Posted on Jun 2, 2021

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador can earn, a standard of excellence achieved by few.

Completion of a Gold Award Project means a Girl Scout has left her mark on her community and her world that creates a lasting impact on the lives of others. Approximately one million Girl Scouts have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent since 1916.

  • Girl Scout Gold Award Through the Years

    1916-1918 | Golden Eagle of Merit

    • As the original highest award for Girl Scouts, the Golden Eagle of Merit was created to recognize girls who make a difference.

    1918-1938 | Golden Eaglet

    • To earn the Golden Eaglet, girls had to achieve the rank of First Class and earn badges in 15 of 21 subjects.

    1938-1940 | First Class Patch

    • Before a Girl Scout could be awarded First Class rank, she had to choose a field of concentration and be of service.

    1940-1963 | Curved Bar

    • The Curved Bar required girls to achieve First Class rank and gain proficiency in a second area of expertise.

    1963-1980 | First Class Pin

    • To achieve the First Class Pin meant a girl was an “all around” person and earned badges in six fields. Additional challenges were developed over the years.

    1980-Present | Girl Scout Gold Award

    • The Girl Scout Gold Award was created in 1980 and has transformed to now include a Take Action Project with a suggested 80 hours of service.
  • Girl Scout Gold Award Charge

    The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is made of 113 member countries and is the largest voluntary organization for girls in the world. You have been approved by Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee and Girl Scouts of the USA to be worthy of receiving the Gold Award – the highest award in Girl Scouting.

    Your position is one of honor and responsibility. As a Girl Scout, you have made a promise to serve God and your country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law. This is a tremendous contract to undertake, and as you live up to these obligations, you bring honor to yourself and all other Girl Scouts and Girl Guides.

    As a Gold Award Girl Scout, you have taken a journey toward becoming self-assured, courageous, compassionate, concerned, committed, and mature.

    I charge you to undertake your membership with solemn dedication. Be a leader, make strong decisions, become involved with people throughout the world, and always be aware of not only their differences but their similarities; respect yourself and your fellow citizens. Live and serve so that those who know you will be inspired to finer living. Be among those who dedicate their skills and abilities to all that is good.

    Build your country on the foundation of clean living, honesty, caring for humankind, concern for the land, and reverence for God. You will leave behind you a record for which every other Girl Scout may be justly proud.

    Gold Award Girl Scouts, will you accept this charge?

    Gold Award Girl Scouts: “We will.”

  • Agenia Clark Scholarship for Excellence in Leadership

    In 2015, the Sue Peters Foundation for Girls of Character, Courage, and Confidence established this scholarship program. The scholarships are only available to Middle Tennessee Girl Scouts who have earned the Gold Award and meet specific criteria.

    Congratulations to the 2020 recipients of the Agenia Clark Gold Award Scholarship for Excellence in Leadership!

    Amelia Algood | Dannesha Dunlap | Lily Molina | Megan Mertes | Alexis Smith | Elizabeth Swartz

  • Gold Award Girl Scouts

    Julia Adair
    Troop 1963, Service Unit 172
    Title of Project: Herbs in History during the Regency Period at Traveller’s Rest
    Troop Leader: Jessica Adair | Project Advisor: Chad Burgess

    Julia worked with Traveller’s Rest Plantation to help educate young women about herbology and the role of women in the history of botanical medicine. To do this, Julia created a curriculum that will be used during the summer camp programs held at Traveller’s Rest Plantation. Julia hopes that young women in the community will learn about the incredible work women have done in the history of botanical medicine and become interested in the subject as well!

    Gracie Basham
    Troop 2163, Service Unit 142
    Title of Project: Launching Little Learners
    Troop Leader: Greg Gressel | Project Advisor: Dot Watson

    Gracie focused on increasing children’s literacy in her community for her Gold Award Take Action Project. To accomplish her goal, Gracie worked with multiple preschools in her area to build libraries for children to use throughout their school day. In addition, Gracie collected books that people in the community were no longer using and re-purposed them for her project.

    Lillian Bass
    Troop 41, Service Unit 45
    Title of Project: Blankets of Love
    Troop Leader: Jeanie Butler | Project Advisor: Hilary Gilmore Radakovich

    For her Gold Award Take Action Project, Lillian focused on bringing awareness to under-funded animal shelters that cannot provide comfortable spaces for animals. Lillian made and delivered blankets to shelters while also creating fliers and posters to bring awareness to animal shelters that are under-funded and encourage others in her community to donate money and goods.

    Bethany Broady
    Troop 539, Service Unit 51
    Title of Project: Helping Others Understand Autism
    Troop Leader: Paulette Allen | Project Advisors: Brianna Mason, Yvette Jones, and Byrettia Broady

    Bethany worked with Advocates for Autism to increase community awareness for her Gold Award Take Action Project. Bethany created brochures with information and games to educate her community on the different characteristics of Autism, the different severities of it, and how to help and support those who have been diagnosed with it.

