100 Years of Golden Ideas Turned to Action by Girls Scouts – High school Girl Scouts spend 21,000 hours on impactful community projects in Los Angeles

 Since 1916, thousands of Girl Scouts across the country have earned Girl Scouts’ highest honor – now called the Girl Scout Gold Award – for demonstrating extraordinary leadership and making change in their communities.  On Saturday, June 4 in Pasadena, the regional Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA) council honored 265 Girl Scouts in Greater Los Angeles – the largest Gold Award class in the nation – while celebrating the prestigious award’s centennial.
Nationally, only 6 percent of all eligible Girl Scouts achieve the Gold Award.  Girls who earn the Gold Award automatically enter the military one rank higher, as well as qualify for college scholarships, national service awards and more.  As Gold Awardees, these girls are part of an elite group of women.  Formerly called the Golden Eaglet, Curved Bar and First Class, the Gold Award was introduced in 1916, four years after Girl Scouts was established in the U.S.
Earning the Gold Award requires the planning and implementation of a challenging, large-scale project that is innovative, engages others and has a lasting impact on its targeted community.  In greater Los Angeles today, Gold Award projects tackled things like illiteracy, homelessness, sexual assault, discrimination, pollution and more.  This year, one girl created a science camp in Compton; another designed and built wheelchair-accessible telescope mounts; and another girl added a new basketball court to a homeless shelter.
“For 100 years, Girl Scouts has recognized girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership by paving the way for positive change in the world,” said Lise L. Luttgens, GSGLA CEO.  “These girls inspire others to follow their lead in solving problems in sustainable ways.  Their projects have left a permanent effect on their communities, and the process has made an impression on each of them.”
Emily Holmes of Canyon Country, for example, wrote, filmed, edited and produced two videos for Bridge to Home, Santa Clarita’s homeless shelter.  Her efforts helped increase the shelter’s volunteer base by 25 percent and boost its funding for more programs.  Her Gold Award work led to her school creating a documentary.  Both films were later featured in a PBS documentary on homelessness.
To raise awareness of dental hygiene, Mackenna Christenson of Castaic held assemblies at elementary schools to teach students the importance of brushing and flossing teeth.  She also donated supplies to the organization MEND and helped at their Give Kids a Smile event.  In total, she gave more than 2,000 packages of toothpaste and toothbrushes.
Santa Clarita Valley Girl Scout Gold Awardees include: Emily Anne Holmes of Canyon Country; Rita Beth Aksenfeld of Castaic; Mackenna Elizabeth Teeman of Castaic; Kennedy Davis of Newhall; Danielle Gardner of Santa Clarita; Julia Habeger of Santa Clarita; Sasha Kumar of Santa Clarita; Magdalena Wieczorek Langdon of Santa Clarita; Kelly McCann of Santa Clarita; Allison Schepper of Santa Clarita; Noelle L. Ferrante of Saugus; Paige Kauffman of Saugus; Elena Martinelli of Saugus; Abigail Margrethe Norris of Stevenson Ranch; Emily Rose Payne of Stevenson Ranch; Andrea Villaseñor of Stevenson Ranch; Kate Alyn Ahlberg of Valencia; Brooke Elizabeth Boron of Valencia; Katherine Cooper of Valencia; Camille Day of Valencia; Olivia Edwards of Valencia; Megan Nicole Hartmann of Valencia; Molly McAnany of Valencia; Kayla Marie Nuttall of Valencia; Alannah Tayler Paren of Valencia and Melissa Rainbird of Valencia.
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, serves more than 40,000 girls in partnership with more than 24,000 volunteers throughout the diverse communities of Los Angeles County and parts of Kern, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties.
To join, volunteer, reconnect or support, visit www.girlscoutsla.org or call 213-213-0123.