By Michael DeSantis

Posted on Monday June 12th, 2023

Read on The Patch

COMMACK, NY — Five Girl Scouts across Commack Service Unit 615 and Smithtown Service Unit 625 received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County announced. The Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve.

The awards were presented during the 2023 Gold Award Dinner, which was held at The Inn & Spa at East Wind and featured a keynote address by Rebecca Sanin, president and CEO of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island.

The members of Commack Service Unit 615 and Smithtown Service Unit 625 who achieved Gold Awards this year were Chloe Visnius, Elysena De Stefano, Ava Mahoney, Sophia Recine and Jessica Andrews.

“The Gold Award is the highest distinction a young woman can earn in Girl Scouting and is earned by less than 6% of Girl Scouts annually,” said Tammy Severino, GSSC’s president and CEO. “Earning this award takes an extreme amount of dedication, hard work and commitment from each of the girls. We are incredibly proud to celebrate this distinguished class of young women and the great efforts they have made for their communities.”

The Gold Award Girl Scouts each tackled a project that held a deep significance to them. Eligible recipients must complete two senior or ambassador journeys or their Girl Scout Silver Award before beginning their Gold Award project. Each candidate must spend at least 80 hours on her project.

Girls in grades 9 through 12 begin their Gold Award journey by identifying a civic or social issue they care about. Next, a Girl Scout builds a team to support her project with the mission to create a positive impact in her community by addressing an issue she feels passionate about. Through the process, Gold Award Girl Scouts build invaluable problem-solving, organizational, and leadership skills, while educating and inspiring others.

Elysena De Stefano created an outdoor learning library with a teacher bench, platform and inspirational signs for the preschoolers at the Suffolk Y JCC.

Ava Mahoney provided equipment and a training session for girls to play field hockey by running a free clinic. The clinic aimed to build healthy relationships and team bonding.

Sophia Recine volunteered at Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center’s Day Care and painted a mural. She also designed a poster with dementia care tips for caregivers.

Jessica Andrews addressed the issue of poverty and health for young adults by providing them with useful resources.

Chloe Visnius was recognized but opted not to share a description of her project.