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.

2017 Girl Scout Gold Award Recipients from Southern Illinois

The Girl Scout Gold Award recognizes leadership, effort and impact that Girl Scout Seniors and Girl Scout Ambassadors have had on their communities. Only about 5 percent of eligible girls take the rigorous path toward earning this prestigious award, but those who complete the journey change the lives of others and their own in amazing and significant ways.

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois recognized the following girls for earning the Girl Scout Gold Award at their 2017 All That Glitters Award Ceremony.  Please note that an asterisk (*) signifies girls who have also earned the GSSI Trifecta Award for earning their Girl Scout Bronze Award, Girl Scout Silver Award and Girl Scout Gold Award.

2017 Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois

Girl Scout Gold Award Recipients

Emily Baima, Collinsville*

Project: Squirrel Habitat

Kaitlyn Barnett, Troy*

Project: Camp for Everyone

Elizabeth Boehning, O'Fallon*

Project: Operation Find a Friend

Elizabeth Burr, Collinsville*

Project: Camps in Motion

Lauren Carter, Collinsville*

Project: Nursery Reboot

Johannah Comish, Highland*

Project: Bridges to a Better Tomorrow

Cecelia Cowell, Red Bud*

Project: Got Safety?

Sarah Eversman, Swansea

Project: Plastic Caps

Sarah Goldacker, Glen Carbon

Project: An Old Spin on a New Trick

Hannah Grotecke, Granite City

Project: Old Six Mile Museum Repairs

Gabriella Holmes, Millstadt*

Project: Softball Pitching Fun and Exercise

Caitlin Lloyd, O'Fallon

Project: Suite Dreams

Lauren Lundy, O'Fallon

Project: Lullabies Live!

Josefina Pimentel, Carbondale

Project: Creative Writing: Express Our Dreams

Hannah Redinger, Columbia*

Project: Country to Country, School to School, Students Helping Students

Madeleine Renken, Troy*

Project: Graphing the Graveyard

Amelia Schmitz, Belleville*

Project: Signal Hill School: Strong Minds, Strong Bodies, Strong Character

Dakota Smallie, Granite City*

Project: Pontoon Beach Patchwork Garden

Caroline Stewart, Belleville*

Project: Washington Park Good Samaritan Center Playground

Jordyn Thompson, O'Fallon*

Project: Fall Fun Fair

Shelby Tingley, Granite City

Project: Homing the Homeless Birds

Alexandra Waugh, Nashville

Project: Move for Missions

Kelsey Weatherford, Columbia*

Project: Blooming Butterflies

Kayli Worthey, Neoga

Project:  The 3 Dangerous D's of Driving

Watch our GSSI Blog and social media platforms for more coverage of this year's Girl Scout Gold Award recipients and their amazing projects!

Caitlin Lloyd from O'Fallon has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Caitlin Lloyd from O’Fallon has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Suite Dreams, Caitlin worked with The Women’s Safe House in St. Louis. She repainted two rooms at the facility in bright colors to make the atmosphere cheerful and hopeful. She also organized groups to make fleece blankets and held a book drive that collected 500 books for the organization. Last, Caitlin built a bookcase so that the books that were donated were easily accessible for the residents.

Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Caitlin learned valuable life skills that she will be able to use throughout her life. “I definitely learned the importance of persistence and dedication,” said Caitlin. “There were times when I felt the project was overwhelming and I might not finish. However, I took each part one step at a time to stay on schedule,” she added.

Caitlin is the daughter of Matt and Kristen Lloyd. She is a junior at O’Fallon Township High School. Caitlin 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.

Sarah Eversman from Swansea Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

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

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Plastic Caps, Sarah wanted to improve her school’s landscaping and show the importance of recycling to the environment. According to Sarah, she collected over 400 pounds of recycled plastic bottle caps and had a bench made for her school. She and her dad built an additional wood bench for extra seating. Finally, she created two new flower beds at her school to finish off the new and fresh look. 

This Girl Scout Gold Award project was a rewarding experience for Sarah. “Through my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I learned that anyone can make a difference in their community.”

