Seven local Girl Scouts achieve high honors

Star Beacon

June 07, 2008 01:01 am

— Seven area Girl Scouts will receive the highest honor a Girl Scout can obtain.
Lacey Cunningham, Kimberly Olson and Cassie Seaman all of Ashtabula; Katelyn Lloyd of Roaming Shores; and Megan O’Connor, Carissa O’Connor and Katie O’Connor all of Jefferson have worked long and hard and will be presented with the Girl Scout Gold Award June 14 in Akron.
The ceremony marks the first combined Girl Scouts Gold Award celebration with five legacy councils coming together as one — Girl Scouts of North East Ohio. The seven local Girl Scouts join 55 other girls from across northeast Ohio in achieving this honor, said Kimberly Graves, GSNEO communications coordinator.
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive. It is equivalent to the Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts, Graves said. The girls work on projects for about a year and have to meet certain requirements, first including earning various patches.
“That’s why only a small percentage of girls do it,” Graves said. “Those who complete the journey change the lives of others and their own in amazing and significant ways.”
The award recognizes the leadership and impact girls 14 to 18 years old have had on their communities. Only about 5 percent of eligible girls take the rigorous path toward earning this prestigious award, she said.
“The take action attitude, organizational skills and sense of community and commitment that come from earning the Girl Scout Gold Award set the foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship and leadership,” said GSNEO’s Chief Executive Officer Daisy L. Alford-Smith. “I am so proud of these young ladies for their hard work and dedication. It takes a truly passionate person to give of herself, time and energy to an unselfish pursuit.”