Williston Park and Mineola Girl Scouts awarded highest honor

The Island Now
Emily Kille was recently awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award. (Photo courtesy of Girl Scouts of Nassau County)

Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently hosted its annual Gold Award ceremony at Adelphi University. During the event, more than 70 local Girl Scouts earned their Gold Awards, including Emily Kille and Emily Tretter of Mineola and Williston Park. The Gold Award program recognizes the power and dedication shared by an elite group of young women who earn the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. Both girls spent more than 80 hours over the past year planning, executing and presenting the results of their project, which aimed to make the world a better place for others as well as herself.

“These young women are among an exclusive group of leaders who have earned the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. I commend each and every one of them for the countless hours they have spent dedicated to their project—not only to empower and better themselves, but to make the world a better place,” said Rande Bynum, chief executive officer, Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Gold Award projects have positively impacted girls’ lives, their communities and the world for over one hundred years.”

Emily Tretter was recently awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award. (Photo courtesy of Girl Scouts of Nassau County)

The Gold Award Girl Scouts each tackled a project that held a deep significance to them. Their projects are described below. 

To encourage and educate her community on the importance of recognizing the largest growing demographic in the military—women, Kille created her project, “She Served Too.” Kille wanted to addresses the nation’s lack of recognition for females who served in the military by creating an educational video about women who serve. She also held educational workshops and created a Facebook and Twitter page to provide a platform where female veterans can share their stories.

Kille is a rising senior at Our Lady of Mercy Academy where she is a member of tech crew for the school musicals and assistant editor of the literary magazine. Kille is also an active member of her school’s track team. Her favorite Girl Scout memory is taking a trip to Rocking Horse Ranch with her troop to celebrate the 100thAnniversary of Girl Scouts.

Tretter educated and spread awareness about food allergies through her project, “Food Allergy Awareness for Elementary Students.” Tretter wanted to make others aware of the seriousness of food allergies and help her community better prepare to assist someone when they are having an allergic reaction. Tretter went to local elementary schools hoping to educate third graders about allergic reactions and ways to prevent them. Her website is available to the public and informational brochures have been placed in local pediatricians offices.

As a rising senior at Sacred Heart Academy, Tretter is an active member of the Catholic League and is treasurer of Junior Catholic Daughters of the Americas club. Her fondest Girl Scout memory is going on overnight trips with her troop. Some of her favorites include trips to Rocking Horse Ranch, Atlantis Aquarium and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

Approximately 1 million Girl Scout alumnae have developed Gold Award projects that addressed local or global issues. After identifying an area of interest, a successful Gold Award recipient performs hours of research and prepares a project proposal to be submitted for feedback and approval to the Girl Scout Council before embarking on her project. The Girl Scout presents her final conclusions as the last step of the journey. 

Lifelong value comes with having earned a Gold Award. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, Gold Award Girl Scouts display more positive life outcomes pertaining to sense of self, life, satisfaction, leadership, life success, community service and civic engagement. Recipients of the award who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank for their achievements and can receive scholarships or other recognition from most colleges or universities.

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