2009 Girl Scout Gold Awards

Stephanie B.

Newark, Delaware

“Give back life for life.” —Henry David Thoreau
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Stephanie organized a volunteer clean-up workshop and program at her church; similar to previous years, but with the twist that all cleaning products would be homemade from the workshop and environmentally friendly.

The issue was both that the church was never sufficiently cleaned and that knowledge about such green products within the congregation was low. People did not know what they could do with products like vinegar and baking soda for a fraction of the cost (both financially and environmentally) of commercial products.

Kelly B.

Bear, Delaware

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Kelly held a May Day celebration for the New Castle community at the Holy Spirit Church. She worked on her project with three other girls, Rebecca L., Caroline W. and Paige O.

Each girl had her own responsibilities to make the May Day celebration a success. Kelly was in charge of all the crafts, including face masks, princess’ hats and wands, animal memo clips and several others.

Kelsey B.

Bear, Delaware

For her Girl Scout Gold Award Project Kelsey recruited volunteers to help make 25 quilts to send over seas to wounded soldiers. She chose her project because she started to think “What else can I do to show service people that we haven’t forgotten about them? What can I do to show them that we appreciate everything they do?”

Kelsey’s project helped her community by showing people that we can reach the soldiers overseas and let them know that we are thinking about them. It helped the community of the United States, and she hopes this project will reach people all over America and they will begin to show their support for our troops.

Monica B.

Wilmington, Delaware

For her project, Monica designed a tile sign and 15 tiled stepping stones from blue and white china dishes for the Kendal Continuing Care Retirement Community in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The object of her project was to replace the old stepping stones with new, decorative stones to beautify the garden, and the addition of the new sign made the residents feel welcome.

The work required careful planning and design. After obtaining supplies, Monica hosted several work parties to complete the project, and organized a group to help deliver and install it at Kendal.

Staci F.

Newark, Delaware

“If human beings are percieved as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather than dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities.” —Barbara Bush

Staci has been actively involved in the disability community as a youth advocate and feels that girls with disabilities should have the opportunity to do, learn, and grow from Girl Scouting. For this reason, she started Troop Soar (Troop 22, SU 40) at Delcastle Technical High School for girls with mild intellectual disabilities. Troop activities have included making blankets for Project Linus, going to Camp Grove Point for a weekend, and selling cookies. Upcoming projects inlcude earning their Creative Cooking Interest Project Patch and earning prerequisites for the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Rebecca J.

Wilmington, Delaware

“Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings a tune without the words and never stops…at all.  —Emily Dickinson

Having been active in the Kendal at Longwood community, Rebecca chose to study the increase in resident falls at the facility. She learned that a new, well shaded wing of the health center had been built within the past several years. The daylight orientation of the wing plus new high intensity lighting had combined to generate shadows that impaired residents’ ability to see their way around rooms. Among the changes implemented were the introduction of compact fluorescent light bulbs and regular checks of lighting functionality. Data analysis showed that the residents with the new lighting system experienced fewer falls.

Natalie J.

Seaford, Delaware

“You cannot deny laughter. When it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants.” —Stephen King

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Natalie created the Marshy Hope Fire Circle at Camp ESPA in Rhodesdale, Maryland. She created the fire circle out of rocks coming from Frederick, Maryland, built benches, cleared invasive and non-native brush blocking the encroaching river and cleaned up debris left behind.

Her project is hoped to benefit the community with an enriching outdoor environment for adults and children alike, bringing them together with memories and laughter.

Samantha K.

Wilmington, Delaware

Samantha helped rennovate St. Stephen’s food pantry in Wilmington, Delaware. The pantry and client areas were cleaned and painted, shelves were hung to help with storage, the carpets were shampooed, and containers purchased for additional storage. Food, can openers, and re-usable grocery bags were collected. The grocery bags were tagged with a pantry “wish list” and are continuously being filled by local churches and community organizations, then returned to the pantry to help fill the shelves with food.

Samantha chose this project because individuals and families need food everyday, not just around the holidays. She also wanted to help make the community more aware of their food pantry’s needs.

Rebecca L.

Bear, Delaware

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Rebecca held a May Day celebration for the New Castle County community at Holy Spirit Church. It was a fun-filled day for the community, free of charge.

She worked on the project with three other Girl Scouts, Kelly B., Caroline W. and Paige O. Each girl had her own responsibilities to make the May Day, a success. Rebecca was in charge of the entertainment, including the local fire company, clown, moon bounce and several other children’s activities.

Paige O.

Bear, Delaware

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Paige held a May Day celebration for the New Castle County community at Holy Spirit Church.

She worked on the project with three other Girl Scouts, Rebecca L., Kelly B. and Caroline W. Each girl had their own responsibilities to make the May Day a success. Paige was in charge of the food, including hot dogs, chips, drinks, candy and cotton candy. All food was free of charge.

Suvidha P.

Bear, Delaware

“Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt to you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.” —Nehru

Ever since elementary school, Suvidha has been fascinated by the field of dentistry. It was no surprise that her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Smiles for the Homeless- A Dental Awareness Project, incorporated that interest. She was excited to help people and learn about a future career. Her project had two major components. First, she and two dental hygienists gave a dental hygiene presentation to first and second graders at Caravel Academy. Second, she conducted a community wide dental supply drive and donated over 150 items to Sojourner’s Place. After competing her project, she said “I could not help but smile.”

Katherine S.

Easton, Maryland

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” —Harold R. McAlindon

Katherine created and organized a computer database for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Talbot County’s library. CASA helps abused and neglected children by researching their situations and making assessments and recommendations to the Court about what is in the child’s best interest. The library was in need of organization of the CASA program’s hundreds of books, articles, tapes, and DVDs to make them easier to locate. Katherine picked out software for the program to use and entered all their materials. She also shelved everything in a way that helped the CASA volunteers find resources more quickly.

Elizabeth S.

Atlantic, Virginia

Elizabeth developed an interactive nature trail at Camp Occohannock. Activities range from tree identification to weather observation to hermit crab walking.
Camp Occohannock is a ministry of the United Methodist Church on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The facility provides summer camps but it is also utilized by many other groups throughout the year.

Elizabeth attended summer camp there and wanted to give back to the camp. Her trail is available to provide environmental education to anyone who walks it.

Victoria V.

Wilmington, Delaware

“Everything happens for a reason. Every action has a reaction. Always remember that what’s meant to be will always find a way to come about.”— Unknown

Victoria’s project, Creating a Loving and Learning Environment, focused on redecorating the bathroom and play/classroom of Mom’s House, a local organization that provides childcare for single parents still in school. Her goal was to help the staff of Mom’s House deal with the ordinary wear and tear of a children’s environment and also make the area more visually stimulating for the children. She repainted the bathroom and playroom and included letters and numbers on the walls so the teachers could use the space to teach the children creatively.

Carolyn W.

New Castle, Delaware

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Caroline held a May Day celebration for the New Castle community at the Holy Spirit Church. She worked on her project with three other girls, Kelly B., Rebecca L. and Paige O.

Each girl had her own responsibilities to make the May Day celebration a success. Caroline was in charge of all the games, including ring toss, pick-a-duck, clown toss and relay racing. No one left without a prize, and she was happy to be able to offer all this to the community at
no charge.