Local Garden City Teens Earn Prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently celebrated Garden City residents Valentina C., Bridget C., Brinley D., Casey D., Isabella F., Clare G., Isabelle K., Claire L., Genevieve M., and Kayla S., who were among the 67 young women from across Nassau County to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award this year. The Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouts and recognizes young women who identify a real problem in their community, build a team, and create a lasting, sustainable solution. They were honored at the 2026 Gold Award Ceremony at The Inn at New Hyde Park.

"The 2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts are an extraordinary group of young women, and what they have accomplished goes far beyond the projects they completed," said Rande Bynum, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. "Through this experience, every one of them built real, transferable skills in leadership, problem-solving, public speaking, and project management that will give them an edge in college, in their careers, and in every community they are a part of for the rest of their lives. We are so proud of each of them, and of the lasting impact they have already made right here in Nassau County."

Girls in grades 9-12 begin their Gold Award journeys by identifying a civic or social issue that holds personal significance to them. From there, each girl builds a team, develops a plan, and leads that team to implement a sustainable solution designed to continue creating impact long after her direct involvement ends. Through programs established at local schools, books donated to library collections, community installations, and digital resources with global reach, these young women leave behind something lasting. Along the way, Gold Award recipients develop into innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers, building resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills that give them a meaningful edge personally and professionally.

Valentina's Gold Award, Project Red: Blood Donor Education, addressed critical blood donation shortages caused by a nationwide blood emergency. Seeking to inspire a future generation of donors, she partnered with her school to implement comprehensive lessons covering the process and importance of blood donation, achieving lasting impact as these vital lessons are now officially integrated into the high school health curriculum.

Bridget's Gold Award, Real World Ready, focused on teaching middle school students essential financial literacy and life skills often missing from traditional classrooms. She designed a six-part curriculum covering budgeting, investing, credit, taxes, insurance, and more, presenting her lessons to more than 450 eighth-grade students across three schools and expanding access through Edpuzzle lessons, worksheets, YouTube videos, and social media resources.

Brinley's Gold Award, The History of Matinecock Meeting, addressed the lack of accessibility of local history for younger generations on Long Island, specifically focusing on the historic Matinecock Meeting House and its Quaker community. Through extensive archival research, she preserved the heritage of the historic Matinecock Meeting House by creating dedicated website content, an active Instagram account, and a custom illustrated picture book as a permanent educational resource for children.

Casey's Gold Award, Disconnect to Reconnect, addressed the growing impact of screens and social media on youth by promoting healthier technology habits among students at every level. She created age-specific initiatives including a Screen-Free Summer Calendar, parent education brochures, and "NoSo Week," a high school challenge encouraging students to set realistic goals for reducing screen time, partnering with school administrators and the PTA Digital Citizenship Committee, and other community organizations to reach hundreds of students and families throughout Garden City..

Isabella's Gold Award, The Cries of the Golden Land, addressed the lack of awareness surrounding the Rohingya Genocide. She developed an educational presentation using the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights to help students trace historical patterns in the causes of genocides, launched a dedicated YouTube channel for global reach, and left her curriculum with high school history teachers to be implemented in classrooms annually.

Clare's Gold Award, Miles the Toll Lodge: Long Island's Little Landmark, transformed local history into an engaging learning experience through a fully illustrated children's book inspired by the historic Long Island Motor Parkway. After realizing how easily important landmarks can be overlooked, she created a story told from the perspective of a toll lodge to help children better understand and appreciate the history surrounding their own communities. She researched, wrote, illustrated, formatted, and published the book, then shared it through readings and workshops at schools, libraries, senior centers, and community events across the region.

Isabelle's Gold Award, New Ground Inc., focused on raising awareness about child homelessness while bringing the joy of theater to children living in shelters. She partnered with New Ground to develop and run an engaging summer activity program, while simultaneously launching an educational campaign across her high school to dismantle harmful stereotypes surrounding poverty.

Claire's Gold Award, A Leg Up, improved accessibility and quality of life for aging and injured dogs by combining community education with practical support for animals experiencing mobility challenges. She partnered with local veterinarians to educate pet owners, designed pamphlets, and built accessibility ramps for Manhasset Animal Hospital and Meadowbrook Animal Hospital to help dogs safely navigate entrances.

Genevieve's Gold Award, Paws and Breathe, tackled the growing teen mental health crisis by introducing a therapy dog program to Garden City High School in partnership with Pet Partners. She organized widely attended therapy dog visits, with hundreds of students participating and many reporting reduced stress and improved mood, and promoted mental health awareness through posters and outreach to younger Girl Scouts. The program will continue through support of the Garden City PTA and school guidance department.

Kayla's Gold Award, The Importance of Financial Literacy, focused on helping teens develop the financial knowledge needed to make responsible decisions as they enter adulthood. She created presentations and digital resources on budgeting, banking, investing, credit scores, and taxes, and her social media platform reached more than 51,000 viewers during Financial Literacy Month.

According to recent research, Gold Award Girl Scouts are more likely to fill leadership roles at work and in their personal lives, and are more civically engaged than their non-Girl Scout peers. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Gold Award Girl Scouts agree that earning their Gold Award gave them skills that help them succeed professionally. Seventy-two percent (72%) said earning their Gold Award helped them get a scholarship. And the impact does not stop there. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of Gold Award alums go on to take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.

For more information about Girl Scouts of Nassau County or to learn how to join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit www.gsnc.org.