expired controlled substances were collected and properly disposed of by the Orange County Sheriff Department.

Anna Kathleen Wisniewski

Rachel Elizabeth Wock

Lindsey Denning Worley

Goldsboro, Wayne County Project: Y’s Men Family Swim Clinic Issue: Water Safety

Willow Springs, Wake County Project: The Garden Project Issue: Environmental Education

Raleigh, Wake County Project: Hop into Health Issue: Healthy Living

To encourage children from families with financial hardships to learn to swim, Anna held a free swim clinic as part of the YMCA’S Men Program. The clinic had a total of 42 participants, and Anna provided each child with a goodie bag containing a towel, swimsuit, goggles, swim cap and pool noodle along with three days of free swim instruction and fun at the YMCA. Anna helped people in her community learn how to be safe around water and improve their skills and confidence. In holding her swim clinic, Anna hopes to have saved a life by helping children to be stronger swimmers to avoid accidents in the water.

Rachel channeled her green thumb to improve the state of Willow Spring Elementary School’s garden to make it a stronger teaching tool. The garden was initially built to help educate children about the environment and the importance of agriculture and insects, but it had become overgrown. Rachel created interactive educational tools for students and teachers so that they could make the most of learning from the garden. She planted a border garden with flowers that were sound for the environment and assisted in attracting the beneficial insects that children were interested in learning about. She also made signs labeling the items in the garden and created a supplementary website with more information about the garden and the environment.

Taking a stand against childhood obesity and preventable health issues, Lindsey worked with the Raleigh Boys & Girls Club to educate girls on proper nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices by holding fun and informative workshops. Her workshops consisted of eight sessions over a period of three weeks, and her students learned the importance of eating right as well as the benefits of drinking water and exercising. Lindsey created nutrition-themed games to donate to the Clubs to give future students the opportunity to learn about healthy living through hands-on experiences.

2017 Recipients | 31

Girls often partner with community organization when working to earn their Girl Scout Gold Award.

The following organizations were reported to play a part in the 2017 Girl Scout Gold Award projects.

360 Degrees of Victory

Heritage High School

AFJROTC

Hillsborough Elementary School

Aldersgate UMC

Hope Reins of Raleigh

American Red Cross

Horne Memorial United Methodist Church

Athens Drive High School

Inter-Faith Council for Social Services

Bass Lake Park

John Hoggard High School

Betty H. Cameron Women's and Children's Hospital at NHRMC

Jordan T. High School Dance Department

Brookdale

Jordan Oaks Senior Living and Retirement Center

Camp Don Lee

Leesville Road Middle School

Campbell University

Lillington Police Department

Casa da Criana

Longleaf School of the Arts

Countryside Village

Lutheran Services of the Carolinas

Covenant Church

Millbrook High School

Door to Door: Healing Arts Program at UNC Hospital

NC Cooperative Extension

Duke Children's Hospital Durham Public Schools East Chapel Hill High School Eastern Education Foundation First Christian Church Fort Macon State Park Franklin Academy Charter High School Goldsboro YMCA Harnett County Schools

32 | The Girl Scout Gold Award

NCSU Food Science NECP Elementary New Hanover County Fire Services New Life Camp Newborn Critical Care Center at UNC North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences North Carolina Therapeutic Riding Center

Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth Pamlico County Parks and Recreation Piedmont Animal Farm Refuge Pierce Heritage Farm PLM Families Together Raleigh Boys & Girls Club Rocky Mount High School Salvation Army of Wake County Community Center Sappony Tribe Ship Outreach Community Center Signature Healthcare Sikh Gurudwara Smithfield -Selma High School Terry Sanford High School Town of Bunn Town of Cary UMC UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health Washington Elementary Boys and Girls Club

North Raleigh United Methodist

Whispering Winds Catholic Camp and Conference Center

Oakwood School

Willow Springs Elementary School Young Life

Scholarship Information Jane S. Barringer Award Girl Scout Gold Award recipients are eligible to apply for the Jane S. Barringer Award. This is a cash award established to honor Mrs. Barringer, an outstanding teen advisor.

A group of her former Girl Scouts, along with Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines, has instituted an award in her name to be given to an individual who embodies the principles and spirit “Mrs. B” works to instill. Mrs. Barringer has been a dedicated Girl Scout for more than 50 years.

Misty Crabtree Eastham Memorial Scholarship The Misty Crabtree Eastham Scholarship was established to honor the memory of lifelong Girl Scout Misty Crabtree Eastham, and provides scholarships for Gold Award Girl Scouts to help defray college expenses. As a girl in foster care who earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, Misty felt that Girl Scouting had a tremendous impact on her life and provided opportunities that she may never have had a chance to pursue. This scholarship embodies Misty’s sense of selflessness, generosity, drive, and determination.

For more information about these and other council-sponsored scholarships, please visit the council website at www.nccoastalpines.org.

2017 Recipients | 33

gsnccp

Girl Scouts - North Carolina Coastal Pines

Our Counties Beaufort Bladen Brunswick Carteret Chatham Columbus Craven Cumberland

34 | The Girl Scout Gold Award

Duplin Durham Edgecombe Franklin Granville Greene Halifax Harnett

Hoke Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Martin Moore Nash

New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pender Person Pitt

Richmond Robeson Sampson Scotland Vance Wake Warren Wayne Wilson

Board of Directors

Members

Girl Board Members

Jean Gordon Carter, Chair Bonnie Hancock, First Vice Chair Valerie Quiett, Second Vice Chair Melissa Reed, Third Vice Chair Ann “Scottie” Bryan, Fourth Vice Chair James E. Peterson, Treasurer Natalie Perkins, Secretary

Danielle Breslin Wendy Burden Cheryl Burns Linda Foreman Susan Garrity Kim Gold Jenna Green Kristen Hess Manju Karkare Deb Laughery Joyce Mitchell Annette Moore Fran O’Sullivan Adrian Reeder Marywalker Romanus Jodi Schwartz Saundra Wall Williams Frank Westmeyer

Savannah Barnes Molly Carlson Ryanne Howard Emerald Izuakor Sierra Stefanelli Aleeyah Williams

Lisa M. K. Jones Chief Executive Officer

Gold Award Committee

Jane Barringer Rebecca Daniels Susan Dellay Eileen Emer Dottie Gilbert Emily Hayne Jennifer Jones Cathy Klinc Elaine Loyack Roxanne Manuel Sara Olson Barbara Putney Angie Taylor Trisha Wilson Lori Winkelstein