Five Freehold Teens Receive Girl Scout Gold Award

Five young women from were honored Tuesday after earning the high honor a teen Girl Scout can receive.

The Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore celebrated the accomplishments of local Girl Scouts in Monmouth and Ocean counties at the Gold Award Ceremony on May 22nd at Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood. More than 50 girls received the Gold Award.
 
“It is an inspiration to watch these girls grow into strong, dedicated young adults through the Gold Award program,” said Susan H. McClure, chief executive officer, Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. “Each girl addressed an issue of importance and took the necessary steps to not only complete the project, but fulfill its lasting impact on our community.”
 
The Gold Award program encourages girls ages 14-18 to create a foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship. Although referred to as an award, the Gold Award is earned through the completion of a service project.

Each recipient must spend at least 80 hours completing a project that combines organizational, leadership and networking skills with community service. In order to earn the award, the girl must take pride in her project and her hard work should have a lasting impact on the community even after her involvement ends.

Below is a list of all the 2012 Jersey Shore Gold Award recipients from Freehold and a brief description of their projects:

• Mia Apostle, Freehold

Mia’s Girl Scout Gold Award project addressed the lack of knowledge many people have about animal shelters and animals in general.  The shelters benefitted due to the donations of animal supplies which she collected. Mia also helped younger Girl Scouts earn the animal care badge. Through this project, she discovered her abilities as a leader.

• Dana Stevens, Freehold

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Dana researched the thirteen families who owned the Oakley House in Freehold, dating back all the way to the 1600’s. She then made a timeline of all of the information, which is now displayed inside the house. Dana also worked with several Brownie troops to earn the Local Lore badge. She learned valuable skills like researching, planning, and teaching children.

• Erin Stringer, Freehold

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Erin and a group of volunteers made approximately 500 cooling scarves that were sent to the men and women serving in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan to deal with the extreme heat of the summer.  Along with the scarves, she also sent sentiment cards hand made by members of my community of varying ages. To raise money for materials and postage, Erin organized a group of talented friends who performed at a local café for donations. She learned that it is best to always be organized and that time management is a very important skill to possess.

• Megan Hayes, Freehold

Megan’s project entailed running a vacation bible school at St. Roberts Bellarmine Church. About 50 kids came and it was five days long. It took a lot of time and energy, but gave her a lot of leadership skills. She learned to organize, speak in front of a crowd, and of course, a lot about kids. However, the most valuable reward from this experience was realizing what she was capable of as a person; it has given her new aspirations for the future.

• Elyse Powderly, Fairfax, VA (formerly Freehold)

Elyse coordinated and held a fair for kids to learn that it is better to adopt rescued dogs than to buy dogs from puppy stores. Most pet stores get their dogs from puppy mills; so when someone buys from a pet store, they are indirectly supporting the puppy mill business. She  also made a documentary on the subject and interviewed professionals. By doing this project, Elyse gained confidence in talking to and leading others.

Congrats to all of the Gold Award recipients!