2021 Gold Award Ceremony

Saturday, June 5, 2021 Camp Addisone Boyce Tomkins Cove, NY

Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson, Inc. Board of Directors

Officers: Fay Casatuta-President Carol Vergara-First Vice President Christina Ho-Second Vice President Jolene Borell-Treasurer Barbara Londa-Secretary

Members at Large: Kim Barnett Michael Bruno Nicole Canada Cathy Corbin Christine Drasba Lisa Gariolo Molly McGarity Michele Pollack-Rich Anna May Wiede Ariel Yarmus Jean Zappia

Marie Reger - Chief Executive Officer Ex-Officio Our Mission

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

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 widely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout! Helping Eagles Soar: A Brief History of Girl Scouting’s Highest Award by Jean Havens, GSHH Museum

The highest girl award in Girl Scouting has changed its name often in the past 109 years. In- terestingly, the 1913 handbook, How Girls Can Help their Country, listed a British Girl Guide award, the Silver Fish, as the highest award in Girl Scouting. However, no girl in the United States ever earned this recognition.

Using the Silver Fish award as a model, Juliette Low developed the first official highest award for American Girl Scouts, the Golden Eaglet of Merit, in 1916. To earn this award, known simply as the Golden Eaglet, a girl had to complete fourteen proficiency badges from a list of seventeen. The award came with a red, white, and blue ribbon. Fewer than 50 Girl Scouts earned this award before it was redesigned in 1919.

The first five Golden Eaglet awards were presented to girls at the National Girl Scout con- vention and rally in Washington, DC on May 4, 1919. These awards were red, white, and blue ribbons that served as substitutes for the medals which were only in the production stage at that point. Later that year, the actual gold-filled medal were made available nationwide. The Golden Eaglet medal was designed by sculptor Laura Fardin-Fraser who also designed the doors for the West Point Library. In 1930, the gold-filled medals were replaced by 10K gold pins and ultimately, between 1918 and 1939, 10,658 Golden Eaglets were presented to outstanding Girl Scouts throughout the country.

Proud of the scope of this inaugural award, Juliette Low wrote in 1923: “The five require- ments for winning the Golden Eaglet are character, health, handicraft, happiness, and ser- vice, and that other will expect to find in our Golden Eaglets a perfect specimen of girlhood: mentally, morally, and physically.”

Introduced as an arc-shaped patch embroidered in gold thread, the Curved Bar Award succeeded the Golden Eaglet as the highest girl award in 1940. It was presented to Interme- diate Girl Scouts who had attained First Class rank and was worn just above the First Class emblem. In the fall of 1947, the patch was replaced by a Curved Bar pin. Its design incor- porated the First Class pin resting on a curved bar, and it was gold-plated and enameled in red and green. The Curved Bar rank continued until 1963 when the national Girl Scout program was divided into four age levels: Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, and Seniors. At that time, the requirements for achieving First Class were determined to be challenging enough to equal those for Curved Bar, so First Class became the highest award in Girl Scouting and remained so from 1963 through 1980. From 1963 to 1977, to achieve the First Class recognition a girl had to complete the four Challenges presented by the Cadette-level program: the Challenge of Social Dependabil- ity, the Challenge of Emergency Preparedness, the Challenge of Active Citizenship, and the Challenge of the Girl Scout Promise. She also had to complete a badge in each of the following areas: arts, home, citizenship, out-of-doors, health and safety, and international friendship. Additional Challenges were introduced in 1972, offering even more options for girls striving to attain First Class.

The Girl Scout Gold Award was introduced in 1980 as the highest award for Senior Girl Scouts. The award’s requirements involved the completion on a combination of interest, leadership, career exploration, and service projects. It also required girls to demonstrate ability and skill in: goal setting, planning, putting values into action, and relating to the community. Although requirements have been changed and modified through the years since its introduction, the Gold Award remains the highest recognition for Girl Scouts today.

Thank You Gold Award Mentors!

Gold Award Mentors are the incredible volunteers who have been trained by our council to assist girls in becoming Gold Award Girl Scouts.

These mentors put forth a tremendous amount of time and dedication to Gold Award Girl Scouts. They attend monthly meetings, approve projects, act as a constant re- source, answer questions, lend a hand, and ensure the Gold Award requirements for each project are fulfilled to GSUSA and Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson standards.

It is their tireless work, long hours, open ears, and gentle guidance that help mold Gold Award Girl Scouts into strong, independent leaders who become courageous and optimistic world-changers. They show by example what it takes to make the world a better place.

Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson cannot thank these volunteers enough for their commitment, and hope that you will join us in extending your gratitude to all the Gold Award Mentors today and always, as we celebrate the 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson, Inc. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Sara Adler For her Gold Award project, Sara addressed how corporations Spackenkill Service Unit and society views boys baseball leagues as a more substantial Troop #10123 investment than girls softball leagues. She raised money and erected two scoreboards to minimize the gap she saw between Leveling the Playing Field the boys fields and the girls fields.

Katie is passionate about playing golf, but noticed there were few Katherine Asciutto of her peers interested in playing and even less interest among Scarsdale/Edgemont girls and disadvantaged youth. Katie partnered with after-school Service Unit programs in Mount Vernon to offer activities introducing the Troop #2105 sport of golf and its benefits to disadvantaged kids and younger One Swing at a Time Girl Scouts.

