2019 Gold Award Girl Scouts

2019 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines

Girl Scouts – Nth Carolina Coastal Pines As one of 111 Girl Scout councils chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA, Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines serves nearly 26,000 girl members and more than 9,000 adult members across 41 central and eastern North Carolina counties. With the administration headquarters in Raleigh, regional service centers in Goldsboro, Fayetteville, and Wilmington, the council delivers leadership programming and provides relevant and engaging opportunities for all girls, and rewarding volunteer experiences for adults.

e Girl Scout Gold Award Since 1916, Girl Scouts have successfully answered the call to Go Gold, an act that indelibly marks them as accomplished members of their communities and the world. The Girl Scout Gold Award stands for excellence and leadership and is the most highly regarded award in the world for girls.

When a Girl Scout embarks on her award journey, she makes a commitment to take action and create a lasting change in her community. She demonstrates significant leadership, planning, networking, and organizational skills as she spends, on average, one to two years working to complete her Girl Scout Gold Award Take Action project.

Awarded to fewer than six percent of Girl Scouts annually, girls who earn the Girl Scout Gold Award join generations of young women who have made a difference in their community both locally and globally. In recognition of their achievements, Gold Award Girl Scouts who join the United States Armed Forces enter at a higher pay grade than other recruits.

The Gold Award is proof that not only can Girl Scouts make a difference, but that they already have. Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good.

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines congratulates each of our 2019 Gold Award Girl Scouts for achieving their goals and earning this distinguished honor.

Girl Scouting’s Highest Award Since the Council’s unification in 2007 which established Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines, 757 Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors have achieved the highest award in Girl Scouting.

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines takes great pride in recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of the 56* young women who earned the Girl Scout Gold Award from January to December of 2019. Hats off to all of our Gold Award Girl Scouts for demonstrating courageous leadership, advocacy and compassion, and taking action to make the world a better place.

Steps to the Gold Award Fulfilling the requirements for the Girl Scout Gold Award starts with the completion of two Senior or Ambassador Journeys or earning the Girl Scout Silver Award and completion of one Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador Journey. After the Journey requirement has been fulfilled, girls spend a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work and service towards their Gold Award projects, which includes these steps: • • • • • • • •

Identifying an issue Investigating it thoroughly Inviting others to participate and building a team Creating a plan Submitting a proposal to the Girl Scout Gold Award Committee Gathering feedback Taking action Educating and inspiring others

* 55 families gave permission for their Girl Scout to be highlighted in the 2019 Gold Award booklet.

4 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

January – December 2019

Gold Award Girl Scouts Tasha Nicole Aaron

Sierra Jasmine Huffman

Sesha Shashin Patel

Shelby Alexis Anderson

Camille Rae Ingram

Jenna Sue Pedersen

Maya Mishri Arora

Jada Louise Johnson

Nia Lauryn Pierce

Yasmeen Ammar Ayesh

Katherine Elizabeth Johnston

Natalie Potter

Samantha Brynn-Leigh Nicole Barker

Abby Jones

Kayla Elise Reiff

Sarah Salim Jumma

Danielle Nicole Richmond

Barbara “Bebe” Barnes

Elena Margaret Kelly

Rachael Russell

Payton Elizabeth Bjurstrom

Rachael S. Kluge

Jada C. Sanchez

Madelaine Elizabeth Bradley

Manasi Krishnakumar

Diya Jain Shreenath

Emily J. Byrum

Reagan Taylor Leandro

Sierra Jordan Spillman

Alexandria E. Crank

Lillin Bliss Malinowski

Elizabeth Eunice Tove

Riley Katherine Dunwoody

Caraline Malloy

Jane Ann Turlington

Veronica E. Farkas

Anushka Sai Mandalapu

Rachel Judith Van Horne

Peyton Reanna Farmer

Casey Lynn Medlin

Autumn Franchesca Walters

Cassandra “Cassie” Marie Foltz

Aria Marie Millsap

Taylor Nicole White

AnnaKate Joan Gilchrist

Vianca Mireya Murray

Christiana Marie Woods

Mei Lynn Goodrich

Katelyn Nichole Overcash

Ashley Taylor Wright

Madison Wade Goodwin

Samantha Susan Pabst

Kathryn Reade Yarborough

Heather Marie Higgins

Kaitlyn Lee Zuravel

2019 | 5

Tasha Nicole Aaron

Shelby Alexis Anderson

Maya Mishri a

Clayton, Johnston County

Wendell, Wake County

Wilmington, New Hanover County

Project: Pollinator Awareness Issue: Wildlife Conservation

Project: Agriculture Club at an Elementary School Issue: Agricultural Education

Project: Awareness Campaign for Adult Literacy Issue: Literacy

As a passionate advocate of agricultural education, Shelby sought to introduce horticulture, animal science, and agricultural mechanics to elementary school students. To do so, she organized an agriculture club that connected members with Future Farmers of America (FFA). During club meetings, Shelby taught students about the different components of FFA and emphasized that agriculture is more than just farming. One goal of the club is that the students will go on to become active members of FFA in middle and high school. Shelby hopes that this will inspire children to consider a future career in the agriculture industry.

