Local Girl Scout Earns Highest Award

Cape Girardeau Girl Scout, Ella Valleroy, has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, each girl must complete extensive leadership requirements, including thirty hours in a leadership role and forty hours of career exploration. Girls must also complete at least sixty-five hours of research, preparation, service, and evaluation for a project that serves a need in their community, locally or globally.

Valleroy, a graduate of Central High School, is the daughter of Paul and Diana Valleroy. For her Gold Award project Valleroy worked with her local animal shelter in a variety of ways. She improved the appearance of the shelter to make it more appealing to the public, created brochures about common diseases that dogs and cats are susceptible to for new pet parents, and gave presentations to younger girls about how to properly care for animals.

“We are proud to celebrate the accomplishments of our Girl Scouts who have earned Girl Scouts Highest Award. These extraordinary Girl Scouts have set their sights high and have earned the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting,” said Chief Executive officer Anne Soots. “These young women are an inspiration to us all. They demonstrate leadership and dedication to making the world a better place.”

Annually, fewer than 5 percent of all Girl Scouts nationwide earn the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. Eighteen girls from Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland earned the Girl Scout Gold award this year, and were honored at a Young Women of Distinction Ceremony in Springfield, Mo on June 3, 2017.

About the Girl Scout Gold Award

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award that a Girl Scout age 14-18 may earn, often described as “what you really want to be remembered for” in Girl Scouting. For many, the leadership skills, organizational skills, and sense of community and commitment that come from “going for the Gold” set the foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship.

About the Girl Scout Leadership Experience

Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls in grades K-12. With 2.6 million girl and adult members worldwide, Girl Scouts is the leading authority on girls' healthy development. Today’s Girl Scout Leadership Experience has evolved to fit a wide variety of interests of schedules. With five program pathways – events, series, camp, troops, and travel– girls have more options and more reasons to join than ever before. Through hands-on learning opportunities and a girl-led decision-making process, the Girl Scout Leadership Experience empowers girls to discover a strong sense of self, connect with others in a changing world, and take action to help make the world a better place.

About Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland

Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland has a membership of just over 12,500 girls and 4,000 adults across 68 counties in central and southern Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. With the support of community partners, donors, and volunteers, we mentor and support girls as they develop crucial life skills and prepare to take the lead – today, tomorrow, and for the rest of their lives. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate to Girl Scouts, call 877-312-4764 or visit us on the web at www.girlscoutsmoheartland.org.

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