Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania honored 56 Girl Scouts, including ones from Chicora and Mars, for earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, one of the highest achievements in Girl Scouting.

These Gold Award Girl Scouts cumulatively logged nearly 4,500 hours of service, while designing and implementing projects to benefit their communities through education and resources.

Isabella Valentino of Chicora chose an Environmental Awareness project.

Isabella’s passion for environmental preservation prompted her to educate her community about the environment, pollution, deforestation and recycling. She hosted virtual events spreading the knowledge about the Earth and the environment. She worked with her Environmental Club to lead the “Everyday is Earth Day” event.

Ana Bordeianu of Mars chose Keeping a Golden Mindsets as a project.

Knowing firsthand how depression has affected both her community and her own life, Ana educated students and adults on teenage depression. She sent educational resources to her school and church youth group, as well as local Girl Scout troops that included videos on different types of depression and coping mechanisms.

While each Gold Award Girl Scout pursues an individual project that aligns with her interests or aspirations, each project provides a sustainable solution to the root cause of an issue, including gaps in community resources, youth education opportunities, environmental conservation and several others.

In recognition of this achievement, Gold Award Girl Scouts can benefit from exclusive scholarships from colleges and universities and may enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces at an advanced rank.

The achievements of these 56 Gold Award Girl Scouts were celebrated June 19 at the Pittsburgh Marriott North in Cranberry Township.