Three local scouts recognized for ‘Gold Award’ projects

Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson, Inc. (GSHH) recently announced the 65 recipients of the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in girl scouting. Among this elite group of awardees were Alexandra Turner of Warwick Troop 296, Zoe Kyrou of Goshen Troop 184, and Arianna Weinberg of Monroe-Woodbury Troop 265.

According to the organization, “Gold Award Girl Scouts make positive impacts on our local communities by addressing some of our most pressing issues, including accessibility, youth mental health, and environmental sustainability.”

Each of the scouts were honored on June 1 during a ceremony at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh.

GSHH’s Interim CEO Helen Wronski, said, “With the completion of their Gold Awards, these 65 Girl Scouts join the legacy of Girl Scout change makers and have positioned themselves up as leaders among their peers. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Girl Scouts must research and select a project that is important to them, create a budget and fundraise for the materials to complete their projects, and work with adults in their community to create a lasting and sustainable impact with their projects. For some, this project took them out of their comfort zones, and strengthened skills that they didn’t even know they had. This experience will stay with them as they graduate high school and begin their adult lives, whether they enter college, embark on a military career, or join the workforce. We are immensely proud of all of GSHH’s Gold Award Girl Scouts and look forward to see what they do next!”

Zoe Kyrou, Goshen Troop 184

Zoe Kyrou’s Gold Award Project, “Perfectly Imperfect: Shining the Light on Hidden Disabilities,” was a project to spread awareness and to educate her high school community about hidden disabilities. This project had three key parts. First, she created The Sunflower Club. The Sunflower is an internationally recognized symbol for hidden disabilities. The Sunflower Club, under her direction, hosted two awareness weeks during the school year: one in October for hidden disabilities and one in May for mental health. The second part of the project was to create a “safe area” in Kyrou’s school for students with hidden disabilities. She met with the school psychologist and social worker to establish guidelines for students. Lastly, she spoke at the TEDxGoshen event about her own struggles with hidden disabilities and how her experience inspired her Gold Award project. Kyrou’s TEDTalk, “The Superhero” can be viewed via YouTube.

Arianna Weinberg, Monroe-Woodbury Troop 265

Arianna Weinberg decided to take on the challenge of learning how to build a rock wall from scratch for her project, after she learned about a park in the Sugar Loaf area that had been destroyed by extreme weather conditions. The town was looking for someone to make it as good as new. After multiple attempts at finding help from bigger organizations, the news got to Weinberg and she decided to take the project on for her Gold Award, and create a lasting impact on her community in the process.

Alexandra Turner, Warwick Troop 296

For Alexandra Turner’s Gold Award project, she assembled a team to build and install a “Blessing Box” at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chester. A Blessing Box is a large wooden cabinet with shelves and a swinging door, where people can drop off non-perishable food donation items for those in need. She decided to address the issue of local food insecurity by creating means by which people can access food in times of need, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without having to ask for help. Turner organized a team of volunteers to create a blueprint and building materials list, and convinced local stores to donate the materials. She also planned and organized a food drive event for younger Girl Scouts, and spoke to the local church congregation where they placed the Blessing Box.