For her project, Emily built pollinator-friendly gardens in pub- Emily Attinger lic parks and crated workshops for younger Girl Scouts to learn about pollinators. For each garden, Emily constructed a butterfly West Lakeland Service Unit house where butterflies can shelter, and a bee hotel where soli- Troop #2011 tary bees can lay their eggs. Emily also weeded and planted na- Pollinator Power tive wildflowers and tree saplings. The gardens are a safe haven for pollinators, providing them with areas for rest and rehabilita- tion, so they can continue helping local gardens and farms. Alyssa Brundage Alyssa’s project focused on honoring veterans and their legacies. West Lakeland Service Unit To do this, she gathered teams of volunteers to clean veteran Troop #2011 plaques at Assumption Cemetery. Alyssa and her team cleaned all Veteran Cemetery 1,000 plaques and she has begun situating other troops to contin- ue this effort at other cemeteries. She hosted virtual workshops Beautification Project sharing the importance of government and mediation.

Nicole Bugliosi Nicole’s Gold Award project helped senior citizens by teaching Croton Service Unit them how to use technology. Once the pandemic hit, she adjusted Troop #2450 to a virtual program. Nicole observed the seniors that she was Geeks for Grannies and working with were lonely and created a pen-pal system for the senior residents to help with the isolation of the pandemic. Grampies Nicole’s main focus for her Gold Award project was the increased Nicole Byrnes stress of the current state of the world. Kids of all ages are kept North Salem Service Unit indoors and required to be on Zoom classes all hours throughout Troop #1065 the day. Nicole wanted to see kids outside and taking a break from technology. She created a fishing booth at Rockefeller State Park to Tackle Anything! learn proper fishing skills and educate them about wildlife inter- action between fish and the food chain, as well as proper fishing equipment disposal methods. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

For her project, Mary-Kate met with various Girl Scout troops and Mary-Kate Chanowsky local community members where she discussed the history of the Greater Fishkill Service Unit Ronald McDonald House and assembled in total over 450 Grab- Troop #10428 and-Go Bags for the residents of the House. These groups were Raising Awareness for also brought down to the Ronald McDonald House located on Premature Infants at the grounds of Westchester Medical Center to participate in the Ronald McDonald House House’s ‘Meals that Heal’ program. Under Mary-Kate’s leadership, these groups planned, shopped for, and cooked healthy meals for the program. Mary-Kate also held collection drives to stock the pantry at the Ronald McDonald House and to make care bags for the families staying there. Since the Maria Fareri Children’s Hos- pital is a premier hospital for premature babies, Mary-Kate also recruited volunteers to make over 130 crochet octopuses for the premature babies currently at the hospital. The tentacles of these octopuses mimic the feel of an umbilical cord, which draws the baby to hold onto them instead of the tubes they are hooked up to. Due to her efforts and the success of her project, the Ronald McDonald House has seen a significant increase in the numbers of volunteers participating in the Meals That Heal program pre-COVID. Mary-Kate chose to work with the Ronald McDonald House because her brother is a cancer survivor, and she knows firsthand how much a helping hand when a loved one is sick can mean. Catherine Coffino For her Girl Scout Gold Award, Cate created For Girls, By Girls to Chappaqua Service Unit emphasize the importance of talking about the struggles many quietly endure alone. For Girls, By Girls is a program that provides Troop #2221 a safe space for freshman girls to talk about issues that occur in For Girls, By Girls their academic, social, and family lives. To provide support and facilitate conversations, Cate brought in a guidance counselor to participate, and recruited upperclassmen to join and share their struggles. The group discusses the importance of addressing inner conflicts and how ignoring them can result in becoming overwhelmed and make people far less effective in their lives.

Olivia Conlin For her Gold Award project, Olivia created a patriotic project Mahopac Service Unit called “Our Hometown Heroes” for her town that honors vet- Troop #2655 erans. The project involves someone sponsoring a veteran for a banner to be printed and hung throughout the town on utility Our Hometown Heroes poles. The sponsor must provide a photo and information about the veteran. Please enjoy seeing the banners, and it is bringing her community together by having the street lined with patriotic banners. These beautiful banners are providing the recognition these veterans deserve.

Eva Czukkermann For her project, Eva built four benches made out of Philippine Arlington Service Unit Mahogany that were placed around the fire pit at her church. Troop #10500 These benches encourage church members to use the fire pit. Throughout her project implementation process, Eva was able Fire Pit Bench to learn, use, and improve many skills including woodworking, Construction for carpentry, financial planning, communication, leadership, and St. Gregory Orthodox organization. Church 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Jacqueline Davis Jacqueline’s Gold Award project addressed self-esteem and the Ossining Service Unit idea of a positive body image. She wanted girls to increase their Troop #2045 confidence levels and feel better about themselves. Her main goal was to help girls build positivity and improve their relationships Awesome Ends With Me with themselves. Her target audience was girls of junior and ca- dette troops. She believes that if a girl learns to accept herself and others at a younger age, she is more likely to continue doing so as she gets older. Elizabeth DeFazio Elizabeth sought to bring her community together during the Washingtonville current crisis. She created a remembrance garden for those who died during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was designed to be a place Service Unit for people to go and reflect and pray. She also organized a virtual Troop #493 5K to get people outside to run and walk to promote physical and Pandemic Remembrance mental health during quarantine. Participants did their 5Ks in different places during a given time window on the same day in order to honor social distancing. People were encouraged to wear t-shirts showing who they were honoring. Alina DelVecchio Alina created and designed a new library for the orchestra pro- Spackenkill Service Unit gram at her school, FDR in Hyde Park. The old system was rusty Troop #10123 cabinets with horizontal drawers that were outdated and not a good use of space. To improve organization, she built new cab- FDR Orchestra inets, created a new organizational system, and created a new Music Library labeling system. Unlike the old system, Alina’s system is more manageable. She took the time and effort to alphabetize the books as well.

