Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida 2026 Gold Award recipients
Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida recognized 22 outstanding young women from Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River counties with the prestigious 2026 Girl Scouts Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.
Awarded to only 5 percent of eligible Girl Scouts nationwide, the Gold Award recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate exceptional leadership, dedication, and commitment to creating meaningful, sustainable change in their communities.
To earn the Gold Award, each Girl Scout must identify a community issue she is passionate about and lead a large-scale service project designed to create lasting impact. The Gold Award Class of 2026 took on issues including literacy; mental health; breast cancer, concussion, autism and endometriosis awareness; food insecurity and waste; foster care; and environmental sustainability. Their collective projects contributed more than 2,500 community service hours and partnered with dozens of local organizations to impact thousands of lives close to home and as far away as Tanzania.
“I am impressed by the determination and creativity the Gold Award Class of 2026 demonstrated through their projects. Their community collaborations are remarkable, showing everyone the power of partnerships,” said Lisa Johnson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida.
Abigail Berkowitz, a Parkland resident and senior at Donna Klein Jewish Academy, discovered that the issue of food insecurity affects more than one million people in South Florida due to inflation, low wages, and high housing costs. Not only has inflation had a negative effect on everyday essentials, but it has also significantly impacted pet care and pet food products. National research demonstrates that 30 million pets face life-threatening hunger every year.
Abigail’s project, Impact of Food Insecurity on Pets, addresses this issue by creating and teaching others how to add a Pet Food Pantry within existing food pantries and educate the public about the problem. Unfortunately, pet owners who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits face the devastating reality that these funds cannot be used to buy pet food, so many feed their pets table food or feel forced to surrender their pets to overcrowded shelters. Through her partnerships with Royal Palm Christian Church, Broward County Library Parkland, Rotary Club of Coral Springs/Parkland, and Nova Southeastern University, Abigail made numerous presentations to a wide range of audiences. More than 90 percent of respondents reported an increased understanding of pet food insecurity and over 75 percent said they would support a pet food pantry in the future.
Photo credit: Littles Photography
