34 Girl Scouts receive $36,000 in scholarships at Girl Scouts of WNY's 2020 Gold Award Celebration

Girl Scouts of Western New York announced 34 Girl Scouts from the Western New York area have received a total of 38 scholarships worth $36,000 at the annual Girl Scout Gold Award Celebration.

Thirty-one Girl Scouts received $1,000 each from the Educational Scholarship Fund. To earn this scholarship, graduating girls were required to have completed their Silver Award and/or Gold Award along with a combination of academic achievements as well as Girl Scout involvement and accomplishments.

Education Scholarship Fund Recipients:

• Danielle Bellis, Akron
• Rachel Bernstein, Honeoye Falls
• Shauna Blochwitz, Akron
• Annabella Bogart, Amherst
• Sophia Braithwaite, Webster
• Rachel Burt, Webster
• Diega Ciraolo, Niagara Falls
• Justine Cole, Livonia
• Jessica Dawson, Macedon
• Maeve Devine, Lancaster
• Elizabeth Fairchild, Honeoye Falls
• Christy Faller, Sanborn
• Zaria Gibson-Stevenson, Rochester
• Angelina Gonzalez, Buffalo
• Caeley Harsch, Akron
• Kaylin Hoffman, Williamsville
• Kaitlyn Hoitt, Fairport
• Amber Hornquist, Glenwood
• Elizabeth Humphrey, Wilson
• Olivia Kisiel, Lewiston
• Zoe Lucyshyn, North Chili
• Morgan Mahoney, Hamburg
• Hope Marshall, Jamestown
• Rylee Penders, Honeoye Falls
• Leah Rosen, Rochester
• Olivia Rosen, Rochester
• Isabella Sherron, Rochester
• Alexandra Snow, Buffalo
• Nicole Spiegel, East Amherst
• Julia Wasley, Sanborn
• Renee Wright, Holland

Four Girl Scouts received the Kim Welsh Memorial Scholarship awarded at $500 each. The Kim Welsh Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1998 through the generosity of Carol and Allan Welsh in memory of their daughter, Kimberley, to be awarded to Girl Scouts who completed their Girl Scout Gold Award.

The Kim Welsh Memorial Scholarship Recipients:

• Danielle Bellis, Akron
• Annabella Bogart, Amherst
• Zaria Gibson-Stevenson, Rochester
• Hope Marshall, Jamestown

Hans and Charlene Schoenenberger offer one $1,000 scholarship to a girl receiving her Girl Scout Gold Award. All girls who were receiving their Gold Award in 2020 were entered in the pool of candidates. The recipient was awarded the Hans and Charlene Schoenenberger Golden Opportunity Scholarship.

Hans and Charlene Schoenenberger Golden Opportunity Scholarship Recipient:

• Alexandra Wilczek, Kenmore

The Ralph and Mary McLean Wilson Scholarship offers two $1,000 scholarships to Girl Scouts receiving the Girl Scout Gold Award. All girls who were receiving their Gold Award in 2020 were entered in the pool of candidates.

Ralph and Mary McLean Wilson Scholarship Recipients:

• Jessica Breth, Orchard Park
• Aniyiah Harris, Buffalo

All 2020 Gold Award Girl Scouts from across Western New York received acknowledgment of their achievements at the virtual Gold Award Celebration on June 16. All the 2020 recipients will be included in the 2021 in-person ceremony next June.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for girls.

The Gold Award project is the culmination of all the work a girl puts into “going for the Gold.” A Girl Scout’s project should be something that a girl can be passionate about – in thought, deed and action that encompasses organizational, leadership and networking skills. The project should also fulfill a need within a girl’s community (whether local or global) and create change that has the potential to be ongoing or sustainable. Approximately 80 hours of community service are involved in the project. Completion of the Gold Award also qualifies the Girl Scout for special scholarship opportunities and she can enlist in the military at a higher starting pay grade.

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the most prestigious award in the world for girls, acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others. These young women are courageous leaders and visionary change makers.

The Gold Award requires a Girl Scout to identify an issue and investigate it to understand what can be done to address the problem. The girl then forms a team to act as a support system, including a project adviser close to the issue who is not a troop leader or family member, while she leads the project. The Girl Scout creates a plan to ensure they know what steps they must tackle while working on the project. The Girl Scout submits a proposal for her project to her local Girl Scout council. After acceptance, the girl begins to work through the steps of their plan utilizing the assistance of her support team where necessary. Lastly, the project is used to educate and inspire others about the cause they are addressing.

To learn more, visit gswny.org.

Girl Scouts of Western New York serves nearly 15,000 girls and over 6,000 adult volunteers across the GSWNY jurisdiction, including Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties. The council’s administrative service centers are located in Batavia, Buffalo, Jamestown, Lockport, Niagara Falls and Rochester.