Diana DiVestea Diana’s Gold Award project addressed the financial stress on North Salem Service Unit families who have sick children with financial support to attend Troop #1144 summer camp. She created bags to provide children with items to make their summer camp experience better. Summer Sacks Annabelle’s Gold Award project addressed pollution, use of pesti- Annabelle Donnelly cides, and lack of flowers for bees to pollinate. Bees are facing an Scarsdale/Edgemont extreme population decline due to the use of pesticides and other Service Unit harmful pollutants. Annabelle addressed the issue by encourag- ing younger troops to educate their parents and family about the Troop #1945 negative consequences of the use of pesticides. She also planted Save the Bees native flowers. Erica interviewed local veterans and designed a book of their stories. The audiotapes of the interviews were accepted to the Li- Erica Dunne brary of Congress. To share these audiotapes with a larger audi- Chappaqua Service Unit ence and raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project, she cre- Troop #1029 ate the website newcastleveterans.org. She used the stories from the veterans as well as interactive materials she made to create Stories of the Veterans a kids and vets program to teach elementary students about the of New Castle origins of Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day. Hearing that many veterans received no thanks upon arriving home, she created her town’s first Veteran’s Day celebration, which drew over 150 peo- ple and included a veteran panel. In November 2020, in lieu of an in-person celebration, in partnership with the American Legion Department of New York, she created Stand Up for Veterans, an event where New Yorkers sang or played the national anthem at 7 PM. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Little Orphan Animals Adoption Center is dedicated to finding cats Catarina Duraes of all ages their forever homes. Catarina visited the shelter and Putnam Valley Service Unit noticed that the facade was not very welcoming for potential pet Juliette Girl Scout parents. She also thought they could benefit substantially from Beautifying Community a new versatile adoption day banner. She successfully repaired Cat Shelter and repainted the facade with a more appealing color as well as a custom-made multipurpose banner to hand at adoption events, cat shows, and other venues. Her contributions helped to increase foot traffic and adoption rates at the shelter.

Cara Fagelman As both a Girl Scout and a JROTC Cadet, Cara has spent time Stony Point Service Unit in community service with veterans and has seen how import- Troop #40470 ant their Posts are to providing needed emotional support. Cara You Served, You Earned: contacted the Leo Laders American Legion Post 130 and met with A Bocce Ball Court for members to see what kind of project would enhance their Post American Legion Post 30 and add to the social experience the veterans have there. They asked for a bocce ball court to be added to their picnic area. Cara researched, designed, obtained supplies, and led a team of help- ers in building the bocce ball court. She fund raised for supplies by designing t-shirts that she sold to the community and at Girl Scout citizenship badge workshops which she held for troops ranging from brownies to seniors. At these workshops, she was able to teach the values of citizenship and promote community support for veterans while leading girls in their badge require- ments.

Julia Gaughan Julia noticed that at the Hudson River Rowing Association (HRRA) Sylvan Hills Service Unit boathouse in Poughkeepsie, there were often unwanted visitors Juliette Girl Scout who drove up on the concrete walkway late at night and damaged Protect the HRRA the property by doing donuts with their cars and using the dock Boathouse without a proper license. Before her project, there was no barrier between the boathouse and the road so people were able to drive onto the private property owned by Vassar College. She placed posts around the perimeter of the boathouse to promote the safety of rowers at the boathouse at all times. Her project also prevents people from vandalizing the boathouse property.

Kaitlyn Gazzara Kaitlyn created online resources for young female students to Pearl River Service Unit further their education in science, technology, engineering, and Troop #40125 math (STEM) topics. She created informative resources about the Homegrown STEM history of women in STEM as well as compiled research about some of the most influential female leaders in various STEM fields. She created infographics about their achievements in an easy-to-read format. She also created fun ways for the girls to learn about the basics of STEM to incite their interest in the topic. Through her Gold Award project, she encouraged young girls to realize that they can not only become well versed in principles of STEM, but that these seemingly sophisticated topics can be enjoyable as well. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Cayla Gona For Cayla’s Gold Award project, she worked with her local parks Putnam Valley Service Unit department to paint a bike pad to help young children learn to Troop #1372 ride bikes in a safe environment. She created a sign to help chil- dren learn about safe biking practices. She strives to bring her Bike Pad community together by creating a space where parents could watch their children learn and have fun riding their bikes.

Kathleen Hall Kathleen’s Gold Award project addressed the absence in her Northern Dutchess community for a place where residents could responsibly recycle Service Unit special items that should be collected separately. She organized and built a drop off center for specialized recycling of items such Troop #10479 as nutrition packaging, Brita filters, oral care packaging, razors, Recycling Center for stationary, and corks. The existence of the recycling center raises Special Material awareness in the community of the importance of recycling.

