Kaitlin M. Accetta

Central Park Association

Troop 3212

Kaitlin's Gold Award project “Come Learn With Me!” was designed to address the increasing multiculturalism of our society. Seeing the need for better communication and understanding, she created a coloring book, which introduced basic Spanish and English vocabulary in an entertaining format. Her books can be used by children who desire to learn English or Spanish, while also having fun. A freshman at Adelphi University , Kaitlin is the recipient of a Gold Award Scholarship. She enjoys the performing arts, and dances with her local dance studio, as well as in school performances. She is also very active with Maria Regina Roman Catholic Church, where she is a Eucharistic Minister and teacher at Vacation Bible School .

Christine A. Balogh

The Plains Association

Troop 3568

Christine wanted to increase awareness of the hunger problem in our own communities. Through research, she designed and distributed educational brochures to bring this issue to light. While the education will have a long-term impact on her community, she also wanted to make a difference right now. At her educational workshops she requested donations of food items. Using her artistic talents, she created necklaces, which were then sold. The money she received was used to purchase grocery store gift certificates. The food and certificates were donated to various local outreach programs for the hungry.

A graduate of Division Avenue High School in Levittown , Christine achieved Perfect Attendance for the entire four years of high school. She was an Honor Roll student, and the recipient of the American Citizenship Award. An active member of Levittown Swimming Association, Holy Family Swimming, and Holy Family Youth Group, she is currently attending Nassau Community College .

Kathleen Baumgarten

ELLM Association

Troop 2188

Looking beyond her immediate community, Kathleen wanted to shed some light on the plight of children in one of the poorest regions of our country, the Appalachian area of Kentucky . Using all of her organizational, social , and motivational skills, she contacted many local groups to inform them of the needs of the children in this region. Knowing that the families she wanted to help would find it hard to purchase school supplies for their children, she determined to provide these necessary items to them. Kathleen personally delivered a carload of school supplies to the children in Kentukcy, and her talks to adults and students here at home have educated others about this issue.

Kathleen is a Junior at Lynbrook High School , where she is a member of the Varsity Swim Team, the National Honor Society, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society.

Christine Caban

Valley Stream Association

Troop 2051

Christine Caban's grandmother moved in with her family two years ago. Spending time with her grandmother made Christine realize that there is not much for senior citizens to do. For her Gold Award project, titled “Uniting the Generations,” Christine put together a musical review and entertained Senior Citizens in several locations. The entertainment and refreshments she provided brought some much-appreciated enjoyment to the seniors at these sites. Christine, a junior at Kellenberg High School , is a member of the National Honor Society, GSO, SADD, SMART, Catholic League and the Chorus. She is also a member of her church choir and youth group.

Alexandra Cabble

Hicksville Association

Troop 3367

Alexandra, a junior at Kellenberg Memorial High School , chose to bring smiles to the faces of children at St. Mary's Hospital for her Gold Award project titled, “Fun Day at St. Mary's Hospital.” Alexandra and her volunteers wanted to make sure all the kids at St. Mary's had a day of fun with painting, sand art and other art activities. She also put together a day of sports for the children that could go outside and a day of reading and music for the children who were confined to their beds. Alexandra is a member of Blue and Gold, P.R.E.P. Leaders Club, National Honor Society and is a Eucharistic Minister.

Danielle Calderone

Manhasset Association

Troop 517

Danielle's Gold Award project “Kids Kits,” was prompted by her desire to provide entertainment to children who are hospitalized. Knowing that boredom can be a problem for children who are confined to bed, she initiated a campaign to assemble 100 “Kids Kits,” that were filled with books, magazines, and puzzles. She then spoke about her project to various children's groups in her community, and enlisted these children to decorate the boxes and make their own greeting cards for the patients. Once her kits were assembled, she spent many more hours visiting with the patients while delivering her “Kids Kits” to three local hospitals.

Danielle is a Senior at Manhasset High School , where she is President of the Manhasset Youth Council, a member of National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, World of Difference Club, Anti-bias Club, Intel Social Science Research , and the Winter and Spring Track teams.

