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Girl Scout Gold Award recipients honored at Governor's Mansion

July 2011

 

The annual Girl Scout Gold Award Reception and Pinning Ceremony was held this summer at the Governor’s Mansion where ten Girl Scout Ambassadors were honored for earning this prestigious award. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador can earn, and is received by only a few select Girl Scouts nationwide.  Joined by family members and council representatives, Girl Scout Gold Award recipients for 2010-2011 are Savanna Barbee and Kate Induni of Des Allemands, Jennifer Ernst of Mandeville, Emily Graham of Greenwell Springs, LeAnna Kent, Katheryn Lloyd, and Rachel Pickering of Slidell, Theresa Schiro of Covington, and Meghan Stringfellow of Denham Springs. Rachel Heidenthal of Slidell was unable to attend.

The reception offered parents, staff and special guests the opportunity to view displays of each girl’s Gold Award project materials in the dining room and foyer while enjoying refreshments.

Vice President of Communications and Fund Development Marianne Addy opened the ceremony with the Pledge ofAllegiance and the Girl Scout Promise, welcoming honorees and their families along with special guests Karen Profita, CEO of Capital Area United Way, Col. Clay C LeGrande Jr. and Lt. Col. Paul McKeough of the General Troy H Middleton Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars, and staff.

“We are delighted to honor these exceptional young women for their outstanding accomplishments in earning the Girl Scout Gold Award,” said Addy. “Their passion to make a difference and perseverance in completing this two-year process is an example of their character and leadership abilities.”

According to Addy, the requirements for the Gold Award involve the completion of a combination of interest projects, leadership, career exploration, culminating in a Gold Award service project requiring at least 80 hours of work by each Girl Scout.

Addy was followed by congratulatory remarks made by CEO Jackie Alexander and Council board chair Jacquelyn Daniels.  In her remarks Alexander described the accomplishments of Gold Award recipients as impressive and unique, noting their courage to pursue difficult tasks and the confidence needed to complete them. Daniels reminded the girls of the opportunities in Girl Scouts that prepared them for leadership in their future, and encouraged them to remain active in Girl Scouts as an adult.

Guest speaker Karen Profita, CEO of Capital Area United Way shared that her first public speaking opportunity was as a Girl Scout. She compared the accomplishments of Gold Award recipients who take ownership of their projects to affect change in their community, to adult citizens who take ownership of community problems and work together to make a difference, noting the importance of Girl Scouts to prepare for this responsibility as adults.

Program Specialist Kevin Shipp introduced each Gold Award recipient individually, along with the title of her project, as she was pinned by her mother or troop leader.

Girl Scout’s mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.  The local council, Girl Scouts Louisiana East, serves girls 5 to 17 in 23 parishes of southeast Louisiana. For more information about Girl Scouts or adult volunteer opportunities, call the council office in Baton Rouge at 225-927-8946, or visit its website at www.gsle.org.

 

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Media contact: Marianne Addy, VP of Communications and Fund Development,
504-733-8220, ext. 2226 or maddy@gsle.org  or Cathy Pottschmidt, Public Relations Specialist, 225-927-8946, ext. 1238 or cpottschmidt@gsle.org.

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