For her Take Action project, Maya decided to raise awareness about adult literacy among youth in her community.

She believed that many children are unaware of the problem and hoped to inspire them to build a strong foundation in reading and help others to learn in the future. Maya held an event at her school where she screened a short film, gave a presentation, and invited the director of the Literacy Council to speak. After the presentation, Maya introduced a variety of engaging and educational games to put the knowledge gained from her presentation into action.

Concerned with the declining mason bee population, Tasha focused on protecting the bees and spreading awareness of the problem so that others would be inspired to do the same. She created houses for the bees and hung them in various locations to help keep the bees safe. She also gave numerous presentations within her community on the importance of bees and different steps people can take to help them survive, which included leading participants in building their own bee houses. To continue to inspire others to help the bees, Tasha created a website containing the information from her presentations.

6 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

Yasmeen Ammar Ayesh Wake Forest, Wake County Project: North Raleigh Masjid Food Pantry Issue: Food Insecurity While helping local refugees, Yasmeen noticed that they would often have food shortages without access to food pantries. Yasmeen decided to take action and create a food pantry at the North Raleigh Masjid in order to create permanent access to food for those in need. Yasmeen held a food drive to stock the pantry and gathered volunteers to help run it. She then worked to spread the word by posting flyers at other mosques nearby and throughout the community. Yasmeen hopes her project will provide access to food supplies for refugees and others in need.

Samantha ynn-Leigh Nicole Barker Southport, Brunswick County Project: Unique Information About Your Local Ecosystem Issue: Environmental Education For her Take Action project, Samantha channeled her inner leader to teach the youth of Boiling Spring Lakes about their ecosystem. Samantha gave presentations on the local birds and then led the children on a birdwatching adventure to encourage them to spend time outdoors appreciating their natural resources. Samantha created booklets and left a significant amount of resources with the community center to be re-used for after-school and summer programs. The children loved the handson activities and asked Samantha to come back in the future to lead more lessons.

Approximately one million Girl Scouts have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent since 1916.

Girl Scouts' highest achievement honors young women who demonstrate extraordinary leadership skills.

2019 | 7

Gold Award Girl Scouts embody community leadership and leave behind a sustainable legacy.

8 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

Barbara “Bebe� Barnes

Payton Elizabeth Bjurstrom

Raleigh, Wake County

Cary, Wake County

Project: Student Committee for the Food Pantry (SCFP) Issue: Food Insecurity

Project: Passport to History Booklet Issue: Historical Education

Bebe addressed food insecurity in her community by working to increase student involvement in the Broughton Food Pantry, which provides food to students in need. She did this by forming the Student Committee for the Food Pantry to promote the pantry and encourage others to get involved. The club raised awareness and collected donations through fundraising dinners, homemade goods sales, and food drives. Bebe’s project helped students become more involved with their community while allowing the pantry to improve their collection and reach.

Hoping to inspire students and their families to visit historic sites outside of school, Payton created an interactive sightseeing booklet for the area. She collected information about ten different local historic sites dating from pre-revolutionary war to modern times and used her findings to make a booklet called Passport to History for elementary school kids and their families to complete. Using the booklet, children learn about each site and complete engaging activities that inspire an appreciation for the history that has taken place there. Additionally, she aimed to promote tourism in the area so that the sites could be sustained for years to come.

Madelaine Elizabeth adley

Emily J. Byrum

Alexandria E. Crank

Willow Spring, Johnston County

Wake Forest, Wake County

Pinehurst, Moore County

Project: Luminary Spartans Issue: Civic Engagement

Project: Senior Weekend Special Issue: Senior Citizen Engagement

To encourage her peers to take action through community service, Emily formed the Luminary Spartans club at Smithfield-Selma High School. The club planned and executed a variety of service projects, which included collecting over 120 toys during the club’s toy drive, cleaning up school grounds, and making birthday boxes for a local women’s shelter. Emily’s project has provided high school students with numerous opportunities to give back and she hopes that the club will continue to bring students and their community closer together.

Combining her love of cooking and helping others, Alexandria organized a meal delivery service for homebound seniors for her Take Action project.

Alexandria planned menus and cooked for the seniors and then recruited volunteers to help deliver them. During the deliveries, volunteers were encouraged to spend time with the seniors and get to know them to help them develop meaningful relationships.

The project was done in collaboration with Wake Forest United Methodist Church which will continue Alexandria’s program for years to come.

Project: LGBT Resource Center Issue: LGBT Representation After finding only 15 books in the Pinecrest High School library depicting the LGBT community, Madelaine saw a need for more LGBT representation.

She took action by creating the LGBT Resource Center within the school’s media center. She stocked the resource center with books that include information and representation of the LGBT community along with a list of recommended books to be purchased in the future. Madelaine hopes her project will help make her school’s environment more inclusive.

