MIQUON PA – Three local members of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania – Tiffani Keen of Stowe, Lydia Masimore, Pottstown, and Cassidy Romano, Collegeville – are among 16 Montgomery County residents who recently were presented with the highest honor in Girl Scouting, its Girl Scout Gold Award.
The award recognizes Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors, those in grades 9-12, “who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects,” the organization said. It represents each girl’s leadership ability, time management, creativity, initiative, and significant mastery of skills.
In their projects, the winners individually identified a community problem, developed a plan to solve it, recruited a team to assist them, and created what leaders said were “sustainable solutions” intended to last for years. Each project requires at least 80 hours of community service.
Keen, Masimore, Romano, and the others from across the county were part of a larger group of 63 girls in nine counties, all of whom received Gold Awards. The presentations were made May 21 (Sunday) during an in-person celebration.
“We are incredibly proud to recognize and celebrate” the group, Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania CEO Kim Fraites-Dow said. They “persevered through each challenge thrown their way by believing in their own power and determination to complete their ambitious projects.”
Projects completed by the 63 candidates ranged in topics: striving for equitable education across local school districts, creating resource kits for children interested in science, technology, engineering and math; planning healthy coping mechanism workshops for patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, educating youth on disabilities, and advocating for mental health resources.
Other county residents receiving Gold Awards were Madeline Bartol, Huntington Valley; Olivia Bell, Flourtown; Shannon Bustins, Jenkintown; Katie Eckert, Oreland; Paris Graves, Abington; Lindsey Hermann, Oreland; Rachel Hoffman, Oreland; Nadia Kushner, Horsham; Christine Merrigan, Oreland; Audrey Moore, Glenside; Alicia Simrak, North Wales; Jordan Strain, Rydal; and Sophia Weatherwax, Bala Cynwyd.
The ceremony also recognized 141 Girl Scouts who earned their Silver Awards during the 2022-2023 member year. The Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette, in grades 6-8, can achieve.
Photo of the 63 Gold Award winners provided by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania