2006-2007 Gold Award Recipients

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts earning this award express a special commitment to themselves, the community, the world and the future.

The path to the Gold Award includes earning four Interest Project Patches, the Career Exploration Pin, the Senior Girl Scout Leadership Award, the Senior Girl Scout Challenge and the Girl Scout Gold Award project. The project requires girls to use their skills and leadership to design, develop and carry out a project that will benefit others. The combination of the girls' talents and energies with their values and convictions makes a positive difference in the lives of others.

The girls and their projects:

SU#1
Rachele Christine Fortier - Beautification of the High Bridge Commons - Created a brickwork walkway around the gazebo in the High Bridge Commons to make it handicapped accessible. Planted new flowers in the garden surrounding it and labeled them.

Rosemary Glennon - Read to Recovery - Read to Recovery is made up of two evening programs at Mountainside Children's Hospital. Created a book called "Owen The Owl and his Out of this World Adventure." Led the patients in activities and crafts centered around the themes of "Dreams and Inspirations".

Elizabeth Sick - Read to Recovery - Evening activities at Mountainside Children's Hospital. Created an original storybook, read to patients, and created crafts centered around the themes of "Dreams and Inspirations."

Megan Smith - St. Hubert's Wish List - Collected various items for five animal shelters, with donations exceeding expectations. Retail value of pet supply donations exceeded $14,000.

Mary Vitale - Eco-Involvement on the Musconetcong River - Created awareness among community youth of the importance of the freshwater biomes (Musconetcong River in particular), and the need to preserve the environment.

Margaret Elizabeth Whitman - Beautification of the High Bridge Commons - Solicited for paint donations to power wash and paint the town's gazebo. Also built benches and installed them inside of the gazebo.

SU#4
Caitlin Davis - Reading Books on Tape for ESL Students - Addressed the issue of students struggling to learn English. Read books on tape from classroom library and summarized chapter books, allowing students to practice and learn outside of school as well.

Melissa Gargano - A Super Senior Shopper -Committed to a whole year of grocery shopping for a homebound woman. Implemented a schedule to pick up shopping list, shopped at Shop-Rite, unpacked and put away groceries. Spent time visiting and developed a wonderful friendship.

Christine O'Connor - Pet Therapy Makes Seniors Smile - Participated in a training program to become Delta certified for performing pet therapy. She and her rabbit brightened the lives of many senior citizens living in a nursing home.

Maile Okamoto - Children in Ecuador - Addressed the issue of poverty stricken children in Ecuador who didn't receive gifts for Christmas and don't have many school supplies. Children from the Acorn Montessori School donated compassion boxes to the poor children in Ecuador.

Margaret Alicia Paulk - Saving Lives by Giving Blood -Addressed the issue of blood shortage in Hunterdon County. Organized and implemented a blood drive through Somerset Medical Center.

Rebecca-Rose Perez - Making the Holidays Brighter for Less Fortunate Children - Made holiday bags filled with chocolate kisses for all the children of the families at the Women's Crisis Services of Hunterdon County. Collected new/used CD's for the teenagers of the families.

SU#6
Maureen McMillan - Raising a Seeing Eye Puppy - Researched the need for assistance dogs and their positive impact on the handicapped community. Raised and trained a German Shepherd puppy for approximately a year prior to formal Seeing Eye training.

Meredith Middleton - Lots of Smiles - Addressed the wishes of children with long-term illnesses at Robert Wood Johnson Children's Hospital. Made fifteen flannel baby blankets and fifty-four flannel backpacks and filled them with items on the children's wish list.

Kimberly Quinlan - Work for Wesley Lodge - Recognized the issue of a lodge at a camp that was damaged by fire. Collected craft supplies through church to benefit summer campers.

Katie Walton - Reading for Recovery - Book drive at Children's Specialized Hospital. Addressed the issue that long and short-term patients, ranging from ages two through twenty-one, are in need of reading materials.

SU#8
Catherine Cahill - The 812 Revue - Performed four shows that showcased dancing, game shows, singing, and magic acts. This offered inspiration and entertainment to senior citizens residing in local elder care facilities near Basking Ridge, NJ.

Kathryn Del Re - The 812 Revue - Went to four different nursing/retirement homes and provided entertainment in the form of a show including dancing, singing, magic, and games. All the entertainment pertained to the residents when they were our age. We visited with them, talked with them and were asked back to repeat another show.

Molly Hahn - Senior to Senior Connection - Worked with seniors in Basking Ridge to create door decorations and toiletry bags for less fortunate seniors in Philadelphia.