2019 | 9

Riley Katherine Dunwoody

Veronica E. Farkas

Peyton Reanna Farmer

Castle Hayne, New Hanover County

Fuquay-Varina, Wake County

Greenville, Pitt County

Project: Fire Safety for New Middle Schoolers Issue: Fire Safety

Project: WISE Club and Community Event Issue: Mental Health

Project: Car Seat Safety Issue: Child Safety

Concerned with the dangers of fire and the lack of education on fire safety, Riley created lesson plans to distribute to local schools to help students become informed and prepared. She developed a teaching kit with lessons and activities to engage the students and teach them the importance of taking fire safety seriously. She taught lessons using her kit at local middle schools and students learned fire prevention skills, evacuation techniques, and more. Riley hopes that accidents are prevented because of her project and that children will feel more prepared in case of an emergency.

Having seen the effects of mental illness on those close to her, Veronica decided to develop a mental health awareness club at Fuquay-Varina High School.

During club meetings, the participants discussed signs, symptoms, and coping mechanisms of depression and anxiety.

The club also worked to spread awareness of depression and anxiety by sharing informational pamphlets that Veronica created and leading a community event about mental health for students and parents. Her pamphlets are available at the Holly Springs Library so that community members can continue to benefit from her project.

10 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

For her Take Action project, Peyton created a class to teach basic car seat safety to the students and parents of Third Street Academy. Peyton created resources including a presentation, flyer, and poster that were shown and distributed at the school’s family meeting. She also taught the children which seat they needed to be in and why so that they could advocate for their own safety. Peyton also created a resource with information on car seat checking stations in her surrounding counties. She hopes her project will help ensure children are properly restrained in the car to prevent injury in the event of an accident.

Cassandra “Cassie” Marie Foltz

AnnaKate Joan Gilchrist

Timberlake, Person County

Project: Love in a Bag Issue: Patient Care

Project: Young Adult Theater Workshop Issue: Arts Education Driven by her love of the theater, Cassie organized a workshop to teach the youth in her community about the different ways they could get involved in local productions. The workshop taught directing, stage management, costume design, and music production. The fifteen children participating toured the local theater and interacted with different members of production.

Cassie hoped to ignite a passion in the arts among participants while providing them with a new creative outlet and opportunity to build confidence.

Clayton, Johnston County

To brighten the days of children staying in the hospital during special occasions, AnnaKate created a program called Love in a Bag. Her program involved collecting donations and using them to fill bags with treats, prizes, personal hygiene items, and school supplies. The bags are distributed to the children during times like Christmas or Valentine’s Day in order to help make sure the holidays remain special for them. AnnaKate involved her church, youth group, and Girl Scout Troop #1427 in her project to ensure that there will be plenty of support for Love in a Bag in the future.

Gold Award Girl Scouts tackle issues they are passionate about—issues with local, national or global implications.

2019 | 11

Mei nn Goodrich

Madison Wade Goodwin

Heather Marie Higgins

Durham, Durham County

Raleigh, Wake County

Wilmington, New Hanover County

Project: Outdoor Classroom and Education Issue: Environmental Education

Project: Dancing for Gold Issue: Arts Education

Project: Human Trafficking Awareness Issue: Human Trafficking

For Mei’s Take Action project, she worked with the PTA at Hillendale Elementary School to build an outdoor classroom and teach environmental science to students. Mei’s classroom included eight new wooden benches and a garden, which she collected supplies for and created with a team of volunteers. She then utilized the new classroom to teach the students about plant life cycles and hosted a booth on pollinators at a school event. Mei hopes her project will encourage students to learn about the outdoors and develop environmental stewardship.

12 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

Seeing a need for more support for the Hunter Elementary School dance program, Madison focused on making improvements and encouraging further participation for her project. She collected and donated gently used ballet shoes to the school and developed a website expressing the specific benefits of dance in schools.

Through her project, Madison provided the children of Hunter Elementary with the resources needed for dance classes while spreading awareness of the importance of the arts in the greater Raleigh area. She hopes her project will help children explore dance and inspire them to be creative.

To help keep young people in her community safe, Heather educated students on human trafficking. She led community discussions surrounding the definition of human trafficking, how it happens, and what can be done to help.

Additionally, she collected many items for a local shelter in order to help the victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. As a result of her project, Heather hopes young people are more knowledgeable about human trafficking and more comfortable discussing the sensitive topic so that they can inform others of the issue.

Sierra Jasmine Huffman

Camille Rae Ingram

Jada Louise Johnson

Aberdeen, Moore County

Garner, Wake County

Wake Forest, Wake County

Project: The World We Live In: More than Mud Issue: Environmental Conservation

Project: Flowers for the Faithful Issue: Community Improvements

Project: T.A.L.L. (Teaching Adolescents Life Lessons) Issue: Preparation for the Future

Putting her leadership skills and passion for conservation together, Sierra created a day camp for children ages 6-11 to teach them about conserving and recycling. Sierra hosted the camp for five weeks allowing children to take part in hands-on learning activities and practice recycling. Participants learned about the Earth’s natural resources and how they could help preserve them.

Sierra hopes that her camp will help children better understand the impacts of global warming and show them how their small actions can make a big difference.

As a member of St. Mary Mother of the Church, Camille wanted to improve the appeal of the church exterior while strengthening relations between the youth and adult members of the congregation. She tackled both at once by planning a service project that involved creating a garden outside the church. Camille recruited volunteers of all ages for the project and collected materials for gardening including flowers and the tools needed to plant them. She created a gardening guide to lead volunteers in the planting process and organized a schedule for maintaining the garden so that it can be appreciated by members for years to come.