Anna Hallac Anna noticed that many amputees are unable to afford prosthet- Chappaqua Service Unit ics due to the lack of affordable healthcare. She organized girls to work on building prosthetics by attending problem solving work- Troop #2221 shops and using 3D printers. They produced 15 hand prosthetics Lending a Hand to Foster which were distributed globally. This not only helped address the Interest in STEM need for prosthetics but also helped inspire girls to be interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Amy Hu Amy noticed that during the pandemic, those suffering from Scarsdale/Edgemont homelessness were particularly impacted. Since many shelters Service Unit had to close due to quarantine rules, the showering facilities at those shelter had shut down and the homeless were not able to Juliette Girl Scout use them. A local food pantry stepped up and would provide the Shower Service for the shower service to them, but badly needed the shower supplies to Homeless improve the hygienic condition for the homeless by collecting and providing new shower supplies and a large supply of new under- garments and clothes. She also added food and drinks to compli- ment the shower service. The initial event was very successful, and the team decided to host events regularly.

Juliette Intrieri Juliette’s project addressed the need for running shoes for youth North Salem Service Unit that may not have the means to purchase them. She organized Troop #2527 a sneaker recycling program and also educated kids and teens about choosing healthy foods. Running on Healthy Fuels

Ashley Jakubowicz Ashley’s Gold Award project addressed the large environmental Scarsdale/Edgemont impact of the fashion industry. She addressed the issue through Service Unit educational programming and through projects reusing old juice pouches by turning them into wallets. She led sessions for other Troop #19410 Girl Scout troops, family members, through the Youth Passion Clothes for the Needy Project, and at library events. She taught these events for people ranging from kindergartners to senior citizens. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Stephanie Kasulka Stephanie created a pollinator pathway at Round Rock Preserve Chappaqua Service Unit which helped restore the environment by creating an area for Troop #1029 wildlife. She planted native plants to support bee populations. She educated others about environmental topics and helping Pollinator Pathway at bees. Round Rock Preserve

Kamryn started a 10-week virtual baking program at ANDRUS, Kamryn Keating a residential home in Yonkers. The girls who she worked with at Eastchester Service Unit ANDRUS require emotional and behavioral support, so baking Troop #1464 was a way for them to take their minds off of stress and enjoy Baking Program at themselves. Each week they met over Zoom to bake a new treat together, and the girls had a lot of fun. She provided them with ANDRUS Residential all the ingredients, supplies, and equipment for each recipe by Center fundraising and seeking donations from local businesses. She gave the girls instructional videos for each recipe and their own cookbooks so they could continue to bake in the future.

Elsa wanted to help the organization Stray Dogs of Armenia, which saves dogs from the streets of Armenia and helps reha- bilitate them to find them loving homes, with the costs of trans- porting the dogs to their new homes. Elsa worked to connect Elsa Kevorkian Stray Dogs of Armenia with people traveling back to the US from Chappaqua Service Unit Armenia in hopes that they are willing to bring these dogs to their Troop #2221 forever homes. She created a website for Stray Dogs of Armenia to Bring Them Home allow for social sharing and brand discovery, allowing the organi- zation to access potential advocates, volunteers, and people willing to adopt. She also created a blog, held Zoom webinars to discuss her project and advocate for the organization, and held a donation drive to provide for the animals in her community. At the end of her project, she managed to get 6 dogs adopted, provide over 200 necessary goods to animal shelters, educate over 60 people virtu- ally on the socio-economic situation in Armenia and the effect on the dogs, and reach people in over 6 countries through the website she created.

Stephanie designed and painted a 20 square foot religious mural on five wood panels and donated it to Our Lady of Lourdes High Stephanie Lehner School so that everyone (administration, faculty, staff, visitors to the school, and future generations of Lourdeans) could experi- Dutchess Tri Valley ence the joy through the religious representation of the Cross. She Service Unit named it “The Greatest Love” to depict Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice Troop #10105 and his undying love for each and every one of us. For the leader- “The Greatest Love” ship portion of her project, she held several virtual art classes to teach girls how to construct and design pop-up cards and demon- strated how to make step-by-step drawings. She then hand-deliv- ered these pop-up cards along with several that she made to local hospitals as a thank you to medical professionals for their contin- ued hard work during the coronavirus pandemic. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

In the college admissions process, there is an uneven playing field favoring the more affluent and wealthy, particularly with the ex- pensive costs of private tutors and counselors, prep courses, and Kathy Li review books. Kathy’s project tackled this greater systemic issue on a more local scale by providing free college admission and entry Croton Service Unit exam resources to students at her local high school. She organized Troop #2450 a yearly drive to collect second-hand review books with her high Free Resources for College school’s library, implemented an “office hours” program for stu- Admissions Exams and dents to ask their teachers for help on exam questions, and set the Admissions Process up a page on the school’s website for additional study resources. Additionally, she worked alongside her school’s vice principal and head of the local Parent Teacher Association to create a college interview workshop for students to create cover letters and re- sumes, simulate a one-on-one interview, and gain advice from HP professionals. To ensure a greater impact, she also consulted other high school libraries in her county to create and provide similar resources for the college admissions process.

