Great Neck’s Allie Kam was one of 51 Nassau County Girl Scouts who was celebrated in the 2024 Gold Scout Gold Award class, honored for reaching this milestone that notes her positive impact and efforts to address causes in her community.
“Every Girl Scout who earned their Gold Award this year demonstrated remarkable resilience, dedication and passion in developing and implementing a plan to tackle a societal challenge. We are immensely proud and impressed by each one of them for achieving their goals and making a lasting impact on their communities,” Rande Bynum, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County, said. “Their commitment is undeniable, and their efforts have positively affected countless lives. This year, our Girl Scouts addressed critical issues such as environmental justice and sustainability, mental and emotional health, gender equality in sports, and more. We applaud each of them for their significant contributions.”
Girls in grades 9-12 begin their Gold Award journeys by identifying a civic or social issue that holds importance to them.
Next, a Girl Scout builds a team to support her project with a mission to create a positive impact in her community. Gold Award projects are coordinated so that they can continue long after girls earn their award by establishing nonprofit organizations, publishing books to be added to school library collections, implementing classroom lessons to be taught for years to come or other initiatives to create lasting change.
Through the process, Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers, while educating and inspiring others. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally.
For her Gold Award, Allie wanted to spread awareness about the life-saving process of organ donation.
Allie created an interactive website with extensive information and data on donation, including statistics, misconceptions, risks and more, all geared to help in the decision-making process.
She circulated additional materials such as presentations, posters, pamphlets and cards throughout her local libraries, DMVs and schools to spread her message.
With the help of her school’s health teacher, she integrated her website and materials into the health curriculum, sustaining her message for the future.
According to recent research, Gold Award Girl Scouts are more likely to fill leadership roles at work and in their personal lives and are more civically engaged than their non-Girl Scout peers.
About 87% of Gold Award Girl Scouts agree that earning their Gold Award gave them skills that help them succeed professionally. Another 72% said earning their Gold Award helped them get a scholarship.
Changing the world doesn’t end when a Girl Scout earns her Gold Award, as 99% of Gold Award Girl Scout alums take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.
Girls in grades K-12 can begin their Girl Scout journey at any age. As girls grow with Girl Scouts, they learn hands-on leadership skills they’ll use to make their mark through the Gold Award and beyond. To join or volunteer, visit www.gsnc.org/join.