Courtney Carroll

Bellmore Association

Troop 942

Courtney, a senior at Wellington C. Mepham High School titled her Gold Award project “The ABC's of the AED.” Knowing that use of defibrillators on the sports field could save lives in an emergency, the goal of her project was to educate referees in her community. She recruited volunteers to teach First Aid, CPR and the use of the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Courtney is the goalie on her school's varsity lacrosse team. In her spare time, she volunteers for several organizations and is a referee for PAL soccer intramurals. Next fall Courtney plans to attend Kalamazoo College in Michigan .

Donna Chabak

East Meadow Association

Troop 1256

Safety Town is a facility that has hosted thousands of Nassau County children through the years, teaching them pedestrian, car and bicycle safety rules in a miniature town setting. Donna had fond memories of her own visits to Safety Town as a child, and was dismayed to see that the place was showing signs of age. With some volunteers, and a lot of determination and artistic talent, Donna repainted all of the signs at the site, sprucing up the look of Safety Town , and renewing its appeal to new generations of Nassau County youngsters.

Donna is a graduate of East Meadow High School , and is currently attending Nassau Community College , where she is Secretary of the Future Teachers Club.

Stephanie Christel

WARM Association

Troop 1005

Stephanie, a junior at Kellenberg Memorial High School , together with her sister Girl Scout Anne Corey, wanted to share their school spirit. “Purple and Gold Sports Night” is the title of their Gold Award project. The project was designed to provide the girls from St. Martin de Porres School a place to go after school to help keep them out of bad situations that they might encounter. The girls practiced for three weeks prior to the event. The sports night included a sport and dance competition for a few dozen girls. Stephanie is a member of her school's Drama Club, Blue and Gold, Latin Club, Leader's Club, Sodality, National Honor Society, Band and Communications Club. In addition to being a lifeguard and playing volleyball, Stephanie is very involved at her local church.

Anne S. Corey

Hicksville Association

Troop 3367

“Purple and Gold Sports Night” was the title of Anne Corey's Gold Award project. Anne worked with sister Girl Scout Stephanie Christel to inspire younger girls to “get off the couch” and work towards a healthy, fun, school-spirited goal by competing in the Purple and Gold Sports Night. Anne and Stephanie held a sports night for girls from St. Martin de Porres Middle School. The evening's events included a dance competition, relay races and a tug-o-war. Anne worked with the girls three days a week to prepare for the dance competition. Anne is on the JV and Varsity Volleyball teams, she's a member of Sodality, the Communications Club, Leaders Club, Blue and Gold, and the National Honor Society. Anne is a Eucharistic Minister, a tutor, coaches CYO cheerleaders and volleyball.

Andrea Crivello

Plains Association

Troop 3568

“Teens R.O.A.R. (Reach Out And Read)” is the title of Andrea Crivello's Gold Award project. Andrea wanted to make a positive difference in her community. She was determined to entice young adults into her local library. In the young adult section of the library, she rearranged furniture, redecorated, added posters and a CD rack especially for teens. She added exciting programs like Dance Dance Revolution, Game Night, Movie Night and a Murder Mystery Night. A junior at Island Trees High School , Andrea is a member of kick line, the Honor Society, Key Club, French Club, on Student Council, the Junior Prom Committee and plays on the lacrosse team. During the summer, she volunteers for the children's summer reading programs at the Island Trees Public Library. Andrea has received several Girl Scout Catholic religious awards.

Lauren Duffy

Massapequa Association

Troop 2081

Through Lauren's Gold Award project titled “Community Allergy Awareness” Lauren shared her knowledge of food allergies with the people in her community. She met with Girl Scout Troops in her Association to talk about how dangerous food allergies can be and what can happen if someone has an allergic reaction to specific foods. Lauren recruited girls to make food allergy posters to hang in the schools and she created a display case for the Massapequa Public Library to help raise awareness. Lauren is a chamber singer, performs in school musicals and is a member of her school's band and chorus. She also participates in musicals at a local dance studio and is a counselor at a summer recreation camp. A senior at Massapequa High School , Lauren will be attending Mansfield University in the fall.

