Gold Award recipients receive honors at statewide ceremony

by Kathryn Jones

The Statewide Gold Award Event was held at the Texas State Capitol in Austin June 7. This event recognized the 2003-2004 Texas Girl Scout Gold Award recipients.

Present were 16 of the 19 Girl Scout councils in the state. They were: Bluebonnet, Caprock, Circle T, Cross Timbers, El Camino, Five Star, Lone Star, Paisano, Permian Basin, Red River Valley, Rio Grande, San Antonio Area, San Jacinto, South Texas, Tejas, and Tip of Texas councils. Lone Star and South Texas councils hosted this year’s event.

The event was held on the floor of the House of Representatives, where each girl was able to sit in a chair used by the members of the House. Each attending Gold Award recipient was given a certificate acknowledging her accomplishments.

The keynote speaker was Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Texas Comptroller. She spoke about how important it is to have the Gold Award, and how it can better the lives of girls.

The Gold Award is the highest award in Girl Scouting. Senior level girls earn the award by completing several service hours, interest projects, and more.

Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council had the most girls, with 142, earn the Gold Award this past year, and 20 of the girls were in attendance at the ceremony. The Tejas Council came in second with 89 girls earning the Gold Award.

Cotton S. from GSSJC was one of the State Gold Award Scholarship recipients. This scholarship is funded by the sale of Girl Scout license plates in Texas.

A barbecue lunch was held on the South Lawn of the capitol grounds after the ceremony ended.

Bellaire Senior Girl Scouts Danielle S., center,
and M.J. L., right, were honored at a Bellaire
City Council meeting for earning the Gold Award.