Bonnie Anderson of Harrisville created lasting change, as has the 2021 class of Gold Award Girl Scouts
BEDFORD, NH – She’s a Gold Award Girl Scout. She’s shown the world, and herself, that if she can dream it, she can do it—and the future is hers. Gold Award Girl Scout Bonnie Anderson of Harrisville is one of only about 100 girls nationally to be chosen by Girl Scouts of the USA to receive a $2,000 scholarship as the organization celebrates the achievements of the 2021 class of Gold Award Girl Scouts across the country.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the council serving girls in New Hampshire and Vermont, is excited about the selection, and beyond proud of the Girl Scouts who also earned the highest achievement for a high schooler in Girl Scouts. These young women each spent a minimum of 80 hours serving their communities and creating lasting change on issues important to them.
Anderson’s Warm the Soul Campaign took place at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone found themselves locked down and feeling lonely. She made a plan to address the situation, knowing that it doesn’t take much to change a person’s day and give them a smile. She organized Girl Scouts to write letters and draw pictures for people who were ill, planned a parade for a longtime Harrisville family that was moving, and created a website to help build a sense of community and teach others how to become involved.
Her scholarship is possible through sponsorship from Arconic Foundation and Kappa Delta Foundation. Over 100 such scholarships were awarded by Girl Scouts of the USA.
The Gold Award is the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn, available to girls in high school who create sustainable change on a community or world issue, such as mental health, providing healthy food to those in need, educating others about civic duty, or helping the hearing understand deaf culture. Gold Award Girl Scouts address the root cause of a problem, plan and implement innovative solutions to drive change, and lead a team of people to success. More than 3,500 Girl Scouts earned their Gold Award in 2021 across the country.
As they take action to transform their world, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they are the leaders our community and world need. Gold Award Girl Scouts discover they have the power to create the future they want for themselves and others, and it shows. According to recent research, Gold Award Girl Scouts are significantly more satisfied—with their personal lives, with their education, professionally, and financially—than non-Girl Scouts. Eighty-five percent of Gold Award Girl Scouts say that earning their Gold Award gave them skills to succeed in their daily lives, and 87 percent say it gave them skills to help them succeed professionally.
To join or volunteer, visit www.girlscouts.org/join.
About Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains: Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains is recognized throughout New Hampshire and Vermont as a leading expert on girls. Our Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a one-of-a-kind leadership development program for girls, with proven results. It is based on time-tested methods and research-backed programming that helps girls take the lead—in their own lives and in the world. Through our exciting and challenging programs, Girl Scouts not only participate but also take the lead in a range of activities—from kayaking, archery, and camping, to coding, robotics, financial literacy training, and beyond! Serving girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org.