For her project, Emily hand-painted over 120 reusable bags and Emily Lyons printed brochures on Dutchess County’s plastic bag ban along Northern Dutchess with tips on how to better incorporate reusable items into your Service Unit life. She then handed them out to her community at her local gro- Troop #10479 cery store. At the time, her county had decided to pass a plastic Helping the Planet: One bag ban, which would result in more paper bag use. Although pa- per is better than plastic, it still cuts down millions of trees each Bag at a Time year. Emily’s goal was to educate her community on switching strictly to reusable bags to help stop future waste. She believes protecting the environment is the most important task of her generation, and that is why she chose to focus her Gold Award on helping her community and the environment.

Anna Marcotte Northern Dutchess Ana noticed that the Watts de Peyster monument on North Road Service Unit in Tivoli wasn’t easily accessible or presentable to the public. Her Troop #10199 project made the monument more accessible to the residents and Watts de Peyster visitors of Tivoli. She also cleared up the area and added some landscaping to bring more positive attention to it. Monument Revitalization 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Grace Maresca Grace’s Gold Award project’s purpose was to lift and brighten White Plains Service Unit the holidays for the people who live in poverty in the programs Troop #2206 founded at Lifting Up Westchester. For Thanksgiving and Christ- Brighter Days mas, Grace put together over 65 food bags to provide the less fortunate a meal to enjoy and share for the holidays since, for some, the holidays can be the most challenging times of the year. The bags contained holiday sides, a reusable bag, a positive mes- sage, and a $25 food gift card (for meats). The money to buy the supplies came from a Burger King Fundraiser she hosted with the help of friends, family, and fellow Girl Scouts. After preparing and working donation drives to get the supplies, the packaged programs: Open Arms Men’s Shelter, Grace’s Kitchen, Samaritan House Women’s shelter, and many more. Grace inspired these people to know that there are truly brighter days ahead of them, as well as teach both younger and children my age the impor- tance of giving back to the community.

Madison Martabano Madison partnered with Fostering Hope Together to put together North Salem Service Unit 20 school backpacks full of school supplies for foster care chil- Troop #1054 dren in elementary, middle, and high school. She also made 50 comfort cases that consisted of necessities and fun items for chil- Kits for Kids dren of all age groups from infants to teens that are in or entering the foster care system.

Delia Martin Delia created a music program at her local YMCA after-school Somers Service Unit program in order to introduce piano/music to children who may not experience music lessons in elementary school due to school Troop #1472 budget constraints. The program consisted of weekly semi-pri- Music Mentors vate piano lessons for 18 1st and 2nd graders. She recorded a few demonstrations of several instruments (harp, piano, ukulele) for the children to view. Due to COVID, she scheduled a Zoom recital, and gave the children songbooks with her own arrangements of classic beginner songs. She was very proud of her students, who each were able to reach a bit of music and play their songs at the recital. In order to sustain her project, she gave a presentation to her high school Music National Honor Society (MNHS) members who were interested in continuing the project. She also created a program guide for both the MNHS and the local YMCA, who serves several school districts.

Erin McCabe Erin’s Gold Award project sought to help veterans in her commu- Pearl River Service Unit nity. She made deliveries of essential groceries and supplies to Troop #40125 homebound elderly veterans during the hight of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also constructed and installed a custom wooden Support & Remember screen door at the Legion Hall since the old door was in disrepair Heroes in our Mist and made access for the veterans more difficult. She organized the construction, painting, assembly, and installation of an American flag monument for the side of the Legion building. The flag monument received great feedback from the veterans. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

For her Gold Award project, Hannah helped the stewards of Hannah McDonough Overlook Mountain paint over graffiti at the historical ruins of Kingston Service Unit the mountain house so that it could still uphold its historical re- Troop #60033 mains. She then helped volunteer to be a steward for the day so Not All Who Wander that she could help inform others about trail safety and wildlife Are Lost up there. She saw their old overlook sign that showed people where to go was missing, so she painted a new one that was col- orful so no one could miss it to help make sure they stay on the trail. Hannah also made a video about trail safety and what to do if you get lost on the trail.

Maeve McGroary Maeve researched healthy relationships so she could create a Katonah/Lewisboro pamphlet to educate high school students about how to rec- Service Unit ognize unhealthy relationships and how to defend themselves against dangerous circumstances. She distributed her pamphlets Troop #2179 throughout her school and hung up posters to advertise for sev- Self Defense and eral self-defense classes she instructed as well as recorded and Healthy Relationship posted on YouTube. Guide

Grace’s Gold Award project improved the walkway to the Art and Grace McLeod Music entrance at Arlington High School. She leveled the ground Arlington Service Unit to make sure water can access the drain easily, and she created a Troop #10062 swall to help the water move along to the drain. Additionally, she Beautification of Art took steps to beautify the area to represent the artistic communi- and Music Entrance ty of Arlington High School by planting trees, plants, and install- ing lights.

