Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England Celebrates Highest Awards
Photo 1: Left to right, back row: Keely Grady, Anna Kelly, Margaret Graham, Caroline Bar Front row: Lindsay Moricas, Alex Citrone, Isabelle Sharp
Warwick, R.I. (June 14, 2022)— Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England held the Highest Awards Ceremony on June 4, 2023, at the Rhode Island State House, where we honored the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Award Girl Scouts.
This year, our council had seven troops earn their Bronze Award, fourteen Silver Award Girl Scouts, and ten Gold Award Girl Scouts who created, developed, and executed self-sustaining “Take Action” projects successfully. Our council is thrilled to highlight the accomplishments of these Girl Scouts and to join with them in celebrating over 100 years of Girl Scout Highest Award excellence, innovation, and visionary leadership in 2023.
Through this tradition, we hope to continue empowering future generations of Girl Scouts to follow their dreams, discover their passions, and make a global impact.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award
Photo 2: Left to right: Margaret Graham, Alex Citrone, Anna Kelly
Since 1916, Girl Scouts have been making meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and around the world. The Girl Scout Gold Award, the greatest achievement in Girl Scouting, acknowledges the power behind each Gold Award Girl Scout’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others. These young women are courageous leaders and visionary change makers. They are our future, and it looks bright!
“Girl Scouts is iterative—the program builds upon itself, like a snowball rolling downhill. Our Highest Awards are a great example of this. Juniors earn the Bronze Award by teaming up with others to make a difference in their towns.
Cadettes earn the Silver Award by researching an issue, planning to address it, and then taking action to improve their communities.
The Gold Award requires the recipient to develop a sustainable solution to a world or community issue.
While completing their projects, they learn about and build on their leadership skills.
By earning these awards, Girl Scouts see their own power and make a lasting change in their community. On behalf of GSSNE and the entire Girl Scout community, we congratulate each of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awardees.
May you continue to epitomize the Girl Scouts mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character throughout your future endeavors.
The future is bright with our leaders out front,” said Dana Borrelli-Murray, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England.
The following Gold Award Girl Scouts will join the millions of Girl Scout alums around the world who have successfully created, developed, and executed “Take Action” projects that have positively impacted their communities and the world, earning Girl Scouts’ highest achievement:
Swansea, MA, Mary Arruda: Pet CPR & First Aid
Warwick, RI, Caroline Barr: You be the Star!
North Attleboro, MA, Alex Citrone: Creative Writing Course for Youth
Wakefield, RI, Keely Grady: Fairy Garden
Attleboro, MA, Margaret Graham: Climate Change’s Effect on Pollinators
Wakefield, RI, Anna Kelly: Peer-to-Peer Program in Middle School
Somerset, MA, Haley Lee: Recreation Cheerleading Program
Narragansett, RI, Lindsay Moricas: Bridging the Gaps Between Community and Nature
Bristol, RI, Isabelle Sharp: ADHDmons (Life with an Invisible Disability)
This year, GSSNE selected three of our Gold Award Girl Scouts as our Young Women of Distinction. Their Gold Award projects demonstrated a clear vision, resolve, and commitment to making the world a better place.
This year, Alex Citrone, Margaret Graham, and Anna Kelly were selected for this honor, and each received a scholarship from Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England.
According to the Girl Scout Research Institute’s (GSRI’s) report, The Power of the Girl Scout Gold Award: Excellence in Leadership and Life, Gold Award Girl Scouts receive greater lifetime benefits than their peers about positive sense of self, life satisfaction, leadership, life success, community service, and civic engagement thanks to their experience in Girl Scouting, including earning their Gold Award.
When compared to non–Girl Scout alums, Gold Award Girl Scouts soar when it comes to seeing themselves as leaders, providing service to others through volunteerism, and having positive attitudes about themselves and the lives they lead. More generally, over 90 percent of Girl Scouts not only attributed their success in life to Girl Scouts, but they also said they could not have had access to the same experiences anywhere else.
Over the course of the last century, millions of Girl Scout alums have positively impacted their communities and the world with their creative, impactful, and sustainable Take Action projects.
It’s not only Girl Scouts who understand the value of the Gold Award. Some universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. armed forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements.
Earning the Gold Award is just one of the amazing things girls can do as part of Girl Scouts. To join Girl Scouts or learn more about volunteering, please visit www.gssne.org/join
We Are Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs across Southeastern New England, 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 gssne.org. follow @gssne on Instagram, follow @GirlScoutsofSNE on Twitter, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GSSNE.