Making the world a better place is a priority for Girl Scouts who were recognized
BEDFORD, NH – Dozens of Girl Scouts were honored by Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains for their remarkable achievements in making the world a better place at the Young Women of Distinction ceremonies which took place in Bedford on Sunday, Nov. 13.
The Gold Award is earned by Girl Scouts in grades 9-12 who demonstrated extraordinary leadership in developing solutions to local, national and global challenges. They 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. Each spends at least 80 hours in service to their community to change the world for the better – and for good. Thirty Girl Scouts achieved this goal in the 2021-2022 membership year.
The Girl Scout Silver Award is available to Girl Scout Cadettes in grades 6-8, and the Girl Scout Bronze Award is earned by Girl Scout Juniors in grades 4 and 5. Cadettes give at least 50 hours of service, while Juniors give at least 20 hours.
Patricia K. Mellor, CEO of the council serving girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont, noted that the awards are the result of leadership, dedication and hard work.
“Today’s celebration is a testament to the dedication and hard work necessary to accomplish the highest achievements in Girl Scouting,” she said. “These remarkable young women are a result of what Girl Scouts offers – programming that develops Girl Scouts of the utmost courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.”
Additional Girl Scouts were honored at a ceremony in Vermont in September.
Girl Scouts is a shining opportunity for girls to become their best selves. Find out more at www.girlscoutsgwm.org.
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Gold Award recipients honored at this event included:
- Sage Herr of Campton, Feel Good Geocaching – Sage wanted to promote mental health wellness by getting more people outdoors. She created seven wellness-themed geocaches, which she placed around Lincoln, Plymouth, and Campton, NH. Each contains trinkets Sage made from clay to be taken by those who find the caches. They can be found through geocaching.com.
- Jocelyne Lampron of Newton – Serving Sanborn’s Community with a Soup Kitchen – Jocelyn wanted to address the issue of hunger in her community, and wanted to provide home-cooked meals. She set up three cooking events at her high school and packaged meals for distribution at a local church and food pantries.
- Rosie McQuilkin of Hollis – Inspiring Women Book – The lack of accessible positive female role models for girls spurred Rosie to publish a book. She collected interviews from inspiring women so that tween and teen girls have an easy way to find women to look up to in many fields.
- Anya Nicoll of Freedom – Green Burials in New Hampshire – When Anya learned through a German class project how difficult it is to bury a human body without embalming, she set out the change a state law making it easier for families to have more environmentally friendly burials without embalming. Her legislation was amended and signed into law later in 2022.
- Nolette Perry of Bedford – Power U – As Nolette became interested in the power of good nutrition, she wanted to teach young athletes how it can help them do their best. She created a program to help elementary and middle school students eat the foods and time their consumption to aid their performance in athletics. She worked closely with a Bedford soccer team and made a tag for the student athletes to remind them of the best foods to eat and when, and created a website with that information.
Silver Award recipients honored at this event included:
- Miranda Stewart, Olivia Stewart of Williston, VT; and Jacklyn Whittier of Charlotte, VT – Art Installations
- Leah Frost of Keene – Books for All
- Jorja Sutton of Northfield, VT – CERV Recipe Bag
- Morgan Ryan of Windham – Diversity Through Stories
- Sarah Hanssen and Molly Shepard of Merrimack – Fixing Up A Cabin at Wasserman Park
- Haley Gagne and Jillian Russell of Bedford and Abigail Keeshan of Manchester - Fueled by Donations
- Julia Cummings and Annabel Johnson of Williston, VT, and Aida Russell of Colchester, VT – Garden for Memory Care
- Amy Campbell of Merrimack – Halstead Nature Loop Trail
- Emily Goupil and Annabelle Holmes of Hampton – Hampton Academy Softball Shed
- Helen Saunders of Merrimack – Hollis Montessori Outdoor Classroom Benches
- Sarah Murphy of Windham – Improvement of the Library’s Story Garden
- Margaret Loi of Amherst – Inspiring Reading In Youth With PJO
- Maria Tribou of Merrimack – Little Libraries for Saint Christopher Academy
- Caroline Hunt of Northwood – Mason Bee Project
- Amelia Bailey-Kellogg of Strafford, VT – Pollinator Houses and Gardens
- Ryleigh Dressel and Olivia Inzenga of Hudson – Tables for Teens
- Catherine Marvin, Marguerite Schmidt and Rebecca Walters of Nashua – The Franklin Preschool Project
- Kara Frost of Keene – Welcome to Amazing Grace Animal Sanctuary
- Julia Balzano, Laura Balzano and Lily Jones of Sandown – Where’s Bon-Bon?
Bronze Award recipients honored at this event included:
- Kierra Walker of Gilford – Animal Care Fair
- Aurora Mills of Newport – Dog Helpers
- Avery Behrend and Jillian Bolduc of Fremont – Elementary School Buddy Bench
- Olivia Hudson of Nashua – Help Catie’s Closet
- Eleanor Gorman and Zoey Maidrand of Dover – HSS Three-Bin Composter
- Skye Nadler of Nashua – Nashua Humane Society and MSPCA
- Aria VanderVeen of Nashua – Project Animal Love
- Miranda Cole, Avery Csendes, Grace Kenney, Susanna Michalski, Victoria Perreault, Lily Sacino, Charlotte Sullivan, Lyndsay Therrien and Lillian Weeks of Bedford – Raised Herb Boxes for Those with Disabilities
- Aubreigh Pfeiffer of Claremont – We Care for Animals
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.