For Jada’s Take Action project, she sought to provide her peers with the tools and resources needed to set goals for themselves after high school graduation. To do so, she created a program consisting of three workshops that allowed students to learn important life skills and develop confidence while preparing for their futures. She covered topics like public speaking, interviewing, and goal setting, and provided a safe and supportive space for students to ask questions and practice techniques.

2019 | 13

Katherine Elizabeth Johnston

Abby Jones

Sarah Salim Jumma

Goldsboro, Wayne County

Raleigh, Wake County

Zebulon, Wake County

Project: Exceptionally Fun! Issue: Exceptional Children Education

Project: Pretty in Red Issue: Feminine Hygiene

Project: Painting with a Purpose Issue: Arts Education Katherine decided to share her passion for art with students at East Wake Academy through the designing of murals and the creation of art-based lesson plans. Katherine painted the murals in the elective building to encourage a welcoming and comfortable environment for the students passing through. She also created lessons to be integrated into the school’s art curriculum which connect the artwork in halls to the artists and eras they are learning about. Katherine hopes her project will help kids with an interest in art see that it has real life applications.

14 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

To assist Wayne County teachers in delivering lessons to meet the needs of exceptional children, Abby created educational materials to quickly and effectively engage students. She studied the lesson plans of teachers and then put together a variety of supplemental items like games, learning activities, and visual presentations. She tailored her materials to serve individual students based on their abilities so that each could process different concepts and connect with what they are learning.

Abby also volunteered in the classrooms to help facilitate her activities while providing more individual learning time to each student.

After researching sanitation and sexual education issues in rural areas of North India, Sarah realized there was a lack of information and resources available to women. She decided to help bridge the gap by partnering with a non-profit called Healing Fields to provide women and girls access to items needed for their health. She also traveled to India to educate young girls on their bodies and help destigmatize the shame surrounding their biology. Sarah presented a sexual education course and held a seminar where young women could ask questions about their health concerns. Her project helped empower the girls and women of these communities by helping them understand their bodies.

Elena Margaret Kelly

Rachael S. Kluge

Raleigh, Wake County

Raleigh, Wake County

Project: Book Nook and Creative Writing Workshop Issue: Creative Writing Interest

Project: UNC Children’s Hospital Window Paintings Issue: Patient Comfort

To inspire an interest in reading and creative writing among children, Elena held creative writing workshops at Leesville Road Middle School. She gave engaging presentation to students and facilitated a variety of writing activities.

Elena put together detailed binders with worksheets, lessons plans, and activities on creative writing so that others can emulate her workshop in the future. She also created a book nook where students could pick up free books with no return date. Elena hopes that her project will not only help students improve their reading and writing skills but will also encourage them to view the subjects as pleasurable.

Hoping to liven up the environment of UNC Children’s Hospital for patients, Rachael decided to address the lack of personalization in patient rooms.

Rachael was inspired to take on this project after finding out an artist had volunteered to paint for them but had never completed the project. Rachael created stencils that could be used to create new art quickly and easily and helped repaint the windows on the sixth floor. Rachael teamed up with an organization called Carolina for the Kids to ensure volunteers would continue to add new color to the rooms using the stencils so that the children feel uplifted through art during their hospital stay.

The Gold Award is the most highly regarded award in the world for girls. It’s the mark of the truly remarkable—and it’s only available through Girl Scouts.

2019 | 15

In recognition of their achievements, Gold Award Girl Scouts who join the military enlist at a higher pay grade.

16 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

Manasi ishnakumar

Reagan Tayl Leandro

Morrisville, Wake County

Raleigh, Wake County

Project: Spreading Art to the World and Beyond Issue: Music Therapy

Project: Making EOG prep FULL(er) of fun!

Issue: Standardized Testing Preparation

After noticing the benefits of music therapy when working with kids in India, Manasi saw a need for similar opportunities within her own community. She began to hold music therapy sessions for children with special needs. Manasi used Carnatic music, a genre from South India, to engage the children in singing and clapping along. After the classes, Manasi sent the lyrics to the children’s families so that they could practice outside of class. Because of Manasi’s project children in her community were able to express themselves and feel more comfortable with their surroundings.

Hoping to raise standardized test scores and improve literacy in low income communities, Reagan made books more accessible to children and organized test prep days. She updated the book selection at Urban Ministries and refurbished the reading corner, making the area more inviting to those looking to improve reading skills. She also created EOG prep days for students in grades 3-5 at Fuller Elementary, which addressed all areas of the testing curriculum: english, math, and science.

To further the impact of her project, Reagan created a pamphlet to inform parents about free resources available online and in Wake County that might spark an interest in reading in their children.

Lillin Bliss Malinowski

Caraline Malloy

Hampstead, Pender County

Dunn, Harnett County

Project: Exceptional Art with Exceptional Children Issue: Arts Education

Project: Stranger Danger 2.0 Issue: Human Trafficking

Working with the adaptive class at Topsail Middle School, Lillin combined her love of art with teaching the importance of self-expression. Lillin created art-based lesson plans for students of all abilities to follow to improve their skills and learn to express themselves creatively. She assisted the school’s art teacher in implementing her lesson plans and worked with the students to foster an environment of collaboration and teamwork.

