Sara LeMar

Bay Association

Troop 135

Sara LaMar, a junior at Oyster Bay High School believes that children are “Born to Read” and that was the title of her Gold Award project. Sara built bookshelves, collected and carded books and organized them so the parents of a local day care center could borrow books to read to their children at home. Twice a month she organized high school students to go to the day care center and read to the children. Sara is a member of the Interact Club, Mathletes, School-Business Partnership, Student Athlete Leadership, Business Honor Society, National Honor Society, Varsity Cross-Country, Basketball and Track. In her spare time, she is a Sea Scout, a member of the GSNC's Ceremonial Unit and a receptionist at a local nursery.

Katie Lynn Leo

Hicksville Association

Troop 3369

Katie launched “The Holocaust: A Survivor's Story/Paper Clip Project” to teach other high school students tolerance and acceptance at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School where she is a junior. Katie arranged for a Holocaust survivor to speak at an assembly at her school, attended by over 700 students. There are few remaining Holocaust survivors today and Katie knows that her generation will be the last able to hear their stories directly. In addition to the speaker, Katie used an exercise to visualize the impact of the Holocaust, if a proportionate number of students at her school had been affected. Katie used what she learned about the Holocaust to spur knowledge about other important issues related to genocide in today's world such as Darfur and Rwanda , and other groups that are working to eliminate hate, including Rachel's Challenge. Katie wants others to know that people's hearts can be changed by changing their own behavior. Katie made classroom presentations and created a poster, then distributed paper clips to wear for those who wished to show their support. Word spread beyond her presentations and many students at Holy Trinity are now wearing paper clips. Katie is also involved in Youth Group Rock Mass, Liturgical Dance, Nazareth Forum and the Holocaust and Tolerance Museum . Katie recently traveled to Israel as part of Project Understanding.

Kerri Levine

Great Neck Association

Troop 622

Kerri had volunteered at Ronald McDonald House many times through the years, so when she was thinking about a Gold Award project, she felt that this was an area where she could have an impact. She knew that entering the hospital was unsettling for young children, so she developed an idea to make their experience less traumatic. Using donated Teddy Bears, she designed outfits, and recruited a mix of Girl Scouts, neighbors, and other community members to donate materials and sew the clothes. The smartly-dressed bears are waiting for each child as he or she arrives at Ronald McDonald House.

Kerri is a Senior at Great Neck South High School , where she plays softball in addition to her artistic endeavors. She works with special needs children after-school, and will attend Northeastern University in Boston , where she plans to pursue a career in physical therapy.

Megan Lowe

Floral Park/Bellerose/Stewart Manor Association

Troop 1179

“Planting Seeds and Growing Minds” is the title of Megan's Gold Award project, and she did both. Working with the PALS program for autistic students in her school district, she wanted to provide an activity for them that would give them a sense of pride and accomplishment, and would also have the added benefit of beautifying the community. The flowers planted and nurtured by this group eventually were planted at Centennial Gardens , in the village of Floral Park , and the community learned more about this special group of students and what they could accomplish. Megan is a Junior at Floral Park Memorial High School , where she is a member of chorus, the Key Club, and the Foreign Language Honor Society. She also volunteers at Camp Anchor each summer.

Christina Marini

Great Neck Association

Troop 622

Christina's Gold Award Project titled “Grannies for Grannys” brought friends and families together by knitting and crocheting, red, white and blue lap blankets out of granny squares. Fifty to sixty blankets were hand made and collected from families, friends, a community Knit Out and an online knitting forum. The blankets were donated to the Veterans Hospital in Northport. Christina, a senior at Our Lady of Mercy Academy, will be attending Fairfield University in the fall. She is currently a member of Student Council, Mercy Mentors, Honor Society and Sports Night at her high school. As a member of Notre Dame Parish she also volunteers as a religious education teacher.

Shelby Marzouk

Manhasset Association

Troop 525

Shelby wanted to have fun with kids. She taught arts and crafts to 50 disadvantaged children ages 5 -12 at a local community center on a weekly basis. Her Gold Award project, titled “Crafts for Kids,” gave the children a chance to do something they wouldn't normally experience. Every week Shelby and the children in her group would do a different type of craft, some were geared toward specific holidays and some were just for fun. Shelby is a senior at Manhasset High School where she is a member of Key Club, the Student Senate, and Peer Responding. She also plays field hockey and is on the spring track team. Shelby has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, is a member of the Junior Coalition Against Breast Cancer, and cooks for the INN homeless shelter. In the fall she will be attending Bucknell University .

Genevieve E. McHugh

ELLM Association

Troop 2234

Genevieve McHugh's Gold Award project “Seniors Helping Seniors” is an example of how a project can have a lasting impact. Genevieve and her partner Chelsea Plesnitzer collected books to donate to a senior assisted living center to improve the residents' library. In addition, they started a weekly book club where interested readers come together to discuss selected books and poetry. The book club still continues, with Genevieve leading the discussion groups. She loves sports and dance, and now attends Molloy College as a Freshman.

Katie Meena

Floral Park/Bellerose/Stewart Manor Association

Troop 1179

The harmful effects of bullying is a topic that is very important and on everyone's mind these days. After researching this topic Katie, a junior at Floral Park Memorial High School , wrote, directed and performed a short play about a girl who is bullied by her parents, teachers and peers. After the performance, she answered questions from the audience to further their awareness of this timely subject. Katie titled her Gold Award project “It's All About Respect.” Katie is the executive president of Key Club, vice president of Operation Respect and the Romance Language Club. She's a member of the National Honor Society, the Foreign Language Honor Society and the Color Guard at her high school.

