[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO FOUR GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS

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                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 1997

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to salute four 
outstanding young women who are being presented with the Girl Scout 
Gold Award by the Vermont Girl Scout Council. They are Melissa D. Jones 
and Tina M. Newell of Senior Girl Scout Troop 707 in Vergennes, VT and 
Jennifer R. Tobin and Vincenza Tortolano of Senior Girl Scout Troop 817 
in Rutland, VT. They are being honored on May 29, 1997 for earning the 
highest achievement award in U.S. Girl Scouting.
  The Girl Scout Gold Award symbolizes outstanding accomplishments in 
the areas of leadership, community service, career planning, and 
personal development. The award can be earned by girls aged 14 to 17, 
or in grades 9 to 12. To receive the award, these Girl Scouts first 
earned four interest project patches, the career exploration pin, the 
Senior Girl Scout leadership award and the Senior Girl Scout challenge 
as well as designing and implementing a Girl Scout Gold Award project 
to meet a special need in their communities.
  As members of the Vermont Girl Scout Council, Melissa Jones and Tina 
Newell first earned badges in understanding yourself and others, child 
care, games, creative writing, and reading. The girls then combined 
their efforts in a project to combat illiteracy. They designed a series 
of three workshops for young children about the magic of books which 
they put on at their local town library. The workshops featured a 
magician, hired with moneys the girls raised themselves, magic tricks 
and crafts taught by the girls and wonderful stories featuring magic. 
They attracted a large number of youngsters. The girls reported 
``Everything we did interested and excited the children; they wanted to 
read more books and they now know the library and are planning to come 
to their future children's programs.''
  Jennifer Tobin and Vincenza Tortolano put their efforts into making a 
special place for some elderly members of their community. The girls 
designed and established a conversation garden to give nursing home 
residents and their guests access to sidewalks, shade and beauty, 
putting in two settees and planting bulbs and a flowering crabapple 
tree, all financed by the girls' sale of handmade cookbooks. To quote 
the nursing home administrator, ``These two young people have earned 
the respect and appreciation of 125 nursing home residents and 160 
employees of Eden Park.''
  These four Senior Girl Scouts have earned my respect and 
appreciation, too, and I believe all four of the girls should receive 
the public recognition due them for such significant services to their 
communities and their country.

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