Sarah is the daughter of Edward and Claire Eversman. She is currently a Senior at Belleville East Township High School. Sarah has been a Girl Scout for 7 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.

Hannah Redinger from Columbia Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

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

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, named Country to Country, School to School: Students Helping Students, Hannah wanted to help high school girls in third world countries continue their education. She worked with the Illinois South Conference United Church of Christ (ISC UCC) Ecuador Partnership Committee who partners with the Chuquiraguan Women’s Kiwanis Club to bring awareness to this important issue. Hannah collected school supplies and toiletries as well as helped ISC UCC campaign for scholarship funds.

She collected approximately 2,000 items and her efforts helped ISC UCC raise $3,000 in scholarship funds. The funds that were raised were enough to send 15 girls through a year of high school in Quito, Ecuador. In July, Hannah was part of a mission trip to Ecuador in which she was able to meet the girls that were supported by her project.

Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Hannah learned how to gain the support of a community. “I learned that if you are passionate about a cause and are willing to share your passion with others, people will support you and your cause,” said Hannah.

Hannah is the daughter of Sharon and Jeff Redinger. In May, she graduated from Columbia High School. She is currently attending Kansas State University where she is majoring in Animal Science and Industry. Hannah has been involved in Girl Scouting for 13 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.

Girl Scout Gold Award Centennial: Sophia (Thomasson) Cykert

Since 1916, Girl Scouts have been making meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and around the world through their Girl Scout Gold Award projects. The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering herself, but also to make the world a better place for others. As the Girl Scout Gold Award celebrates 100 years of girls changing the world, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) are highlighting some of our shining stars who exemplify the greatness of this award.

Sophia (Thomasson) Cykert always knew the importance of education. Growing up in Belknap, IL, she was able to see the positive impact her mom was able to make in the lives of children through her job as a teacher. In addition, Sophia’s parents always encouraged her and her sister to actively pursue learning, whether it be to simply satisfy a curiosity or obtain a degree.

She wanted to help instill that trait in the youth in her community, so she created programs to incorporate literacy and character education lessons for children and drastically expanded the library at the Massac County Housing Authority for her Girl Scout Gold Award project. Because of her project, children could access these programs and books when they came in for the existing lunch program. The children could even opt to keep their favorite books – with some of them taking home the first books they could call their own.

“Our world has so much hardship and suffering on its own, and I realized that kids can use all the help they can get to come out on the brighter side of things. I knew that if I could share the magic of reading with these kids who were struggling, they would have a safe space to escape long enough to discover their dreams,” said Sophia.

Sophia herself credits Girl Scouts with helping her to discover and fulfill some of her dreams. “Through Girl Scouts, I was able to develop a much stronger sense of self,” she said. “I learned to find practical solutions for turning my dreams into reality. Girl Scouting taught me how to actually reach my goals and gave me the skills I needed to do so,” Sophia added. One of those dreams she fulfilled was that of working for the US Federal Government. Upon graduating high school, Sophia attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale on a full presidential academic scholarship. She now lives in Nashville, TN and works as a legal administrative specialist with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sophia encourages other Girl Scouts to chase their dreams and earn their Girl Scout Gold Award as well. But, she emphasizes the importance of keeping focus on the work that is being done rather than the award that will be received. “I would encourage young Girl Scouts to not worry so much about the prestige or glory of the project,” said Sophia. “For me, God is the greatest part of my life. So, I believe the glory goes to him anyway. With that worry out of the picture, it frees you to focus on the helping of others. Focus on helping people and making a positive impact in your community, and the accolades will come,” she added.

The Girl Scout Gold Award 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.

Looking Back: 2015-16 Girl Scout Gold Award Recipients

The 2015-16 Girl Scout year is winding down - a new season starts on October 1.  Let's give one more cheer to the Girl Scouts from southern Illinois who earned the Girl Scout Gold Award - the highest award in Girl Scouting! 

"Going Gold" displays leadership, dedication and makes a meaningful impact in girls' communities. Only about 5% of eligible girls take the rigorous path toward earning this prestigious award, but those who complete the journey make their community and their world a better place, as well as developing amazing talents and character in their own lives! 

2015-16 Girl Scout Gold Award Recipients