Melissa Dwyer

Bellmore Association

Troop 925

Melissa is concerned about the country's current obesity problem, especially in young children. Her Gold Award project titled “Healthy Living” focused on teaching second graders the importance of exercise and eating right. She taught the children quick and easy exercises, some running games and fun summer activities to encourage them to stay active. She spoke about the food pyramid and served them healthy snacks. A senior at W.C. Mepham High School , Melissa is involved in student government, A World of Difference, National Honor Society, Art Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Art Service Club and Peer Tutoring. She also teaches ballet classes for five and six year olds. In the fall Melissa plans to attend SUNY Cortland.

Victoria Eberle

Floral Park/Bellerose/Stewart Manor Association

Troop 1224

A senior at Floral Park Memorial High School , Victoria Eberle wanted to provide emotional support for the American soldiers fighting abroad. Her Gold Award project titled “Operation: Mobile Home” helped the soldiers through letter writing. She collected 120 letters and a collection of CD's, arranged them in several scrapbooks and binders and sent them to the soldiers. The soldiers got a sense of home, and the people in Victoria 's community felt a sense of pride, reminding them that the soldiers need our support. Victoria is a member of SADD, the National Honor Society and is involved with the yearbook club. Victoria loves to sing, write and read books. In the fall she will be attending Hampshire College .

Victoria Ellerbe

Uniondale Association

Troop 1485

“AIDS Awareness Among Teens” is the title of Victoria 's Gold Award project. With AIDS affecting her community and women in general, Victoria felt it was important to inform young people about AIDS. Victoria, a junior at Long Island Lutheran High School put together a Health Fair for the students of Uniondale High School . In addition to an abundance of information, there were games and treats for all the students to enjoy. Victoria is a member of her high school's orchestra, chamber group, varsity volleyball, pit orchestra, Knitting Club, DECA, Spanish Club, yearbook and Peace Group. In her outside school activities Victoria is a member of the Handbell Choir, Chancel Choir, Youth Group, Altar Group and Altar Guild at her church. She is also the head of Acolytes and Crucifers, a Worship Assistant, First Lieutenant of Junior Firefighters of Uniondale and a Junior Friend at the local library.

Yolanda Ellis

Elmont Association

Troop 1580

In Yolanda's spare time she takes ballet, tap, jazz, modern and African dance classes. So it was a perfect fit for her Gold Award project titled, “The History of African Dance.” Yolanda wanted to teach younger children the meaning behind the music, the dance and the instruments of the African culture. She researched several dances, planned small projects to make learning about the culture fun and then taught the dances. Together Yolanda and the children made costumes and ended the project with a show. In high school Yolanda was a member of the Music Honor Society, the Key Club and the orchestra. She is currently attending California University of Pennsylvania where she is a member of the Black Student union and the Student Activities Board.

Mia Esposito

Massapequa Association

Troop 2081

“Mirror, Mirror: Healthy Eating, Healthy Decisions” was the title of Mia's Gold Award project. Mia raised awareness about healthy eating, self-respect and eating disorders for children ages six through eighteen. Through school seminars, open discussions and display boards at her local library Mia was able to reach young people and adults in her community. Mia is a senior at Massapequa High School where she is the founder and president of Girls Against Peer Pressure (GAPP), an “expert witness” and “try-out coordinator” of Mock Trial, “uniform chairperson” of the Massapequa Marching Band, vice president of It's Academic-Quiz Bowl Team, “publicity coordinator” of Visions and Gay Straight Alliance and a member of the French and Surfrider Club. Mia is a member of National Honor Society and French National Honor Society. During her high school career Mia has received awards for Excellence in Peacemaking from the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls, the Young Woman of Achievement Award from the Long Island Chapter of the National Organization for Women, the Prudential Spirit of Community Certificate of Excellence and the President's Volunteer Service.