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Shelton Girl Scout Earns Gold Award For Creating Library For Preschoolers

SHELTON, Conn. — Victoria Leonzi of Shelton has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting.

Victoria Leonzi of Shelton has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting.

Victoria Leonzi of Shelton has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting.

Photo Credit: Contributed
A total of 86 Girl Scouts earned their Gold Awards for the Class of 2016, including 40 from Fairfield County.

A total of 86 Girl Scouts earned their Gold Awards for the Class of 2016, including 40 from Fairfield County.

Photo Credit: Girl Scouts of Connecticut

Leonzi's Gold Award project, “Teaching Reading at Developmental Extents (T.R.A.D.E.),” involved creating a rotating library with over 1,000 books for seven participating preschools throughout her community to help children foster a love of reading. 

The preschools will trade their bins with each other each month to provide children with a variety of books. She asked younger Girl Scout troops in her town to help promote and encourage the preschools to continue to trade the bins throughout the years. 

She will be attending Sacred Heart University this fall.

Celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year, the Gold Award requires a high school age Girl Scout to spend at least 80 hours researching issues, assessing community needs and resources, building a team and making a sustainable impact in the community.

A Gold Award recipient’s accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart as a community leader. Nationally, only 6 percent of Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award.

The Girl Scouts all began more than 100 years ago with one woman, Juliette Gordon Low, who believed in the power of one girl. Girl Scouts of Connecticut are now more than 52,000 members strong. They are part of a sisterhood of 2.7 million around the globe.

“Since 1916, approximately 1 million Girl Scouts have made a sustainable impact in their communities,” said Mary Barneby, CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut. “We are so thrilled to honor a record number of girls this year and we are excited to see how many more incredible young women will continue to change the world in the next 100 years.”

For more information about the Gold Award or how to become a Gold Award volunteer or mentor, click here.

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