Jennifer Lubarsky - Water Safety Course - Addressed the need for children's water safety education. Created a water safety course to educate children and demonstrate safe water activities to prevent accidents or tragedies.

Karen Lucas - Butterfly Garden - Beautifying the William Annin School courtyard by planting a butterfly garden, providing both an inviting and educational place open to all students, and a great teaching alternative to the classroom for the teachers.

Courtney Eila Lynch - Grandpals - Addressed the ever-present issue of senior citizen depression and worked to form new relationships with youth. Helped establish lasting relationships between girls and senior citizens.

Laura Maffey - The 812 Revue - Wheel - Developed and provided a fun filled show for senior citizens living in nearby assisted living facilities. Created a "Wheel of Fortune" type game geared toward the target age group of the audience. This interactive game was enjoyed by all participants.

Anna Melillo - Making Connections - Made a connection between senior citizens of Basking Ridge and senior citizens in Pennsylvania. The elderly in Basking Ridge made door decorations and greeting cards for the less fortunate residents of a retirement home in Philadelphia.

Claire O'Connor - The Sing-A-Long- Organized and performed interactive sing-a-longs at four senior citizen centers in the community. Joined project with those of five other Girl Scouts to maximize success of show. Served and entertained senior citizens.

Allison O'Donnell - Abra Cadabra - One of the seven acts in "The 812 Revue" that provided entertainment for the elderly in the town of Basking Ridge. Ordered and practiced magic tricks and performed at four senior citizen facilities.

Kimberly Papa - The 812 Revue, Traveling Variety Show - Visited senior citizens in facilities throughout Somerset County. Featured a Jeopardy game with categories that reflected popular cultural interests of the 1920's-1950's and encouraged audience participation.

Amanda Rose Paril - Senior to Senior Connection - Broke the generation gap and created unity between local seniors and those in Philadelphia. Collected toiletries and created crafts locally and delivered them to a Philadelphia retirement home.

Gillian Petersen - Comfort Through Quilts - Provided comfort to senior citizens living in a nursing home through home-made quilts. The quilts will brighten their day as well as make their room feel more personalized and like their own home.

Lauren Sopko - High School Access - Created a website to aid eighth graders in transitioning into high school. Compiled reading lists, study tips, and conducted surveys including a forum for middle schoolers to pose questions.

Skyla Zimmerman - The Attic Store at a Battered Women's Shelter - Addressed the problem of women and children not being able to find the right size clothing, shoes, and personal items.

Kristin Zuchowski - Family Friendly Dog Walk/Pet Adoption Day - Planned, organized, advertised, and hosted a Family Friendly Dog Walk/Pet Adoption Day to address the importance of raising a healthy pet while collecting donations to benefit St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center.

SU#9
Marisa Brasile - Blood Drive - Addressed the local community and surrounding towns, encouraging them to come together and donate blood to potentially save lives.

Anne Marie Ianiero - Post Katrina Aid to Children's Hospital of New Orleans - Addressed the Children's Hospital's issue of lost donations by local organizations due to impact of Hurricane Katrina. Collected and shipped toys for Christmas. Continued support by collecting and shipping items for other holidays for a year.

SU#11
Sheena Parimoo - SAI Service: Sandwich Association in Service - Led and inspired high school students to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and knitted a quilt for homeless and youth shelters. Taught shelter residents to knit patches for making quilts.

SU#12
Sarah Hunt - Operation Tactile Blankets - Made special blankets in order to aid children with disabilities by enhancing their senses of sight and touch. Especially helps children with sensory integration dysfunction and the visually impaired.

Emily Koenen - Making Prom Dreams Come True - Organized dress collection for Catherine's Closet. Over the course of two prom seasons, reached out to classmates and church parishioners to collect prom dresses, shoes, handbags and jewelry. Girls in the NY, NJ area are now given the opportunity to celebrate their prom.

Tessa Piantadosi - Operation Tactile Blankets - Created tactile blankets of fleece with ribbons attached to the sides of different textures. They will be aiding the development of mentally and physically challenged people at a program called Early Intervention in Somerville, NJ.

Melanie Sackie - Kickball for All - Kickball league inclusion opportunity, intermingling special needs children with non-special needs children to create a level of equality. Daily schedule included a team building game, warm-ups, and an hour of kickball with half-time.

Caryssa Vitelli - Operation Tactile Blankets - Addressed the issue of children suffering from sensory integration dysfunction. Sewed forty blankets together to help stimulate the sense of touch.

