Helping those with hidden disabilities is personal to this Girl Scout
Alanna Bonneau of Dover earns Girl Scout Gold Award
November 25, 2024
DOVER, NH – Not verbal until the age of 4, experiencing dyslexia and learning difficulties, Alanna Bonneau has nevertheless traveled the world, become a powerhouse cookie seller, mentored younger children as a camp counselor, become a spokesperson for Girl Scouts by appearing on radio and TV, and now has achieved the highest honor in Girl Scouts, the Gold Award, with her project, Overcoming Hidden Disabilities.
Bonneau, 18, of Dover, has spent much of her life teaching others, even her own teachers, how to accommodate her hidden disabilities.
“It's a little bit struggle for me to do school normally,” she said, “and I realized that I had to keep repeating myself to my teachers, trying to re-educate all of the educators in my school district to what my accommodations were. So I was trying to fix the problem of having it all be in one resource, and so the teachers could use it reliably -so other students didn't have to repeat themselves over and over again.”
Bonneau has had to work hard to be understood in school. Often she had to advocate for herself and work with her teachers to meet her needs.
“I had to use speech to text,” she said. “It's when a computer reads aloud of the text on the computer, so, being in middle school, when you're the only kid who has this computer and the teacher is like, ‘What is this? Why do I have to send you my assignments via Google Docs?’”
For her Gold Award, Bonneau put together a comprehensive and useful tip sheet that anyone teaching children can find online. It contains suggestions like providing large-print books, screen support, audio readers, movement breaks, quiet spaces, and more. Some learners need more support, such as an interpreter, scribe, paraprofessional or therapist.
She also worked to get large-print books into her school library – an ongoing project – and created a website (www.overcomminghiddendisabilities.com) where her tip sheet and other information can be found.
Kristin Twomey, an educator at Dover High School, was Bonneau’s advisor for her Gold Award project.
“Alanna absolutely achieved her goal,” said Twomey. “I found her project to be professional, relevant, and that it demonstrated meticulous thought. I believe that Alanna is trying to address the needs for her community and that is admirable.”
Bonneau spent 89 hours on her project, raising $2,000 in Girl Scout Cookie income and spending over $1,700 of it on large-print books for her school library and to pay for her website.
And that $2000 is a drop in the bucket for Bonneau, who worked dozens of weekends manning cookie booths, becoming one of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains’ top sellers several years in a row. Through her cookie sales, Bonneau has traveled to Japan, England and France. Talking to the public about cookies gave her the confidence to speak in public, allowing her to join the council’s Media Team, where she has appeared several times on the morning shows of WZID and WFEA, helped record a PSA at Concord Community TV about Girl Scouts, and voiced radio spots for the council.
She has participated in the Global Leadership Conference, a gathering of older Girl Scouts in Rhode Island to promote leadership skills and spent several years as a summer camp counselor for the council. She was a part-time photographer at camp and also attended the national convention for Girl Scouts in Florida last year.
Working on her Gold Award project showed her that she can delegate and use her leadership skills and knowledge to educate others. She choked up, acknowledging that it has been a huge struggle for her, but one she is rightfully proud of.
“This project gets me kind of overwhelmed because it's very emotional and dear to my heart,” she said.
Bonneau has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten, completing all 13 years of the Girl Scout experience. She loved summer camp, calling it magical, her safe haven, her vacation home. She became a counselor in training, able to help other children at camp, then a full camp counselor as she progressed through the program.
At Dover High School, Bonneau’s team won two tennis championships, she was goalie for her soccer team, swam competitively, and sang in the chorus. Her photography skills scored two wins in the junior division of the Granite State Fair. She is now in her freshman year at Salem State University, where she is majoring in art and design with a minor in recreational management. She is also on the school’s tennis team.
● ● ●
Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. Since 1912, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change. They earn college scholarships, demonstrate high educational and career outcomes, and are active in their communities.
Alanna Bonneau has answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change, and her Gold Award is a testament to her remarkable dedication to improving her community and the world.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award
- Gold Award Girl Scouts on average spend one to two years on their project.
- A Gold Award project must be sustainable after the girl’s involvement ends.
- The average age of Gold Award Girl Scouts is 17.
- Since 1916, more than 1 million girls have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent.
- Gold Award Girl Scouts are entitled to enlist at a higher pay grade when they join the military.
- University research indicates that noting you are a Gold Award Girl Scout on a college application is influential in the admissions decision-making process.
- Thirteen young women from New Hampshire and Vermont earned their Gold Award in the 2023-2024 membership year as part of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains.
- The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable.
We Are Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs 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 alums, Girl Scouts lead 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.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serves girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.