Throughout her project, Lillin saw the participants develop confidence in themselves and their abilities. Her work will be sustained through future use of her lesson plans.

Alarmed by the number of Americans affected by human trafficking, Caraline sought out to inform her peers of the issue to help protect them and others.

After conducting research, Caraline gave presentations to community members of all ages to clear up misconceptions and provide them with safety precautions. She also created lesson plans, videos, and informational flyers that others could utilize to help share her research. Caraline feels confident that the materials she created will continue to be helpful in informing youth about trafficking in North Carolina and how it could affect them.

99% of Gold Award Girl Scouts say belonging to Girl Scouts has positively impacted their life.

2019 | 17

Gold Award Girl Scouts represent our most successful, engaged, and happiest Girl Scout alumnae.

18 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

Anushka Sai Mandalapu

Casey î„—nn Medlin

Cary, Wake County

Hampstead, Pender County

Project: Fight the Crime of Lyme Issue: Lyme Disease Awareness

Project: Blue for You Issue: Law Enforcement Appreciation

For her Take Action project, Anushka raised awareness for Lyme disease and other tickborne illnesses. Because North Carolina is humid and forested, Lyme disease can spread quickly and she wanted to encourage safe practices for children while exploring the woods without discouraging them from spending time outdoors. She gave presentations to children at Taylor YMCA on how to best protect themselves from these diseases and proper tick removal techniques.

Anushka also created tick removal kits for the children so that they can continue to safely explore the outdoors.

Casey noticed that media outlets in her community were portraying local law enforcement officers in a negative light.

To highlight their important work and all that they do for the community, Casey held a local law enforcement appreciation day. This day allowed members of her community to meet and make connections with law enforcement officers while showing their appreciation. Additionally, Casey was able to connect local businesses and churches with various agencies through her Adopt a Blue project, which allows these organizations to continue to support their chosen department.

ia Marie Millsap

Vianca Mireya Murray

Katelyn Nichole Overcash

Broadway, Lee County

Wilmington, New Hanover County

Garner, Wake County

Project: Little Britches for Boys Issue: Resource Scarcity

Project: iVirtual Music School Issue: Arts Education

Project: American Sign Language – Fun for all Ages Issue: Communication

When Aria learned about Little Dresses for Africa, an organization that sent clothing to orphan girls, she was inspired to begin her own project for which she provided clothing to African boys. Aria’s project focused on creating and sending shorts to orphan boys to provide them with necessary clothing and show them that there are people who care for them.

Aria informed members of her community about the need and taught them how to sew the britches themselves. Aria’s project will be continued by missionaries at her church and she hopes that this will provide many young boys with the clothing they need.

A passionate advocate for musical education, Vianca decided to make learning a musical instrument more accessible to others. She recognized that finances can be a large obstacle preventing others from taking lessons and created a website where anyone in her community can learn how to play an instrument. She also connected with the organization Power of Play to help supply the necessary physical resources to children for years to come.

Vianca hopes her project will inspire a love of music in children in her community.

Hoping to give young children the opportunity to learn a unique new skill, Katelyn created a curriculum for American Sign Language. She taught Dixon Road Elementary students the fundamentals of sign language with a variety of lessons and activities. Katelyn also created a website that contained her lessons and videos about what the children learned each day and informed parents on the school’s online bulletin board so that they can practice with their children. Because of Katelyn’s project the students she worked with will be able to communicate with those who may face a variety of verbal and auditory challenges.

2019 | 19

Samantha Susan Pabst

Sesha Shashin Patel

Jenna Sue Pedersen

Greenville, Pitt County

Wilmington, New Hanover County

Apex, Wake County

Project: Table of Opportunities Issue: Civic Engagement

Project: Awareness of Packaging Impact on the Environment Issue: Environmental Conservation

Project: Project H.I.K.E. (Help Inspire Kid’s Exploration) Issue: Outdoor Experiences

Driven by her passion for conserving, Sesha focused on raising awareness and exploring solutions for excess corporate packaging waste for her project. In an effort to promote environmental stewardship, Sesha researched packaging alternatives and coded a technological system to reduce waste.

She presented her system and findings to companies like UPS, ChemTex, and the New Hanover Regional Medical Center. She hopes that by spreading her message, more community businesses will begin to use environmentally friendly packaging.

Jenna wanted to encourage children to spend more time outdoors exploring and learning about the environment. For her Take Action project, she created a workbook for elementary school students detailing the seven ‘Leave No Trace Principles’ through a story that follows three animals on a hiking adventure. The workbook covers topics such as proper trail etiquette and environmental stewardship while outdoors. Jenna visited different elementary schools in the community to read her book and she hopes that more children will be inspired to go outside and hike based on her lessons.

Samantha sought to encourage community members and students to make a difference for others by simplifying the process of getting started as a volunteer. She contacted local organizations in need of volunteers to gather information on opportunities available and how people could sign up.

She organized this information into a website where visitors can browse the different organizations and volunteer roles and choose where to get involved based on interests and abilities.