Malorie Mendoza

East Meadow Association

Troop 1512

As a junior at W.T. Clarke High School , Malorie Mendoza is a member of both the National Honor Society and English Honor Society, is president of the French Honor Society, treasurer of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, and plays on varsity bowling and track teams. Malorie has performed in NYSSMA level VI for both cello and piano, and has earned the highest Catholic religious award for Girl Scouts. She serves as a GSNC “Ambassador-On-Call,” is on the Asian Task Force and the SPAT team, and was a delegate to the Girl Congress in Georgia . Malorie's favorite Girl Scout memory was attending U.S. Space Camp at Huntsville , Alabama . For her Gold Award project, Malorie's goal was to promote tolerance and understanding of other cultures. She called her project “ImaginASIAN” and created workshops around the cultures of six different Asian cultures. The event was held at the local firehouse where there were six stations, each representing an Asian country. Each visitor was given a “passport” which was stamped as they traveled from country to country learning about food, dance, music and religion unique to each. Mallorie hopes to create a new badge that can be earned nationally based on her project.

Kimberly Meyer

Hardscrabble Association

Troop 3154

Kimberly Meyer, a freshman at Nassau Community College , wanted to help make the senior citizens of her community smile, and she did just that with her Gold Award project titled “ St. Thomas 's Helping Hands.” Kimberly created an outreach program through her church that found senior citizens the assistance with chores for projects around their homes that they are no longer able to do themselves. Kimberly learned that the best payment or lesson one can receive is the satisfaction of knowing that you have completely changed a person's life. Kimberly is an assistant Sunday school teacher at St. Thomas 's Episcopal Church in South Farmingdale . Her fondest Girl Scout memory is spending time with friends at Camp Tekakwitha .

Gabrielle Misitano

Oceanside Association

Troop 2147

Gabrielle Misitano is a junior at Oceanside High School who enjoys the outdoors and wanted to share her love of the environment through her Gold Award project. For this project Gabrielle chose to create a mural depicting the many different environments (including plants and wildlife) that can be found on Fire Island . The attractive and educational mural now hangs in the Visitors' Center at the Fire Island National Seashore ferry terminal at Sailors' Haven, and will be seen by hundreds of people every season.

Gabrielle is a member of the school's and local fire department's marching bands, and enjoys behind the scenes work for dramatic productions at her school.

Marianne Monastero

Bellmore Association

Troop 942

Marianne's project, “Covered with Prayer,” created a “Prayer Blanket Ministry” at St. Barnabas the Apostle Church, designed to bring comfort and care to the sick and elderly. Enlisting the help of parishioners, parish staff and friends, Marianne and others prayed over the blankets as they were being made, then the blankets were offered for blessing at mass and volunteers distributed the blankets to those in need. Marianne learned about herself and others from doing this project and expects the project to be continued in her parish. Marianne is member of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County Chorus, Senior Program Advisory Team [SPAT], and the Bishop's Troop. Marianne is graduating from Our Lady of Mercy Academy, where she has participated in band, Sports Night, Spanish Club, Math Club and Mercy Witness, a service club. Marianne is a member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society and National Art Honor Society. She is a Eucharistic Minister. Marianne will attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy , New York , where she has been awarded a Girl Scout Gold Award Scholarship. Marianne attended Space Camp via Girl Scouts in 2005, and credit that experience with moving her toward a career as an aeronautical engineer.

Shannon Murphy

Garden City

Troop 1354

“Books and Bears Go to Court” is the title of Shannon Murphy's Gold Award project. Shannon educated the Girl Scout community about why families attend family court. With help from families in her community, Shannon was able to bring some joy to the children who pass through the Suffolk County Family Court System. A veteran volunteer, Shannon a Senior at Garden City High School is involved in The Miracle Club which helps raise money for cancer research and Students Helping Students, a program in which outstanding students mentor and teach other students to create a positive, healthy school environment. Shannon is also involved in many of her high schools music programs and is active in her church as a lector and Eucharistic Minister.

Noelle Nero

Great Neck Association

Troop 624

The goal of Noelle's Gold Award project titled, “Comfort Caps,” was to provide comfort to cancer patients who have lost their hair from Chemotherapy treatments. Each hat was handmade of microfleece and “baby-cotton” and stitched with love to soothe the tender scalps of the patients. Noelle, a senior at Great Neck South High School , will be majoring in Psychology and Pre-Med at Boston University this fall. Noelle is the captain of the Varsity Field Hockey and Varsity Softball teams at her high school. She also serves as the vice president of the Teen Connect Club, which mentors socially impaired middle school students. Outside of school Noelle volunteers at the Long Island Crisis Center and belongs to a Swedish folk dancing group that has performed around the Tri-state area, including the Earth Day celebration at the United Nations.

Rhonda Nieves

Uniondale Association

Troop 1485

“Healthy Mind Healthy Body: AIDS Awareness” is the title of Rhonda's Gold Award project. Rhonda started her project by researching AIDS and the current statistics. She designed, wrote, printed and distributed an AIDS awareness newsletter in her community and was available to answer any questions her readers might have. Rhonda is a junior at Uniondale High School where she is a member of the Marching Band, Concert Band, Gospel Chorus, National Honor Society and a PTSA Board Member. Her dedication doesn't stop there. Outside of school she is an alter server at St. Martha's Church, a Youth Group member, Jr. Friends member at Uniondale Library, part of the Uniondale Jr. Fire Department and the Hempstead Boys and Girls Club. She also volunteers at the Red Cross and is a member of the GSNC's Ceremonial Unit, Ambassadors on Call and the Latina Task Force.