    Olivia Brumbach
    Troop 2514, Service Unit 111
    Title of Project: Old Lake Park Firepit
    Troop Leader: Kelly Evans | Project Advisor: Mark Newberry

    Olivia focused on building a fire pit and benches in a new park in her community. Olivia worked at Old Lake Park to build these items, and she also created materials showing people how to safely build and dispose of a fire. These materials have been posted in the park and on the park’s website so that many people can access them in the future.

    Helina Butler
    Troop 41, Service Unit 45
    Title of Project: I’m Proud to Be an American
    Troop Leader: Jeannie Butler | Project Advisor: Julie Hays

    Helina chose to focus on her passion for honoring veterans and those who serve our country, while also honoring the United States. To do this, Helina wrote a speech that she delivered to soldiers, veterans, and citizens in her community. Helina also worked with members of her community to retire American flags and replace them with new ones.

    Maggie Corlew
    Troop 2726, Service Unit 70
    Title of Project: Better Clothing Storage for Resource Linkage
    Troop Leader: Elizabeth Jackson | Project Advisor: Cameron Crawford

    Maggie worked with Resource Linkage to organize the storage rooms that house resources and clothing for children who are in the custody of Child Protective Services. By organizing the rooms and building shelving units, Maggie helped the people who work at Resource Linkage make sure that children in their custody can receive clothing and other products that are of good quality.

    Mollie Kate Creech
    Troop 2863, Service Unit 152
    Title of Project: Classroom Literacy Bundles
    Troop Leader: Patty Akin | Project Advisor: Tabetha Sullens

    Mollie Kate focused on the importance of early literacy for Kindergarten students for her Gold Award Take Action Project. To do this, Mollie Kate created activity bundles containing fun games, puzzles, and tactile learning boards for the students so that they can be engaged and enjoy learning to read. A student-led club at Mollie Kate’s school will continue her project in the years to come!

    Elizabeth D’Ambro
    Troop 1745, Service Unit 177
    Title of Project: Exploring the Past
    Troop Leader: Natalie D’Ambro | Project Advisor: Sharon Taylor

    Elizabeth created an interactive history map and tour of her community for her Gold Award Take Action Project. Using her historical knowledge and resources in her community, Elizabeth developed a map which people can use to walk around the town and learn about the history of the community. This information is online for many people to access!

    Dannesha Dunlap
    Troop 2787, Service Unit 41
    Title of Project: A Ray of Sunshine on a Cloudy Day
    Troop Leader: Lunetta Scruggs | Project Advisor: Florence Rich

    For her Gold Award Take Action Project, Dannesha worked to bring joy and encouragement to elderly and sick people who could not have visitors due to COVID-19. Dannesha made many Sunshine Bags, which contained blankets and scarves that she made, inspirational booklets, toiletries, and snacks. Dannesha’s project will be continued by her church in the future.

    Maggie Goodson
    Troop 316, Service Unit 52
    Title of Project: Bringing Nature In
    Troop Leader: Melissa Flatt | Project Advisor: Denise Pritchard

    Maggie focused on engaging residents in an assisted living home for her Gold Award Take Action Project. She did this by building birdhouses and bird feeders that have been placed outside the rooms of residents so that they can watch the birds and enjoy nature. The assisted living home will continue to use Maggie’s creations for years to come.

    Amelia Greathouse
    Troop 915, Service Unit 177
    Title of Project: Shields Against COVID-19
    Troop Leader: Carol Veltri | Project Advisor: Jessica Gipson

    Amelia focused on creating reusable face shields for hospital and school employees. To do this, she taught others how to make the reusable face shields through her website and videos, as well as on social media. When her project was complete, Amelia was able to donate more than 1,000 reusable face shields to schools and hospitals in her community.

    Sarah Helper
    Troop 1708, Service Unit 178
    Title of Project: T-Shirt Jump Ropes
    Troop Leader: Robyn Helper | Project Advisor: April Jackson

    For her Gold Award Take Action Project, Sarah recycled used t-shirts and made them into jump ropes for children to promote exercise and social skills. Sarah cut the t-shirts into strips and braided them to create the jump ropes. These jump ropes were donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Franklin and to Live Beyond, an organization in Haiti.

    Caroline Henderson
    Troop 1322, Service Unit 202
    Title of Project: Protecting the Faces of Our Community
    Troop Leader: Jeani Olivier | Project Advisor: Donetta Little

    Caroline worked to create face masks and educate others on the importance of wearing them for her Gold Award Take Action Project. Caroline held a virtual event where she and the participants sewed masks that were distributed to Baptist Global Response and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Caroline also led training sessions on health issues related to COVID-19 and how to make masks for others.