Samantha promoted her website at her school and shared with others the importance of volunteering in hopes that they will be moved to make an impact.

20 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

Nia Lauryn Pierce

Natalie Poer

Wake Forest, Wake County

Greenville, Pitt County

Project: Increasing Youth Engagement: A New Voice in Social Justice Issue: Civic Engagement

Project: Young Writers Camp Issue: Creative Writing Interest

To promote the development of opinions among her peers, Nia decided to inform them of racial equity and social justice issues. She gave presentations to students explaining the meaning of the terms, why they are important, and different examples throughout history. After her presentations she promoted discussions where students could connect and share their opinions. Nia also registered to vote and attended multicultural events and encouraged her peers to do the same. Nia hopes that her project has encouraged others to become more active in their community by advocating for issues that are important to them.

In the hopes of providing students with an outlet to share their ideas and let their imaginations run wild, Natalie taught creative writing skills to middle school students. She hosted a weeklong summer camp where she taught creative writing through fun and interactive activities. At the end of each day the participants received feedback on their work in order to help them continue to grow as writers. By the end of week, all of Natalie’s students had completed the first chapter in a story that they came up with at camp. Natalie provided a supportive environment for the children to explore their interests and develop their writing skills.

95% of Gold Award Girl Scouts feel they have had success in life.

2019 | 21

A Gold Award Girl Scout’s achievements make her an outstanding candidate for academic scholarships and other financial awards.

22 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

Kayla Elise Reiff

Danielle Nicole Richmond

Cary, Wake County

Pinehurst, Moore County

Project: Increasing Conservation Awareness Among Youth Issue: Environmental Conservation

Project: Cleat Closet Issue: Healthy Living

As an active conservationist, Kayla’s project worked to inform the next generation of environmentalists on how they could protect the planet. Kayla wanted to bring awareness to the dangers of non-biodegradable plastics and how they are polluting the ocean.

She conducted research on the issue before using her knowledge to write and publish a children’s book, create a website, and plan educational lessons and activities. Kayla hopes that her project has empowered children to reduce the amount of plastic they use and inspires them to encourage others to do the same.

Recognizing the financial barriers that could prevent low income children from participating in sports, Danielle wanted to ensure more children have the opportunity to join a team. To do so, she created the Cleat Closet, an organization that collects donations of gently used athletic equipment to sell at a discounted rate. Proceeds from the closet are donated to AC Sandhill’s Scholarship Fund so that more children can participate regardless of their background. Danielle’s project makes purchasing equipment and participating in team sports more accessible for children so that they can have fun and stay active.

Rachael Russell

Jada C. Sanchez

Diya Jain Shreenath

Raeford, Hoke County

Clayton, Johnston County

Goldsboro, Wayne County

Project: Adaptive Equipment for Fido and Friends Issue: Animal Rights

Project: Type Everyone Issue: Diabetes Awareness

Project: Caring for the Carers Issue: Patient Family Care

Inspired by her experiences with Type 1 Diabetes, Jada decided to establish a support group to help other teens with the disease feel less alone. She called the group ‘Type Everyone’ and participants gathered to share their stories, different coping mechanisms, and more. Jada and the group created art that spread awareness for Type I Diabetes which was posted in the Hocutt Memorial Library. This artwork also provided a healthy outlet for the group members to express their emotions. Jada hopes she has helped other teens with diabetes find a community and that their artwork spreads awareness of the hardships of Type 1 Diabetes to help normalize it.

Noticing that the caregivers of ill family members often lack the time to address their own needs, Diya sought out to ensure these caregivers were also cared for during their time of need. Diya worked to improve the quality of hospital stays for them by collecting donations of books, games, music, toiletries and more. She also created a pamphlet that described ways for them to take care of themselves with their limited access to resources and comforts. Diya hopes her work will make it easier for caregivers to support themselves in order to continue providing support to those they love.

After speaking with local animal shelters, Rachael discovered that they often lack donations to meet the needs of disabled animals and she wanted to bridge the gap. She created a pamphlet listing information about local shelters and donation items needed for injured and disabled animals, such as adaptive equipment and first aid supplies.

Rachael also attended several community events to help educate others on these needs so that they are inspired to donate. As a result of her project, Rachael hopes there will be a wider variety of donation items and that pets with special needs will be better taken care of and eventually adopted out.

2019 | 23

Sierra Jdan Spillman

Elizabeth Eunice Tove

Jane Ann Turlington

Fayetteville, Cumberland County

Raleigh, Wake County

Raleigh, Wake County

Project: For the Love of Cats!

Issue: Animal Rights

Project: Cancer-Free World Festival Issue: Cancer Awareness

Project: The Golden Art Club Issue: Arts Education

For her project, Sierra wanted to educate the general public on caring for animals with special needs along with general practices to follow when taking care of pets. She worked with the Blind Cat Rescue, a shelter that rescues cats with special needs from other shelters and learned how to care for them. She then educated the public on important pet care facts by creating a brochure that included information on spaying and neutering and methods of caring for a sick or injured pet. Sierra also volunteered at the Blind Cat Rescue and spread the word about the organization to encourage others to do the same.

To inspire her community to take a stand against cancer, Elizabeth organized an event called the Cancer Free World Festival. The festival took place at WakeMed Soccer Park and featured a 5k race and a benefit concert.

Cancer research organizations like the V Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund spoke with attendees about their mission and what others can do to help.

Elizabeth’s event was a great success and it will continue as an annual event.

When Jane learned that most public elementary schools only offered one hour of art lessons a week she was moved into action. Believing art to be an important component of education, she formed an after-school art club at a local elementary school. The club hosted two-hour lessons for six days of the year. The lessons not only taught students about a variety of artistic techniques but also gave them an outlet to express themselves. Jane hopes that her project has helped foster a love and appreciation of art in children in her community.

24 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

Rachel Judith Van Hne Wake Forest, Wake County Project: Faith in Confidence Issue: Religious Education As a way to connect girls with their faith and their families, Rachel organized Mother-Daughter Tea events that were held at Saint Catherine’s Catholic Church. The events focused on providing girls and their mothers with an opportunity to discuss their beliefs together to feel more confident in their religion. The events featured speakers including a school psychologist, a female expert in Theology and Religion, and parents who had experience guiding their daughter’s in their faith. Through her project Rachel hopes she has given these young girls the skills to debunk misconceptions surrounding the Catholic Church and resist peer pressure to assimilate.

Autumn anchesca Walters Lumberton, Robeson County Project: Project Warrior Issue: Suicide Awareness Alarmed by the teen suicide rates in her community, Autumn dedicated her project to prevention by awareness.

Autumn began Project Warrior to help her community gain information on suicide and start a conversation. This was done through the sharing of facts and statistics, individual stories, and helpful ideas. Project Warrior also helped teenagers find solutions through communication instead of fearing their emotions would be dismissed. In order to promote her project, Autumn created a website and social media accounts which shared ways that people can get the help they need.

Belonging to Girl Scouts has left a number of unique, powerful, and lasting impressions on Gold Award Girl Scouts.

2019 | 25

Tayl Nicole White

Christiana Marie Woods

Ashley Tayl ight

Raleigh, Wake County

Apex, Wake County

Raleigh, Wake County

Project: Operation Golden Pride Issue: Student Safety

Project: Senior Fun Time Club Issue: Senior Citizen Care

Project: Going Green in the Operating Room Issue: Environmental Conservation

When buses at Leesville Road High School ran late due to a shortage of drivers, Taylor noticed that many students had to wait outside for extended periods of time until their bus arrived at the school. For her Take Action project, Taylor decided to create a safe and dedicated space for students waiting for the buses. She began by removing poison ivy and other overgrown vegetation near the school and then used her woodworking skills to create a waiting area for the students.

Taylor’s project has provided students with a place to wait for the buses safely and to begin homework assignments.

Christiana decided to brighten the days of residents in her local assisted living facility. She worked with the Key Club at Middle Creek High School to arrange student visits to provide the residents with more social interaction. Christiana led activities like arts and crafts for the seniors and volunteers which promoted greater levels of interaction amongst the residents. Christiana hopes her project helped provide the residents with activities to look forward to and reasons to socialize with each other, and in turn helped decrease loneliness in the facility.

26 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

With an interest in the medical field and a passion for environmental conservation, Ashley organized a medical recycling program at Raleigh Orthopedics Surgery Center. She researched different ways that the facility could dispose of various types of medical waste responsibly and created a system to begin recycling. She worked with staff members, management and doctors to put together resource materials to track the collection and disposal of the waste. Ashley trained staff members in her new system so that they could implement it and make the world a better place.

Kathryn Reade Yarbough

Kaitlyn Lee Zuravel

Durham, Durham County

Project: STEM for Girls Issue: STEM Education

Project: Girls, Let’s Get Real Issue: School Transitions Noticing the drastic change in young girls lives as they transition into high school, Kathryn partnered with East Durham Children’s Initiative to bring girls additional resources to help them be successful. Kathryn taught the students about the benefits of actively participating in their schools and provided them with strategies to overcome the potential challenges they may soon face. The project focused on topics like female empowerment, time management, and social media use. The girls were encouraged to actively engage in the project and ask questions in order to best prepare themselves for their futures.

Fayetteville, Cumberland County

For her project, Kaitlyn inspired girls to break glass ceilings in STEM by developing their skills and discovering new passions. Kaitlyn held three STEM programs at the Cumberland County Library to introduce young girls to skills like coding, environmental science, and more. The programs were inexpensive, and Kaitlyn provided a supply list and program directions so that library staff could repeat the program in the future.

Kaitlyn hopes that her project inspires younger girls to consider a career in STEM and will eventually help reduce the gender gap.

The Gold Award is proof that not only can Girl Scouts make a difference, but that they already have.

2019 | 27

Girls often partner with community organizations when working to earn their Girl Scout Gold Award.

The following organization were reported to play a role in the 2019 Girl Scout Gold Award projects.

3-C Family Services

Freedom Christian Academy

Raleigh Pediatrics

A Safe Place To Go

Fuquary-Varina High School

Sandhills PRIDE

AC Sandhills

Garner Road Community Center

Andrew-Jackson State Park

Greenville Civic Ballet

Sathya Sai International Organization Atlanta Center

Apex Friendship High School

Healing Fields

Self-Esteem Builders

Asha Foundation of NC

Hillandale Elementary

Smithfield-Selma High School

Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc.

Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center

Spring Arbor Senior Living

Boys & Girls Club

St. Catherina of Siena

Broughton High School

Hunter Elementary

Taylor YMCA

Bull City Running Co.

James K. Polk Historic Site

The Oakwood School

Burgaw Police Department

Johnston County Public Schools

The O'Neal School

Camp Monroe

Johnston County YMCA

Topsail Middle School

Camp Oakwood

Kirby Cultural Arts Complex

UNC Children’s Hospital

Campbell University School of Public Health

Lacy Elementary School

Cape Fear Academy

Leesville Road High School

UNC Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement

Cape Fear Community College

Leesville Road Middle School

Urban Ministries of Wake County

Cape Fear Literacy Council

Little Dresses for Africa

Cary Teen Council

Matthews Heritage Museum

US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

City Ballet Raleigh

Mecklenburg Historical Association

Corinth Holders High School

Meeting Street Productions

Crosspoint Community Church

Middle Creek High School

Cumberland County Public Library

Muslim Youth & Community Center

Dixon Road Elementary

NC Parks & Rec

East Durham Children's Initiative

Neo-Health Services

East Wake Academy

New Hannover Regional Medical Center

Enloe Highsool

North Raleigh Masjid

Fayetteville State University

Pender County Sheriff's Office

First Baptist Church of Oak Island

Pinecrest High School

Franklin Academy

Powhatan Elementary School

Franklin County Department of Social Services

Presbytery Youth Mission

28 | Gold Award Girl Scouts

R&R Pediatrics

V Foundation for Cancer Research V-Excel Educational Trust - Chennai, India Vidant Injury Prevention Center Vidant Medical Center Wake County Public School System Wake Forest United Methodist Church WakeMed Wayne UNC Health Care Waynesboro Builders Supply Inc. Wilmington Fire Department Women’s Homes Overseas Missonary Society YMCA of the Triangle

Scholarship Infmation Jane S. Barringer Award Girl Scout Gold Award recipients are eligible to apply for the Jane S. Barringer Award. This is a cash award established to honor Mrs. Barringer, an outstanding teen advisor. A group of her former Girl Scouts, along with Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines, has instituted an award in her name to be given to an individual who embodies the principles and spirit “Mrs. B” works to instill. Mrs. Barringer has been a dedicated Girl Scout for more than 50 years.

Misty Crabtree Eastham Memorial Scholarship The Misty Crabtree Eastham Scholarship was established to honor the memory of lifelong Girl Scout Misty Crabtree Eastham, and provides scholarships for Gold Award Girl Scouts to help defray college expenses. As a girl in foster care who earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, Misty felt that Girl Scouting had a tremendous impact on her life and provided opportunities that she may never have had a chance to pursue. This scholarship embodies Misty’s sense of selflessness, generosity, drive, and determination.

Gladys Marion Scholarship The Gladys Marion Scholarship was made possible by a lifetime member of Girl Scouts who gave of her time and shared her talents to support Girl Scouts as they develop their leadership skills and prepare to be the next generation of leaders. The scholarship, for high school seniors primarily residing in Brunswick, New Hanover, or Pender County, recognizes those who have demonstrated significant leadership as members of Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines through earning their Girl Scout Gold Award or equivalent participation in council leadership programs.

For more information about these and other council-sponsored scholarships, please visit the council website at www.nccoastalpines.org.

2019 | 29

gsnccp

Girl Scouts - North Carolina Coastal Pines

Our Counties Beaufort Bladen Brunswick Carteret Chatham Columbus Craven Cumberland

Duplin Durham Edgecombe Franklin Granville Greene Halifax Harnett

Hoke Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Martin Moore Nash

New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pender Person Pitt

Richmond Robeson Sampson Scotland Vance Wake Warren Wayne Wilson

Board of Directs, Officers

Board of Directs

Girl Directs

Bonnie Hancock, Chair Valerie Quiett, First Vice Chair Melissa Reed, Second Vice Chair Natalie Perkins Holden, Third Vice Chair Cheryl Burns, Fourth Vice Chair Wendy Burden, Treasurer Linda Foreman, Secretary

Scottie Bryan Sandra Crumrine Kristal Diaz-Rojas Melanie Dubis Kacie Fore Kim Gold Jane Green Kristen Hess Debra Laughery Annette Moore Virginia Parker Marywalker Romanus Jodi Schwartz Jasmine Smith Saundra Wall Williams

Amanda Baright Gavrielle Fischer Natalie Gonzalez Tatiyanna Grizzle Loreta Quarmine Savannah Sinor

Lisa M. K. Jones Chief Executive Officer

Jenna Green (Board Development Committee Chair; Ex Officio Member with Vote)

Gold Award Commiee

Jane Barringer Rebecca Daniels Susan Dellay Eileen Emer Dottie Gilbert Emily Hayne Jennifer Jones Cathy Klinc Elaine Loyack Roxanne Manuel Catie McAnulty Sara Olson Barbara Putney Angie Taylor Gail Watts Trisha Wilson Lori Winkelstein