EAST MEADOW RESIDENTS ACHIEVE HIGHEST HONOR IN GIRL SCOUTING

East Meadow, NY July 3, 2005

Three East Meadow residents, Lisa Robinson, Tami Marie Occhipinti, and Renee Breitkreutz performed astonishing acts of kindness and goodwill toward their neighbors. They conceived, designed, developed and carried out a project that required a bare minimum of 50 hours of service to the community. For their hard work and dedication, the young women have achieved the highest honor in Girl Scouting, the Girl Scout Gold Award.

“Much Ado About Shakespeare” – a Shakespearean Theatre workshop – was Lisa’s contribution to the arts. Lisa held several workshops for Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scouts alike to foster interest in Shakespeare. Several scenes from Shakespeare’s plays including Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing were performed and the plots explained to her audience. Afterwards, those in attendance were given the chance to act out the scenes themselves. Lisa is in her senior year at East Meadow High School and will attend Arcadia University in the fall. She plays the viola in the Chamber Ensemble at her high school and is part of the Theatre Guild and the Tech Crew.

Boosting the self esteem of younger teenage girls was the purpose of Tami’s “New Look Workshop.” Tami first taught the girls the proper care of their hair, nails and skin. Then, with the help of volunteers, the girls were given manicures and had their hair braided. Tami received such an overwhelming response that she had to limit her workshop to 50 participants. To accommodate the overflow, she attended a troop meeting to offer the workshop to those girls who were closed out. Tami will graduate from East Meadow High School this year and plans to attend Nassau Community College in the fall. Tami is a member of the National Vocational Honor Society and President of Skills USA at the Gerald R. Claps Career and Tech Center. She was Captain of both the Junior Varsity and Varsity Softball and Volleyball Teams at her school and a volunteer at the Archer Avenue P.T.A. and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.

“Body, Mind and Soul” was the focus of Renee’s project. She prepared and presented a workshop devoted to teaching young women about important issues facing young adults today. Topics included self-esteem, depression, suicide, eating disorders, stress and relaxation. Renee enlisted specialists to speak on some of these sensitive topics and provided her audience with pertinent information and phone numbers to call for help if they were in need. Her workshop was very well received. Renee is a senior at East Meadow High School where she is involved with the Theater Guild and Ethnic Awareness Club. She is the recipient of a Gold Award Scholarship from Molloy College and will start her studies there in the fall.

"Forty-one young women earned their Gold Award this year,” said Donna Ceravolo, Executive Director of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Inc. "We are so proud of each and everyone of them.”

“Girl Scouts who achieve the Gold Award demonstrate character and perseverance as well as impeccable time management and organizational skills. They have joined an elite group of American women who are part of the Girl Scouts of the USA's Gold Award Alliance," she said.

On June 4th, at a ceremony at SUNY College at Old Westbury, the Girl Scouts of Nassau County honored 41 Senior Girl Scouts between the ages of 16 and 18. The Girl Scout Gold Award is a culmination of all that has been learned and experienced as a Girl Scout.

It affords the teen the opportunity to learn about arts and humanities, cultural and global relations, personal well-being, technology and science, and any one of the innumerable issues facing young women right now. The Gold Award project helps Senior Girl Scouts develop leadership skills and explore career paths. Overall, the Gold Awards require a commitment of two years on the part of each young woman.

Girl Scouts is the world’s largest volunteer organization for girls and young women ages 5 through 17. The Girl Scouts provide girls with learning opportunities, which empower them to realize their full potential and have fun with their peers in a supportive environment. More than 50 million girls have grown up into confident and strong women since Girl Scouts of the USA was founded 91 years ago.

For further information about the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, call Donna Rivera-Downey, Director Marketing at 516/741-2550, extension 260.