FARMINGDALE – The Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore presented 25 Girl Scouts from Monmouth and Ocean counties with the Girl Scout Gold Award during a special ceremony on June 2 at Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood.
Katelyn Kearney of Rumson, Gianna Miceli of Holmdel and Karen Moore of Holmdel were among the Girl Scouts who received the award. Nationwide, only 5 percent of all eligible Girl Scouts earn this prestigious award, the highest achievement a teen Girl Scout can earn.
In addition to the Gold Award, each recipient received special commendations from President Barack Obama, their senate and congressional representatives, Gov. Chris Christie, and in many cases, from their county and state elected officials.
In order to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, girls must utilize the leadership skills learned through Girl Scouting to address and raise awareness of a specific issue or issues within her community. Each recipient is required to complete at least 80 hours on a project that combines organizational leadership and networking skills with community service.
For her project, Kearney started a program at Monmouth Medical Center which brought art to the pediatric wing. Miceli implemented a dog therapy program in the Holmdel School District in order to benefit many special needs students. Moore and a team built and planted a “bee-friendly” garden at Middletown United Methodist Church for her project, “Flower Power to Save the Bees.”
