This year, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast is joining a nationwide celebration of 100 years of the highest award in Girl Scouts, now known as the Gold Award. In its century of history, the award has also been called the Golden Eaglet, Curved Bar and First Class.

In celebration of this centennial year, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast is looking to hear from past Gold Award recipients in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, as well as from women who earned the highest award elsewhere and now live in the area. Award recipients are asked to share their stories by visiting www.gsccc.org and clicking on the Alumnae page.

Earning the prestigious Gold Award challenges girls to initiate meaningful, sustainable change through their own “Take Action” projects. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, the Gold Award has a positive lifetime impact on the girls who earn it. In fact, 95 percent of Gold Award recipients feel they have had success in their lives because of their unique experiences they had and the skills they developed through Girl Scouting. Nationwide, less than six percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn this high-status award, adding them to an elite group of female leaders across the country with this honor.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, a United Way agency, serves more than 13,000 girls in grades K through 12 with the help of nearly 6,000 adult volunteers in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. For more information, call 1-800-77SCOUT.