Local Massapequa Teens Earn Prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award

MASSAPEQUA, NEW YORK (JUNE 2022) — Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently honored Massapequa residents Ava Fiorello and Eden Price for earning their Gold Awards. The Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award a Girl Scout can achieve, as it recognizes the remarkable dedication she has for improving their community and the world around them. Ava and Eden were presented with their Gold Awards at the Girl Scouts of Nassau County's 2022 Gold Awards Ceremony, joining an elite group of 53 young women from throughout Nassau County who earned the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve.

“The recipients of this year’s Gold Awards have displayed diligence, compassion and altruism in approaching issues facing their communities,” said Randell Bynum, the chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Their efforts have not gone unnoticed in their communities and their impacts will leave an imprint for years to come. I applaud them for addressing topics like social justice, mental health, the environment and more, while putting forth solutions to create a better world.”

The Gold Award program is designated for girls in grades 9-12 and is intended to help girls explore civic and social issues they are passionate about pursuing. The process of earning a Gold Award begins with a Girl Scout identifying a civic or social issue, drafting a plan to approach the issue and, lastly, partnering with volunteers or community leaders to implement it. The plan implemented needs to be sustainable and reach beyond the Girl Scout’s personal community.

Ava Fiorello’s Gold Award project, “Community Chest—Chess and Unwind,” provides a safe environment for people of all ages to play a healthy and relaxing game of chess outside. Her project addressed the issue that many people are consumed by technology resulting in spending less time outdoors and challenging themselves to think differently. The permanent life-size chess set will continue to be accessible to residents and the senior day care center has added chess to their programming to help engage individuals to maintain and improve their mental skills. She has also generated interest in her school to form a chess club for future students to enjoy the game. Ava is a recent graduate of Lady of Mercy Academy and will attend Fairfield University in the fall.

Eden Price educated youth ice hockey players on safety and injury prevention in her project, “Play Safe Hockey.” Eden researched and presented information to young players and their parents on common injuries sustained in hockey, how to prevent these injuries, and when to seek medical attention. She also designed a pamphlet and created a website to raise awareness on player safety and for others to use as a resource when learning more about the sport.
Northwell Health and Eden’s local hockey rink will continue to use her pamphlet at the Town of Oyster Bay’s hockey player safety meetings and will be permanently posted on the bulletin board when you enter the ice rink. Eden will be a senior at Massapequa High School in the fall.

According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, girls who have achieved their Gold Award, experience greater life success due to a greater sense of self, satisfaction, leadership, life achievements, community service and civic engagement. Gold Award Girl Scouts who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive a higher pay grade and can receive scholarships or other recognition from most colleges or universities.

For more information about the Girl Scouts of Nassau County and the Gold Award program, visit www.gsnc.org.

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We Are Girl Scouts: Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs in Nassau County, across Long Island and from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alumni, Girl Scouts leads the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.