Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois proudly recognizes Kennedy Cason from East St. Louis, Illinois for her recent achievements. Kennedy is a member of the 2024 Girl Scout Gold Award class and recipient of a $5,000 scholarship from Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) for her work in creating a literacy library for the seniors of East St. Louis Township.
The Gold Award is the highest award in Girl Scouts, and those who earn it set themselves apart from their peers through their perseverance and grit. Nationally, close to 3,000 Girl Scouts in the 2024 Gold Award Class found meaningful ways to address some of the most pressing issues facing their communities, acted on issues they are passionate about, and discovered they have the power to create the future they want. This year’s class of world-changers raised over $1.6 million of support for their projects and invested over 287,000 hours toward creating long-term solutions to community issues they’re passionate about.
This year, each of GSUSA’s 111 councils had the opportunity for one Gold Award Girl Scout to receive a national $5,000 scholarship, made possible by the Kappa Delta Foundation and many generous individual donors.
Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs.
To view the list of the nearly 3,000 outstanding 2024 Gold Award projects, visit girlscouts.org/goldawardclass.