SU#13
Lauren Breznak - Baby Blankets for Michael's Feat Foundation - Collected thirty-five homemade baby blankets to give to the organization. Also attended a picnic for the organization, which enabled the giving of a blanket directly to a family in need.

Christie Denizio - Lifestyles of Branchburg - Designed and painted a 4'x16' mural in the newly-built cafeteria in Branchburg Central Middle School. The mural, which portrays the three lifestyles of a Branchburg student: coast, urban and rural, provides a more vibrant and enjoyable atmosphere for students and faculty.

Kelsey Douma - Improving the Lives of Refugees - Helped several Refugee families adjust to their new communities by providing basic living needs. Gathered furniture, household appliances and food for them and also organized an orderly move into a new apartment for one of the families.

Lauren Flood - Consignment Prom Dresses - Collected and distributed new/used prom dresses for the less fortunate girls in a local community, allowing them to attend their prom.

Danielle Fraser - Totes for Tots - Helped children in the hospital. Used place mats to make 200 totes, then stuffed each bag with two books and two stuffed animals.

Amy Rose Graner - Bears for Terminally Ill Children - Addressed the issue of terminally ill children not having anything to hold onto while in the hospital. Created handmade bears so they could have something to hold onto through all their bad times.

Rachel Herzog - Park Beautification - Addressed the issue of an unused portion of the park. Felt that the best way to fix the problem was to plant flowers and bushes. Now people have a place to eat and admire the beautiful plants.

Angela Juliano - Pillow Cases for Women's Shelters - Addressed the need of children who are suddenly displaced from their homes. Sewed 200 bright and colorful children's pillowcases, which were distributed to women's shelters across central New Jersey.

Amanda Madden - Table Manners and Etiquette for Children - Designed a manners and etiquette workshop for summer campers ranging from five to ten years old. Covered table manners, people manners, telephone courtesy, thank-you notes, meeting/introducing people.

Meagan McFadden - Raising a Seeing Eye Puppy - Raised and cared for a Seeing Eye puppy. Attended basic dog training with puppy, Windy, so that she may soon bring freedom and independence to a blind person.

Allison Reckenbeil - Summer Field Hockey Clinic - First-ever Field Hockey Clinic held in memory of Meghan Bradley. Taught girls the basics and gave them a taste of the sport before deciding to commit for a full season.

Alicia Schmidt - Bicycle Helmet Safety Clinic - Addressed the issue of bicycle helmet safety. Held a clinic where people could get their helmets fitted and get information about bicycle safety.

Amanda Spinner - Courtyard Landscaping - Beautification of courtyard at Branchburg Central Middle School. Landscaping of the area to make it useful to teachers and classes.

Jennifer Startzel - New Place Backpacks for Displaced Teens - Collected everyday necessities for displaced teens. Made shower, movie, craft and games baskets for teen shelter. Allowed teens to continue with normal lifestyles although they weren't living at home.

Paula Trinchera - Your Special Sac - 200 drawstring bags were sewn from scratch and toiletries were put in them and distributed to Women's Shelters across New Jersey.

Katie Winters - Girl Scouting Beyond Bars Science Workshop - Introduced at-risk girls to various fields of science and engineering through cooperative and hands-on activities.

SU#14
Danielle Ford - Easter at the Animal Shelter - Ran the Kitten Shower and assisted with many other events. Helped to raise awareness and collected numerous donations. Most successful aspect of project was the number of animals placed in homes.

Mina Kojima - Nature Trail - Addressed the issue of decreasing concern for nature and environmental problems. Created a nature trail and manual to make young children in the community more interested in science and the environment.

Christina McGahan - Pinewood Derby for Girls - Girls participated in the engineering and designing of cars raced for speed and were awarded prizes.

Tracey Nagle - People of the World - Brownie Try-Its- Attended Brownie meetings to instruct and aid the girls in completing two try-its: People of the World and Playing Around the World. Introduced different cultures, people, and games while learning about other countries.

Lisa Wood - Bridgewater Township Scanner Project - This project helped to address the problem of how to scan what seems like a never-ending amount of plans into a database so that several departments could retrieve them from a computer.

SU#15
Jenna Birkenstock - Project Linus - Aided an international foundation that provides hospitalized children with blankets. The blankets help provide the children with comfort and warmth in the hospital environment.

Laura Bodnar - Raising a Seeing Eye Dog - Addressed the issue of what is involved in obtaining, socializing and training a Seeing Eye puppy and the amount of time it takes to see if the puppy will become a good candidate to eventually help a blind person.

Meg Brubaker - Seniors and Me - Goal was to get the community and the seniors interacting with each other. Worked with many different levels of senior citizens, from those living independently to those living in nursing homes.

