Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont is pleased to announce that Mary Liz Elliott, Winston-Salem, earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting.
Elliott, daughter of John and Ginger Elliott and a member of Girl Scout Troop 40805, brought awareness to Alzheimer’s disease and its effects on both the patients and families. First, she organized themed sensory drawers at Brighton Gardens Assisted Living Center. Each drawer contained different materials that residents could play with for stimulating their minds and bringing back memories of past experiences they had once enjoyed. Next, she led her troop in making 100 Alzheimer’s information pamphlets and caregiving tip cards for Brighton Gardens. Then she constructed a large wooden sensory board and attached many items to enhance their dexterity. Elliott also led kids from her neighborhood in making care packages to be distributed to the 24 Alzheimer’s residents at Brighton Gardens.
By earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, Elliott has become a community leader. Her accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart.
“Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award designation is truly a remarkable achievement, and this young woman exemplifies leadership in all its forms,” said Lane Cook, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont. “She saw a need in her community and took action. Her extraordinary dedication, perseverance and leadership, is making the world a better place.”
The Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting; it recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects. After the minimum requirements are completed, the Gold Award project is the culmination of a girl’s demonstration of self-discipline, leadership ability, time management, creativity, initiative and a significant mastery of skills. Each girl must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and implementing her project, which must benefit the community and have long lasting impact. Since 1916, girls have successfully answered the call to go gold, an act that indelibly marks them as accomplished members of their communities and the world.
Some universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to Gold Award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements.
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