Even in the world’s greatest food-producing nation, children and adults face poverty and hunger in every county across Ameri- ca. Mimosa selected this topic because she has seen the effects Mimosa Medeiros of hunger within her community. She wanted to help the Hope New Rochelle Service Unit Soup Kitchen and the people who depend on it. She also wanted Troop #2077 to spread awareness about world hunger and food insecurity in Rise Against Hunger the United States. For the first part of her Gold Award, she paint- ed and refurbished the Hope Soup Kitchen. An artist painted a beautiful mural to help liven the dining area and make it feel like home. She had a great team of friends, family, and fellow Girl Scouts that helped make this event possible. For the second part of her Gold Award project, she created a website to teach young Girl Scouts that helped make this event possible. For the third part of her Gold Award, she packed 100 takeaway bags for the Hope Soup Kitchen that included a sandwich, snack, and water bottle. She also decorated the bags and added a sticky note on each sandwich that had a positive message. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

The objective of Caroline’s Gold Award project was to plant to Caroline Michailoff two pollinator gardens in communal spaces; one in the village of Pelham Service Unit Pelham at the Highline and the other at Veterans Park in Pelham Juliette Girl Scout Manor. She also created a blog about her experience, planning Pollinator Native Plant and conducting research about her Gold Award. She educated Garden younger Girl Scouts about the importance of pollinators, got them involved by planting seeds at home, conducted a butterfly release at one of the gardens, and educated them about how they can help pollinators. She created and published a YouTube video and newspaper articles about a legislative bill created by state sena- tor Alessandra Biaggi after meeting with her to discuss how she could help with the bill. Her bill, S407, relates to the preservation of honeybee colonies.

Nina Milgrim With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Nina felt the need to help Kingston Service Unit her community. Her project was intended to reach throughout Troop #60033 her community and help distribute sanitary items to those who either needed more or wanted more during this difficult time. It Bear With Me was intended to spread awareness of the disease at hand and to make sure everyone had supplies to stay safe.

Sarah’s Gold Award project dealt with new parents facing not being able to afford all of the necessary supplies when they have Sarah Modesitt a baby. They often don’t have all of the resources that they need, which can be difficult, especially with a new child. She organized Eastchester Service Unit groups including the Children and Daughters of the Revolution Troop #1511 and the local knitting group. Each group that assisted her with Making Baby Blankets her project was taught how to make a baby blanket, and she provided them with instructions so they would be able to utilize these skills later on. She donated over 95 blankets to Bundles of Joy. These blankets will be given to parents who need them and will contribute to the materials that Bundles of Joy usually dis- tributes. The project will be sustained by the knitting group at the Bronxville Public Library. The contributed 15 blankets to my project and agreed to take over my project.

Casey Moran Casey’s Gold Award project helped the animal shelter provide a Stony Point Service Unit comfortable environment for the animals and helped animals Juliette Girl Scout find homes. Casey made a video for the website and made beds and toys for the cats. Along with the video, she also made a pam- Lending a Helping Paw phlet about how to create more beds and toys which she gave to the shelter. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Isabelle Nokland For her Gold Award project, Isabelle organized a series of fund- Montgomery/Marion Wilde raisers to give back her local church to repair the ceiling. Service Unit Juliette Girl Scout New Ceiling Project

Katrina Olsen Katrina’s project was about bringing awareness to the lack of Somers Service Unit wildflowers in the area. Having few wildflowers effects biodi- Troop #1458 versity and pollinator populations, which in turn effects our Buzzy Bee Butterfly food. She made and taught others how to make seed bombs Garden while bringing awareness to these problems.

Gabriella M. Orlando Gabriella taught young girls to use mindfulness and breathing techniques to help control anxiety and stress and build their self Little Tor/Woodglen esteem. She wanted to empower young preteen girls to take con- Service Unit trol of their feelings and fears. Her project will remain sustainable Troop #40027 through her project advisor who will continue to use her resourc- Using Mindfulness to es at the school where she is a social worker, as well as the Girl Help with Anxiety & Scout Troop 40665 who will also run portions of the project for Stress in Preteen Girls their troop and the other Girl Scout Troops.

For her Gold Award, Gabriela wanted to focus on the issue of bul- lying by promoting behaviors that would help prevent this while also spreading awareness. She worked mostly with younger kids as it is easier to teach them kindness and inclusivity in order to Gabriela Orlando promote a way of thinking that would hopefully prevent bullying Scarsdale/Edgemont all together. She hosted workshops with activities such as kind- Service Unit ness jars, where each girl would write a compliment about every- Troop #1945 one at their table and put it in their jar. She also wanted to show Encourage and Inspire how common bullying is to make them understand how big of a Kids problem it is as well as show them nobody is alone in what they are going though. She did this in various ways such as having conversations with the girls about their experiences and host- ing a movie night in which they watched an anti-bullying film. To widen her impact to older kids, she made a lesson plan about bullying for a peer group at her school. Finally, all the money she fund raised throughout her project was used to purchase vinyl posters that she put up in the bathrooms at Springhurst Elemen- tary in order to promote kindness and positivity.

Rose Phillips For her Gold Award, Rose built a Resource Room in her town’s Minisink Service Unit new Youth Center. This provides an area that benefits every- Troop #105 one and provides needed programs to her community. She has recruited volunteers for free tutoring nights, activity/craft days, Mount Hope Resource and informational events. She held fundraising events and met Room: Growing Our with local businesses and organizations to help provide the Community donations needed for the room. She included a sensory corner that has sensory objects (wall play panel, books, games, etc.) for children of all ages and all spectrums of Autism. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Hayden Plattus For her Gold Award, Hayden taught girls how to sew by hand and Scarsdale/Edgemont sewing machine while providing patients in the children’s ward Service Unit with small blankets that they can cuddle up with then they have to leave all their possessions at home. During a time of anxiety, it Troop #1945 is important for children to have a piece of security to calm them Stitching Up Loose Ends down and make them feel more comforted and relaxed.

