Caroline Stewart from Belleville Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Caroline Stewart from Belleville has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Washington Park Good Samaritan Center Playground, Caroline constructed an urban playground at the Good Samaritan Center in Washington Park. In the past, she assisted with Vacation Bible School and her and other volunteers noticed that the existing playground was unsafe. Through her efforts, a new playground was built from recycled materials that included a swing, a slide, a seesaw and a climbing structure. In addition, a basketball court was installed from grant money that had been received.

“I learned time management, better interpersonal communications skills, and how to ask for help when I needed it,” Caroline said of what she learned by completing her Girl Scout Gold Award project.

Caroline is the daughter of Doug and Christine Stewart. She graduated from Governor French Academy in 2017 and has been a Girl Scout for 12 years.

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes a Girl Scout's commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador must design and carry out a project that fulfills a need within a girl’s community, creates change, and is sustainable. The project must be completed with a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work. Only about 5 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.

Caroline Stewart from Belleville Awarded Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarship

Caroline Stewart from Belleville was awarded the Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarship from Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois during its All That Glitters awards ceremony. 

Caroline is a Girl Scout Ambassador who has been a Girl Scout for 11 years. She received her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting, this year. She is also a GSSI Trifecta recipient, having earned the Girl Scout Silver Award and Girl Scout Bronze Award as well. She has also served as a Girl Scouts’ National Delegate, GSSI ex-officio Girl Board Member and a GSSI robotics team member and mentor. 

“Through Girl Scouting, I have had several amazing opportunities. However, the adventures I have had are not nearly as important as the skills and experience I have gained, and the way my identity has been shaped. I do not believe that I would be the person I am today had I not remained a Girl Scout,” said Caroline. 

GSSI CEO Sarah Durbin, Caroline Stewart, GSSI Board Chair Linda Manley

Caroline is currently a senior at Governor French Academy and also attends Southwestern Illinois College. She plans to study engineering at a top-ranked college in the fall. Caroline states that Girl Scouts has helped her develop an array of skills and knowledge, including public speaking, financial management and leadership, as well as helped her realize her potential to make a difference in the world. 

To receive a GSSI Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarship, girls must submit an application, essay and letters of recommendation. These applications are then reviewed by a committee of staff and volunteers. Applications wth the top three highest scores accumulated across a variety of criteria are awarded scholarships. Two of these scholarships are funded from proceeds from GSSI's annual Brownie Haunted Camp program, while one is funded by a GSSI staff campaign.