Sarah Greichen from Centennial, Front Range Christian School, has been named a National Young Woman of Distinction by Girl Scouts of the USA. Sarah is among just 10 Girl Scouts nationwide chosen for this prestigious award after earning the Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting. Inspired by her twin brother who has an autism spectrum disorder, Sarah started a non-profit organization, Score A Friend, to promote and support youth to lead school-based unified clubs for students of all abilities. Today, there are Score A Friend clubs in schools and universities across the country. Sarah will be publicly honored at Girl Scouts of the USA’s national conference of CEOs and receive a $5,000 scholarship from Kappa Delta.
Earlier this year, Girl Scouts of Colorado awarded Sarah the Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize for Gold Award Excellence. Of Sarah’s project, prize committee members said, “We are delighted at the quality of Gold Award projects we reviewed this year and are thrilled to award the Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize to Sarah Greichen whose project exemplifies sustainable community impact through leadership.”
The Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize is made possible through a generous endowment gift from Girl Scouts of Colorado President & CEO Stephanie A. Foote. “Sarah’s project is an exceptional example of Girl Scouts ‘Discover, Connect and Take Action Model’ She recognized a community need, collaborated with industry leaders and community partners and founded a non-profit that will provide lasting opportunities to children and their families. ongoing impact through leadership. I am proud to present this prize to her and recognize Girl Scouts whose Gold Award projects have made a lasting impact,” Foote said.
2016 marks the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts’ highest award. The Gold Award culminates with a project led by one young woman between 9th and 12th grades who builds a purpose-based team to work with the larger community to meet a need. The focus of a Gold Award project is to identify and research a community issue she is passionate about, develop a plan to address it in cooperation with her team and community members, establish a global connection with others and provide sustainability for the project. Of the skills learned through Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards, leadership, organization and critical thinking are the fundamentals of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Some 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.
Girl Scouts is open to all girls from kindergarten through grade 12. Anyone over the age of 18 can apply to be a Girl Scout volunteer. Girls cannot experience the positive impact of Girl Scouts without adult volunteers, and each adult who volunteer has the opportunity to make a real difference in the life of a girl. Girl Scout volunteers come from all walks of life. They are men, women, young professionals, retirees, college students, and more. Both girls and adult volunteers can join at any time of the year. To join Girl Scouts or learn more about volunteering, please visit: www.girlscouts.org/join.
Learn more about how you can be part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience by visiting girlscoutsofcolorado.org, calling 1-877-404-5708, or emailing inquiry@gscolorado.org.