Girl Scouts of Colorado President & CEO Stephanie A. Foote presented the 2020 Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award and the 2020 Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize to Gold Award Girl Scouts on May 5, 2020. Watch it here and see below for a transcript. This year’s ceremony was a virtual celebration due to COVID-19. In past years, this special ceremony has been part of Gold Award Day at the Colorado State Capitol.
- Emerald Doyle from Colorado Springs, William J. Palmer High School, held a series of drives and collected items to benefit One Nation Walking Together. To date, she has collected more than 3,000 pounds of food, 375 pounds of feminine hygiene products, and 844 pounds of furniture and clothing. Emerald is recognized with this year’s Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award for her confidence, resilience, and courage in succeeding in life.
- Christine Bolt from Steamboat Springs, Steamboat Springs High School, organized an annual summer camp for children with autism. Each day focused on an aspect of camping and outdoor skills, including building a fire, setting up a tent, and wildlife awareness. Christine is the 2020 Stephanie Foote Leadership Prize winner and will receive $1,000 cash gift to recognize her sustainable impact through leadership.
- Julia Trujillo, from Arvada, Arvada West High School, asked Colorado Representative Brianna Titone to introduce a bill on her behalf. House Bill 1131 aimed to create a grant program to provide funding for free and accessible menstrual products/product dispensers in Title One Colorado schools. Julia was named 2020 Stephanie Foote Leadership Prize Honorable Mention and will receive a $250 cash prize for her project’s impact.
Each year, Gold Award Girl Scouts are eligible to earn the Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize. This award was made possible through a generous gift to Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Endowment by Girl Scouts of Colorado President and CEO Stephanie A. Foote. “I am proud to recognize Girl Scouts whose Gold Award projects have made a lasting impact,” Foote said. In addition, the Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award is given in memory of Girl Scout Gold Award Mentor Debbie Haskins, who had a passion for working with older Girl Scouts. It recognizes one outstanding Gold Award Girl Scout from Colorado who exemplifies the Girl Scout spirit through courage, confidence, and character.
“Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award is truly a remarkable achievement, and these young women exemplify leadership in all its forms,” said Foote. “They saw a need and took ownership of helping to develop a solution and took action to make it happen. Their extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and leadership are making the world a better place.”
Open only to girls in high school, the Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for girls—and the most difficult to earn. The Gold Award project involves seven steps: 1. Identify an issue, 2. Investigate it thoroughly, 3. Get help and build a team, 4. Create a plan, 5. Present the plan and gather feedback, 6. Take action, 7. Educate and inspire. Of the skills learned through Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards, leadership, organization, and critical thinking are the fundamentals of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to Gold Award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements.
Be sure to join us on the GSCO Facebook page on May 16 at 2 p.m. for a virtual, statewide Highest Awards Celebration honoring all of the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award Girl Scouts from the past Girl Scout Awards Program year. Aren’t on Facebook? That’s okay. Email highestawards@gscolorado.org for an alternate link.