Eleni Caravanos - Dance Education/Appreciation - Allowed kids to experience dance first hand. Introduced them to the world of performing.

Courtney D'Angelo - Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic - Volunteered service at the organization Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic by aiding in the development of recorded books and text books for those with sight and/or learning disabilities.

Lindsay Durant - Enhancing Involvement of Youth Softball - Helped develop an interest and talent in youth softball for Bridgewater Township to get more girls involved and share the love of the game at a higher level.

Adriana Golding - Dance Workshop - Taught younger Girl Scouts the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through dance. They also learned to express themselves through dance and gain self-confidence.

Jordan Helman - Operation Smile: Smile Dolls - Addressed the issue of children with cleft palates in third world countries. Created dolls for Operation Smile to present to the children after they had reconstructive surgeries.

Rachel Hopkins - Agape House Help - Organized numerous donations as well as activities for the children at Agape House. Tutored after school and played while also supervising the children.

Jennifer Mergott - Holiday Hope - Holiday gift donation for Saint Peter's Hospital. Helped young cancer patients and their families by collecting gift donations to be given out at the annual holiday party. Organized crafts for the patients during the holiday party.

Alyssa Pallatta - Winter Blood Drive 2006 - Addressed the issue of blood shortages during the holiday season, when there is an increased need for blood. Planned and coordinated a holiday blood drive at North Branch Reformed Church.

Denise Ragard - Project Linus - Created blankets for children in hospitals who needed comfort. The blankets were given out to provide comfort to the children.

Grace Seme - Operation Smile: Smile Dolls - Addressed the issue of children with deformities of the face. Created smile dolls to comfort patients during surgery.

Stephanie Sullivan - Bag of Smiles - Addressed the issue of small children, ages 3-8, visiting the emergency room at the Somerset Medical Center, either as patients or with family members needing treatment. Collected small toys, stuffed animals, books, crayons and coloring books and organized them in small colorful bags to be distributed to children when they felt scared or frightened.

Tracy Warnock - Science for the Future - Created a science lab for Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Academy in Linden, NJ. Duties included sorting boxes, organizing shelves, typing an inventory list, and ordering missing supplies. The highlight was creating a terrarium and buying animals.

Jamie Wutke - Benefits of Fostering and Adopting through People for Animals - Addressed the issue of few people knowing how they could get involved with helping homeless animals. Organized a pet supply drive and visited younger troops to teach them ways they could help and donate their time.

SU#16
Samantha McLean - We Deliver Through the Generations - Provided a link spanning three generations while encouraging active volunteering in the community. Set up a card delivery program in which young Girl Scouts and children crafted cards that were delivered to a nursing home.

SU#17
Nicole Auerbach - Girls' Softball: More Than Just A Game - Helped to run softball clinic for girls of various ages. Coached a 3rd and 4th grade recreational league team for their entire season and their playoffs.

Alyssa Jean Bernard - Pet Adoption Day/Pet Supply Drive - Addressed the issue of homeless animals that need homes. Adoption Day helped animals find families who could provide them with a long, happy life. Pet Supply Drive gave shelters items they needed.

Andrea DeLucia - St. Joseph's Nursery - Organized a place where children could play while their parents attended church on Sunday. Goal was to create less stress for parents.

Laura DiSanto - Blankets for Sick Kids - Collected and made fleece and crocheted blankets for patients at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Columbia Presbyterian, and Children's Specialized Rehabilitation Center. Donated 76 blankets.

Alyssa Goldman - Riverwood Middle School Friend Finder - Enabled students to connect with other students after school hours. Provided easy access for parents to locate parents of their children's friends.

Katie Hartnack - Teens for Habitat - Addressed the issue of homelessness in Trenton and lack of passion for volunteering among teenagers. Organized high school students from the Princeton and Montgomery areas to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity.

Jennifer Huereca - Kitchen Shower for the Building of Hope - The kitchen in the Building of Hope for parents with children with cancer, located at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, was in need of kitchen supplies. Held various food drives and cleaned and restocked the kitchen.

Cynthia King - Books for St. Labre Indian School - Collected books and donated them to the St. Labre Indian School on a reservation in Montana.

Amalie Kreitman - Junior Retro Game Night - Implemented an event where girls came to have a great time. Collected new games that were donated to the Children's Specialized Rehabilitation Center.

Lauren Laffoon - A Look into Our Past, Present and Future - Created a scrapbook, "A Look into Our Past, Present and Future" for people at an adoption agency in Korea, so they can see how much the children they have found homes for have grown up and matured, and that they are doing well in America.

Kim Le - Girl Scouting Beyond Bars Goes Camping - Introduced girls in GSBB troop to camping and love of the environment. Ran an outdoor skills day in the spring and an overnight in the fall of 2006 exclusively for GSBB.

Jaclyn Lucarelli - Operation School Supplies - Addressed the issue of collecting and shipping much needed school supplies to the children of Iraq, giving our service men and women the chance to interact with and gain the trust of the local people.

Jenna Mallozzi - Extreme Makeover - Assisted Living Edition - Redecorated the Activities Room at the Somerville Assisted Living so that the elderly residents could have a more cheerful and friendly space to spend time.

Andrea Ortu - Hillsborough Township Dog Park Guide Book - Created a guidebook that included various information on dog parks, with the intent of aiding Hillsborough Township in the creation of a dog park within the town. Collected donations for St. Hubert's Animal Shelter.

Maria Pacifico - G-A-M-E-O - Developed an activity played weekly with residents at Summerville Senior Living. Addressed intergenerational activity between elderly and the youth by playing Dominoes, 500 Rummy, and Black Jack. Prizes were awarded to winners and refreshments were served.

Laura Palantone - AIDS kits for Global Health Ministries - Addressed the issue of unprepared AIDS patients in third world countries. Collected specific items from local citizens and received donations from local companies that provided the products to be organized into kits.

Melanie Piersanti Gioe - Hats for Newborns - Knitted hats to donate to an organization called "Newborns in Need." Hats will be given to families who are less fortunate.

Kelly Thorp - Eyes for Others - Raised a puppy for the Seeing Eye of Morristown. Attended bi-monthly meetings at the Bridgewater 4-H to properly train the puppy to become a successful Seeing Eye Dog.

Laura-Ashley Wilson - GAME-O - Helped to bring two generations together and bring the youth back to the elders. Also gave the residents something to look forward to with new games and "goodies." Lastly, using prizes so competition would arise.

SU#18
Soolean Choy - Buddy Reading Program at Mary Jacobs Library - Opportunity for ESL students to work one-on-one with a teenager to improve their reading skills. Beneficial to volunteers by providing community service and experience working with small children.

Jaclyn Moyer - Learning Through Dance - Led dance classes, book discussions, and crafts with groups of special needs children at the Rock Brook School. Motivated children in the middle of a long school day during the summer sessions.

Meghan Nahass - Blankets for Babies - Held crochet circles and taught people how to crochet. Made baby blankets and received donations from church and library. Donated forty blankets to Somerset Medical Center for less fortunate newborns.

Elizabeth Padden - Being a Leader Makes a Difference - Conducted interviews with local leaders about their experiences in Girl Scouts. The interviews were then made into a short video designed to recruit new leaders into Girl Scouting.

Kristen Prentice - Water Safety Day 2006 - Addressed the issue of the high drowning rates of children. Held at the Montgomery High School pool, children went to four stations that addressed different topics relating to water safety.

Hannah Leftheris Ringheim - Addressing Hunger in My Community - Ran food drives, delivered Thanksgiving Meals to needy families, and delivered hot meals to homeless shelters, as well as sandwich bags to soup kitchens.

Prianka Singh - Building Bridges Through Reading - Encouraged interest and enthusiasm for reading among Indian children. Carried out the program at a school in India involving the training of older children acting as moderators for the younger participants.

Prerna Sinha - Summer Camp for Young Children - One week summer camp run free of cost for all attending children ages 6-10. Five days of guest speakers, educational sessions, arts and crafts, and various activities for twenty-five children.

Elizabeth Snedeker - Renovation of the Rocky Hill Squad Office Area - The area of the building used for office and social events was inefficient and needed work. The reorganization made it more functional for the needs of the members of the squad.

SU#19
Colleen Ericson - American Kestrel Nesting Boxes - Addressed the need for nesting boxes for the American Kestrel Falcon, whose population is in decline due to increased development and the loss of open space habitat.

Kristen French - Listen and Learn - Addressed the issue of segregation in local schools between "regular" English speaking and ESL classes. Implemented a children's books-on-tape program at a local library, donated supplies, and advertised availability to the community.

Christine Heilman - Educating the Community on Working with the Blind and Visually Impaired - Created a binder and video on working with the blind for girls to reference. Created a brochure on the white cane law, guide dogs, and other important issues and distributed it to the community through associations for the blind.

Melissa Klima - Community Blood Drive - Addressed the issue of the need for blood donations. Promoted drive and scheduled donors, and in the end 51 pints of blood were collected from approximately 60 donors.