To win the award, scouts must complete a thorough project that involved researching issues, assessing community needs and resources, building a team, and making a sustainable impact in the community, according to an announcement.
For her project, Babchak, a student at Northeastern University, collected books and built a bookshelf for the “Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes” home in Bridgeport, a place where female soldiers returning from overseas can recover. She also organized a book club for the women, which met every four to six weeks.
Her project is one that will have a lasting impression. The bookshelf, books and book club will be a permanent fixture, and every year, the Ridgefield and Wilton Service Units will collect new books for the home.
Babchak was one of 70 young women from around the state who earned a Gold Award — the most number of recipients in Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s history, according to a statement.
Award recipients attended a ceremony June 2 at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford where they received certificates from Girl Scouts of Connecticut, Girl Scouts of the USA, and a congratulatory letter from Girl Scouts of Connecticut CEO Mary Barneby.
The Gold Award recipients will also receive certificates or letters from Gov. Dannel Malloy, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, members of the Connecticut General Assembly, and Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed fraternity.
For more information about the Gold Award, its history and award winners, visit the Girl Scouts of Connecticut website.
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