Rebecca Pomerantz The goal of Rebecca’s project was to help bring awareness to Monroe-Woodbury people that are interested in getting a dog and the importance of Service Unit adoring a dog from shelters. Troop #108 #RescuedandLoved

Jacqueline Praino Jacqueline’s Gold Award project centered around building aware- ness for current environmental issues. It not only educated Greenburgh/Elmsford younger Girl Scouts about deforestation and plastic in the oceans Service Unit through hands-on programming, but also shared the information Troop #2206 with younger students through a series of education videos. Go How to be Environmen- green and remember to always do your part in making the world tally Friendly a better place!

Shannon’s Gold Award project raised awareness that testing Shannon Purcell beauty products on animals is bad. She wanted to educate con- Larchmont/Mamaroneck sumers about the many beauty products on the market that don’t Service Unit harm animals. With so many beauty products on the market that Troop #2975 don’t test on animals, there is really no reason to use those that Beauty Shouldn’t Hurt do. It saves animals’ lives and people look great using non-animal tested beauty products.

Rachel addressed the fact that the before and after school pro- Rachel Raguso gram Kids Experience of Mt. Pleasant was in need of a usable space for children where they could have access to books of all Mount Pleasant kinds. With the installation of the reading nook, children of all Service Unit ages will experience a comfortable environment where they can Troop #2978 read, draw, and write with their peers. She began to research and Reading Nook realized how many other organizations could benefit from her project, outside of her community, even in other countries. This made her expand her goal which made her meet so many new like-minded people who work towards children’s literacy world- wide.

Lauren’s Gold Award project addresses the issue of declining bee Lauren Rappa populations. This issue is amplified due to loss of habitat and Chappaqua Service Unit other things like pesticides. She created a home and a space for Troop #2221 bees to live at a local park. The project increased community The Pollinator Project awareness about the issues related to population decline and cre- ated a visible spot for continued education. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Hannah’s project focused on providing emotional help to area high school students. She created bookmarks that included infor- Hannah Recine mation on Support Connection (a not-for-profit organization that Somers Service Unit provides emotions, social, and educational support to women, Troop #1451 their families, and friends affected by breast and ovarian cancer). Raising Awareness for She delivered these bookmarks to high school counselors who Students in Need of put them on their desks for students to take. She then created a Cancer Support presentation about coping with stress and available resources for teens. She presented this on Zoom to multiple area high school- ers.

Olivia’s Gold Award project addressed several environmental and Olivia Reduto recycling issues. She spread information about reducing the use Scarsdale/Edgemont of single-use plastic bags and complying with the new law in Service Unit New York State. She also taught others how to recycle old t-shirts Troop #2105 by making them into bags. She encouraged people to fill the bags Building Better Bags: with gently used books and then donate them, which promotes Plastic in the Past literacy while also providing free reusable bags to community members in low income areas. She also taught sewing and craft skills to children.

Shannon Rogers Shannon’s Gold Award project focused on supporting the health of Irish Dancers. She created a series of educational programs for White Plains Service Unit dancers to attend to help with preventing injuries. Troop #2160 Helping Irish Dancers Avoid Injuries

Sophie Ruhl Sophie’s Gold Award project created beautification gardens for Pleasantville Service Unit her local parish because they had a lack of funding. She had a Troop #1162 passion for the environment and she created a more inviting ap- pearance to encourage more attendance. Beautification Project

Chloe Saldanha For her Gold Award, Chloe coded a skill for the Amazon Alexa Monroe-Woodbury using node.js to teach people about Girl Scouts and for Girl Scouts Service Unit to use as a resource. Troop #640 Alexa Girl Scout Skill 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Chia addressed stress and mindfulness within schools. Her Chia Salisbury project specifically targeted high school students. She was able Yorktown Heights to teach ways to handle stress as well as ways to handle stress as Service Unit well as ways to fix what it is that’s stressing them out in the first Troop #2864 place. She conducted scientific research on what major stressors are present within high schools and then created mental health Mindfulness Education, resources which aid in addressing said issues. By creating and Mental Health, and Mak- sharing an online mental health resource, she not only created a ing a Difference new resource, but also aided in spreading awareness for currently existing mental health resources.

Kara Silverman During this pandemic, Kara realized that the stress of quarantin- West Nyack Service Unit ing and the coronavirus in general compromised a lot of people’s Troop #40167 health and nutrition. As a result, she took action in her communi- ty and led Zoom meetings, created her own recipe book, YouTube A Nutricious & Delicious channel, website, and more to benefit the public. She took great Guide to Healthy Eating pride in having the opportunity to educate and give back to her community during these uncertain times to make sure proper nutrition and healthy lifestyles continued to be a priority.

For her Girl Scout Gold Award, Jaya implemented literacy curric- ulum for Rashmi School in Katmandu, Nepal. She also created Jaya Singhal a self-sustaining pen pal program between Wooster School and Rashmi by integrating letter writing into the freshman human- North Salem Service Unit ities curriculum. In Nepal, to gain the students’ trust and atten- Troop #2527 tion before working on annotation and writing strategies, Jaya Friends with Pens had students make their own clay pends. She also had a ceremo- ny to represent the communities coming together and collected recipes from the students there to share with her school. She used colored chalk outside and created different literacy stations at Rashmi School to create a fun, interactive lesson. When she came home, she presented to her middle and upper school about the trip and her project to kick off the pen pal program.

Vanessa Spano Every mother deserves to be recognized on Mother’s Day. That White Plains Service Unit is why Vanessa cooperated with My Sister’s Place and made Troop #2206 gift bags for the mothers seeking help from the shelter. All kids should be able to give a gift to their mom on their special day. In- A Gift for Mom cluded in the gift bag was a card they could decorate to give their mother along with other goodies. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Veronica taught the 5th graders of PS 106 about the importance of communication, working together, and being confident when it Veronica Spano comes to working with power tools. She also wanted to teach the White Plains Service Unit 5th graders how participating in stage crew can open the door to Troop #2206 valuable lessons such as learning how to use tools such as drills Scenery for Cinderella and hammers and how to work with wood all while stressing the Production importance of being aware of their surroundings and watching out for the safety of other including oneself. She was able to help the 5th graders work on the backdrop as well as teaching them how to maneuver the boards.

Sarah Jane assembled a group of volunteers to work together to plant a multi-purpose pollinator garden in the Scarsdale Wein- Sarah Jane Traumer berg Nature Center. This pollinator garden provides a habit for Scarsdale/Edgemont pollinators and serves as a medium to educate visitors of the Service Unit nature center about the importance, endangerment, and ways Juliette Girl Scout to help pollinators. This pollinator garden, being the first in the Weinberg Nature Weinberg Nature Center, features a diverse selection of plants to ensure it will successfully attract and nourish generations of var- Center Pollinator ious pollinator species throughout their life cycles. The survival of Garden pollinators is dependent upon the reinstatement of the habitats that they have lost due to aggressive industrial and agricultural motivations. This pollinator garden provides these threatened pollinators with the shelter, a source of food, and a source of wa- ter that they have been deprived of or have gravely struggled to find without their habitats.

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Eileen started an annual Eileen Trotta supply drive that collected tools and other materials that were Chappaqua Service Unit donated to Habitat for Humanity in Newburgh, NY. Habitat for Troop #1029 Humanity International is a nonprofit organization that brings Habitat for Humanity families, volunteers, and resources together to build simple, de- Tool Drive cent, and affordable housing. The annual donation to this orga- nization helped to complete the constructions and renovation of these houses more efficiently.

For her Gold Award project, Jillian created a mindfulness room in Jillian Walpole her high school to promote the mental wellbeing of the students. Mount Pleasant She created this room by running a spa day for over 100 local Girl Service Unit Scouts to raise funds. During the spa day, Jillian taught these girls Troop #2978 the basics of meditation and self care. Over the following months, Mindfulness Room she collected furniture and self-help items to create a peaceful space where her classmates could go it they needed to take a mental break or just take a moment or two to themselves in the chaos of high school. 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Deborah took pictures of and read every headstone in the old Canterbury Presbyterian Church Cemetery. If the headstone was Deborah Watson difficult to read, she did a grave rubbing of it. Then she created Washingtonville a book of records for the cemetery including a map of the ceme- Service Unit tery, pictures of every headstone, the inscriptions of each head- Troop #488 stone, and any additional information she could find about the Cataloging the Cemetery individuals buried in the cemetery. She gave one book of records to the local library, one to the owner of the Dance and Music De- sign School (the property the cemetery is on belongs to the Dance and Music Design School), and she placed one record book in the cemetery in a weather-proof container she built. She also posted all of her research on findagrave.com where anyone can access it.

Aracely’s Gold Award project addressed the lack of personal care Aracely Watson and hygiene products in food pantries as well as the overall lack Misty Mountain of awareness that these items are needed by food pantries. She Service Unit ran two hygiene product drives collecting over 150 lbs. of prod- Troop #60288 ucts as well as made permanent collection boxes that were in- stalled in several locations. She increased awareness about this Helping with Hygiene issue by presenting to various groups within religious education programs. She also created posters that were displayed on the permanent collect boxed along with a handout that people could take with them.

Isabelle Woods Isabelle built and installed stretching equipment along the Her- Monroe-Woodbury itage Trail in Orange County that would benefit her community Service Unit and draw more community members to the trail. She collaborated with the Orange County Parks Department (OCPD) and the local Troop #630 YMCA to increasing the well-being of her community through Stretch the Trail physical fitness.

Gillian Zitrin Gillian’s project aimed to help give children the tools to gain confi- Scarsdale/Edgemont dence and remove stress from their lives. She held workshops Service Unit and ran activities such as yoga classes and art project such as a personal stress box where she would help the girls learn how to Troop #2666 respond to stress. While we cannot always change the stressful The Art Project events in our life, we can change the way we respond to them, and Gillian continues to talk about the importance of this. Congratulations Maeve on your Gold Award.

We are so very proud of you!

All our love, Mom, Dad, Aidan, Clodagh, Ciara & Oreo

Congratulations Cara on earning your Gold Award!

Your family, troop 40470 and Stony Point Service Unit are proud of you! Congratulations on earning your Gold Congratulations Award, Isabelle! Diana DiVestea

We are so very proud of all you have accomplished to achieve your Gold Award!

Emily Lyons Troop 10479 Congratulations on your Gold Award We are so proud of you!! Mom Dad Bailey & Kevin

Stephanie Kasulka We are so proud of you and all that you have accomplished. We love you more, Mom Dad and Michelle

Congratulations!

We’re so proud of you and can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish next!

Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson, Inc. 2 Great Oak Lane Pleasantville, NY 10570 1-855-232-GSHH (4744) | [email protected]