    Juliana Hernandez
    Troop 4074, Service Unit 50
    Title of Project: The Yes We Can Project
    Troop Leader: Jovita Hernandez | Project Advisor: John Green

    For her Gold Award Take Action Project, Juliana worked to educate and empower people who are experiencing homelessness in her community. Juliana worked with Room In The Inn to create resource guides in English and Spanish. These resource guides are available to the people who are served by Room In The Inn and feature information about how to find job opportunities, interview tips, health services, and other resources.

    Maya Hershkowitz
    Troop 510, Service Unit 173
    Title of Project: Face Mask Fear
    Troop Leader: Vickie Olexy | Project Advisor: Michele Mizrachy

    Maya wanted to address the benefits of wearing masks and encourage young children to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, Maya created a book about the importance of wearing masks and a program to go along with the book. Maya shared her book and project with teachers in her community and on social media. Maya even sent her book and program to students in Arizona, Florida, New York, and Wisconsin!

    Virginia Jordan
    Troop 1963, Service Unit 172
    Title of Project: The Wild Oak Library
    Troop Leader: Anita Jordan | Project Advisor: Sandra Rowell

    For her Gold Award Take Action Project, Virginia wanted to increase access to educational books for young children in her community. To do this, Virginia built a library and outdoor reading area and collected books for the library. Virginia’s project will be continued by a church in her community.

    Courtnee Marks
    Troop 539, Service Unit 51
    Title of Project: Wright Middle Rules
    Troop Leader: Paulette Allen | Project Advisor: Jennifer DeWall

    Courtnee worked with Wright Middle School to enhance the school’s outdoor area for her Gold Award Take Action Project. She painted flower beds, planted flowers, rebuilt vegetable garden beds, and placed new picnic tables in play areas. Courtnee spread awareness about her project around the school, her community, and social media.

    Megan Mertes
    Troop 833, Service Unit 46
    Title of Project: Home Visual Support Program for Special Needs Children – “Speaking Without Words”
    Troop Leader: June Swartz | Project Advisor: Deborah Powers

    For her Gold Award Take Action Project, Megan worked with Vanderbilt Pediatric Rehabilitation to create visual tools to help non-verbal children communicate at home and in school. Megan worked with experts to make tools that many children can currently use and that staff in the clinic can use in the future.

    Aria Patel
    Troop 707, Service Unit 178
    Title of Project: Our Lives, Our Future
    Troop Leader: Lauren Lauterbach | Project Advisor: Anita Pankhania

    For her Gold Award Take Action Project, Aria focused on educating students at her school about the importance of staying safe online and how to create a safe digital footprint online. Aria coded her own website to educate and engage students on this topic. She also distributed information about her website in her community.

    Hannah Potts
    Troop 965, Service Unit 104
    Title of Project: Shade Shelter for Soccer Complex
    Troop Leader: Tracey Potts | Project Advisor: Fran Hutson

    For her Gold Award Take Action Project, Hannah built a shade shelter at a soccer complex in her community. Hannah built the shelter to help prevent soccer players from experiencing dehydration and over-exposure to the sun while they use the facility.

    Jessica Roberts
    Troop 941, Service Unit 73
    Title of Project: Revamping the Animal Shelter
    Troop Leader: Kim Roberts | Project Advisor: Angela Rye

    Jessica remodeled the kitchen and bathroom in the Waverly Animal Shelter for her Gold Award Take Action Project. Jessica worked with staff members to create more organized, easier-to-use spaces that will benefit both employees and animals at the shelter for years to come.

    Alexis Smith
    Troop 2163, Service Unit 142
    Title of Project: Theater Is Life – Gift Shop and Online Shop at South Jackson
    Troop Leader: Greg Gressel | Project Advisor: Coleen Saunders

    Alexis worked to establish an in-person and online gift shop for a local performing arts venue in her community for her Gold Award Take Action Project. Her project will help to support the performing arts center and local art in her community for years to come.

    Elizabeth Swartz
    Troop 833, Service Unit 46
    Title of Project: Positive Moves!
    Troop Leader: June Swartz | Project Advisor: Lauren Beasley

    Elizabeth worked with an inclusive dance studio in her community to bring awareness to the types of programs the studio offers. Elizabeth collected donated costumes and props that the dance studio can use in the future. She also created marketing materials that the dance studio can continue to use to create awareness about their services and classes.

    Macy Tomlin
    Troop 1700, Service Unit 172
    Title of Project: WilCo Parks & Rec Mural
    Troop Leader: Karen Feamster | Project Advisor: Kerri Hudson

    Macy worked with Williamson County Parks and Recreation to create a mural for her Gold Award Take Action Project. Macy painted a mural for the Leiper’s Fork Recreation Center that both employees and visitors can enjoy. Macy created awareness about her mural by sharing on social media.

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