[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8631]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


     RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 2016

  Mr. HASTINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest and most 
prestigious award in the Girl Scouts organization, which has produced 
one million young women as leaders and change agents in their 
communities.
  Since 1916, this award has honored high school-aged Girl Scouts who 
answer the call to ``Go Gold'' and put in years of research and hard 
work to facilitate large-scale community service projects. The impact 
these young women are having on the world around them far exceeds their 
average age of 17 years old.
  As the Girl Scouts' highest achievement, Gold Award recipients who 
enlist in the U.S. armed forces may enter at one rank higher than other 
recruits. Universities and colleges around the country also offer 
scholarships to young women who receive this award.
  Sarah Banach, of Enfield, Connecticut, created and implemented coding 
lesson plans for young women at her local middle school to help bridge 
the gender gap in STEM-related fields. Loren McClendon, of 
Jacksonville, Fla., trained almost 500 adults in her community on how 
to recognize warning signs of strokes. Kaitlin Greenough, of 
Zephyrhills, Fla., developed an entire curriculum to teach elementary 
school-aged children about the Florida water system and water 
conservation. These are just a few of the countless community service 
projects taken on by Girl Scouts from the illustrious ranks of Gold 
Award recipients.
  As an organization, the Girl Scouts have allowed millions of girls 
nationwide to become involved in their communities and take on 
leadership roles while building courage, confidence and critical life 
skills. There are currently 3 million Girls Scouts nationwide and 50 
million alumnae, a testament to founder Juliette ``Daisy'' Gordon Low's 
original mission to empower girls with confidence, courage, and 
character.
  Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pride to recognize this organization, 
particularly my local troop, the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida, in 
Congress. I am inspired by what these esteemed Gold Award recipients 
have been able to accomplish in 100 years and look forward to seeing 
them succeed for many more years to come.

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