Staten Island contingent earns Scouting's Gold Award during ceremony at Manhattan's Cooper Union

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Nineteen teens from Staten Island were honored with the Gold Award for exemplary community service by the Girl Scouts of Greater New York. (The Gold Award is the highest honor in Girl Scouting.) Pictured are, from the left in the top row, Kaitlyn McCloskey, Troop 5022; Justine Sallusto, Troop 8503; Kayla Vastardis, Amy Azzopardi, Samantha Brandt, Chrysanthe Haliotis, Victoria Mattera, and Kaitlyn Casserly, Troop 5138; Stephanie Campitiello, Troop 5062, and Danielle Crespo, Troop 5304. In the bottom row, from the left, are Julia D’Alessio, Troop 5304; Hayley Rosenfeld, Troop 5227; Kimberly Modolo, Troop 5022, and Alyssa LaRocca, Troop 5138. Not pictured are Amanda Rose Benjamin, Troop 5062; Amanda Casella, Troop 5239; Jenna Ericksen, Troop 5144; Sabrina Rae Gallagher, Troop 5150, and Zara Tamton, Troop 5138. Photo Courtesy of Girl Scouts of Greater New York
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - ALL SHORES - A total of 50 Girl Scouts, aged 14 through 17, including 19 from Staten Island, were recently honored with Girl Scouting's Gold Award for exemplary community service.

The Scouts were presented their awards during a ceremony hosted by the Girl Scouts of Greater New York at Manhattan's Cooper Union.

Among the roster of "Golden Girls" who received awards included South Shore Scouts Justine Sallusto, Julia D'Alesso, Amanda Rose Benjamin, Amanda Casella, Jenna Erickson and Stephanie Campitiello; Hayley Rosenfeld, Sabrina Rae Gallagher, Amy Azzopardi, Samantha Brandt, Kaitlyn McCloskey, Kaitlyn Casserly and Kimberly Modolo, North Shore; Alyssa LaRocca and Kayla Vastardis, East Shore; Danielle Crespo, Chrysanthe Haliotis, Zara Tamton and Victoria Mattera, West Shore.

A little more than 5 percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award, the highest award that Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts may earn.

Earning the Gold Award requires a suggested 80 hours of planning and implementing a challenging, large-scale project that is innovative, engages others, and has a lasting impact on the community with an emphasis on sustainability.

PROJECT SAMPLINGS

?Some of the projects undertaken by the Island Scouts involved planting and distributing fresh vegetables; organizing book drives to promote literacy, and coming to the aid of families devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

In the borough with some of the highest obesity rates in the state, for example, Miss Sallusto planted a fresh vegetable garden in her community using both conventional and new vertical gardening techniques to grow healthy food for the local pantry. She grew around 106 pounds of plum tomatoes, plus 60 pounds of squash, cucumbers, radishes, and more for her community, in addition to a garden at her home where she grew pounds of strawberries ? all donated to the local food pantry.

Miss Rosenfeld organized multiple drives and fundraisers to provide needed equipment to families of disabled children in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Miss Campitiello organized book drives to replace books that had been lost due to the hurricane. She collected more than 850 books, which she delivered to Borough Hall to be distributed. Miss Tamton also addressed the issue of literacy by hosting book drives in which she collected more than 500 books, and reading to children at 20 workshops she held to promote literacy.

Miss Azzopardi, meanwhile, created a photography exhibition of Staten Island, the "forgotten borough," consisting entirely of photos she took herself. The photos document the damage and recovery efforts after Sandy.

Source: http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2013/07/staten_islands_contingent_earn.html

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