Local Teens Earn Prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently celebrated 55 local Girl Scouts who are members of the 2023 Girl Scout Gold Award class who made a sustainable impact, addressing causes they care about in their community. Williston Park, Albertson and Mineola residents Charlee Denzer, Grace Pizzardi, Julia DaSilva, Samantha Vitale, Shalini Samuel and Ava Schmidt were among 55 Girl Scouts throughout Nassau County who reached this milestone.

“Each of the Girl Scouts who earned their Gold Award this year showed fortitude, diligence and enthusiasm in creating and executing a plan to act on a societal issue. We are very proud and impressed by each of them for reaching their goals and leaving a legacy on their communities,” said Randell Bynum, the CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Their dedication is evident and their hard work has touched countless lives. This year, we had Girl Scouts addressing real-life issues such as environmental justice and sustainability, mental and emotional wellness, gender equality in sports, and more. We commend each of them for their important work.”

Girls in grades 9-12 begin their Gold Award journey by identifying a civic or social issue that holds importance to them. Next, a Girl Scout builds a team to support her project with a mission to create a positive impact in her community. Gold Award projects are coordinated so that they can continue long after girls earn their award by establishing nonprofit organizations, publishing books to be added to school library collections, implementing classroom lessons to be taught for years to come or other initiatives to create lasting change. Through the process, Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers, while educating and inspiring others. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs.

For her Gold Award, “Charlee’s Closet,” Charlee created a closet at the nonprofit Hour Children and stocked it with personal hygiene products for women and children who have been affected by incarceration. Hour Children helps incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children successfully rejoin the community, reunify with their families and build healthy, independent and secure lives. Through discussions, presentations, surveys and social media platforms, Charlee educated women and children on the importance of hygiene and using related products. In addition to education, Charlee procured bath towels and products through a donation drive in the Mineola community.

Grace’s Gold Award, “Local American Heroes,” sought to teach students firsthand accounts of the American wars. Grace spoke with veterans and learned things she could not gain from teachers or textbooks, which she realized plays a crucial role in preserving our nation’s history. She knew that veterans would not always be able to share their accounts and she wanted to teach others the importance of speaking to veterans and learning their stories. She spoke with several American Legion members and women’s veteran groups, then created a website to share their stories.

For her Gold Award project, “Head Concussion Prevention,” Julia developed a website and YouTube channel to spread awareness about the dangers of head concussions. She successfully presented her project at public events like the Floral Park Lions Club, “Connect 22”, and at the Mineola Memorial Library. She also connected with Corpus Christi CYO to teach head concussion prevention to the participants of the basketball program. Coaches will continue to spread awareness by incorporating Julia’s presentation as part of the training required to participate in the program.

Samantha addressed the issue of burnout among teens and young adults through her project, “The Battle of Burnout.” She discussed symptoms and prevention methods with students at St. Aidan School and Kellenberg Memorial, and with local Girl Scout troops. Samantha led the participants in exercises such as journaling, yoga and deep breathing to combat burnout. Her project is sustained through her social media page, which advocates for healthy habits.

Through her project, “The Golden State of Mind,” Shalini worked with Herricks High School to spread awareness about mental health to students and provide strategies to reduce stress. Her goal was to help her peers find ways to manage their stress through mindfulness and breathing techniques. She implemented a peer partner program to educate students and train mentors. Shalini also organized many events, like paint days and Zoom calls, to educate the public and created fun activities for students. She advocated for students to have a mental health day during the school year and promoted taking part in de-stressing activities during finals week. Shalini’s project is sustained through the curriculum she created for the program and through the students she trained with the social worker, Mrs. Kilkelly.

Ava’s project, “Fast Fashion Forward,” addressed the issue of fast fashion, caused by the overflow of micro-trend clothing that ends up in landfills and contributes to 10% of carbon emissions. She taught people of all ages how to shop sustainably by hosting workshops and discussions that educated consumers on how they can host and conduct their own swaps to repurpose their clothing and accessories. Ava held demonstrations teaching people how to create an online account to sell their items through e-commerce companies. Her project will continue to impact others through a collaboration with high school and college clubs. She also plans to keep social media pages available to the public.

Girls in grades K-12 can begin their Girl Scout journey at any age. As girls grow with Girl Scouts, they learn hands-on leadership skills they’ll use to make their mark through the Gold Award and beyond. To join or volunteer, visit www.gsnc.org/join.

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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 lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.