2024 Gold Award Girl Scouts Receive Honors at Awards of Distinction

Our annual Awards of Distinction event, held this year on May 15, 2024, at the Carnegie Science Center, celebrates women who exemplify excellence in leadership throughout our council’s region, as well as the accomplishments of two Gold Award Girl Scouts who received the honors of Girl Scout Humanitarian and Girl Scout of Distinction.

Gold Award Girl Scout Eliza Davis, a senior at Fox Chapel Area High School, accepted the award for the 2024 Girl Scout Humanitarian for her project: Harm Reduction, Opioid Overdose Response, and Naloxone Education.

With a strong sense of justice and a critical eye, Eliza Davis has always been concerned for communities and issues that many find easier to ignore. After noticing that any information widely available regarding drug use and addiction was largely limited to the endorsement of complete abstinence and sobriety, she realized that an entire portion of the population was being neglected—those who already use drugs. But it doesn’t have to be this way—seemingly small individual and community efforts can have enormous impacts and save countless lives.

Eliza confronted this complex public health problem through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, educating her peers on harm reduction and opioid overdose response. Her audience gained practical skills like naloxone administration to respond to opioid overdoses while she attempted to shift their perspectives on drug use and substance use disorders to an empathetic, evidence-based, harm-reduction approach.

“From organizing camping trips to hosting an author’s workshop for young writers and illustrators, Girl Scouts has empowered me not just to explore the world around me but also to change it.” —Eliza Davis

Gold Award Girl Scout Sawyer Wright, a graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School, accepted the award for the 2024 Girl Scout of Distinction for her project: Empowering Young Girls through Fiction.

Sawyer wrote, illustrated, and published the book The Four Take on Fifth to increase confidence in upper-elementary school girls. Upper elementary school can be a turbulent time for many girls, so it is essential they learn from positive messages that accurately represent their ages and struggles. Growing up, Sawyer often viewed book characters as inspirations and role models. She created her Gold Award project to provide a model for how to deal with challenging situations while maintaining healthy friendships and growing self-confidence.

In addition to her love for reading and writing, Sawyer also believes in the power of art. She led a small team of illustrators to bring the novel’s story to life. Sawyer hosted an author’s workshop at her former elementary school to share the message of her book and inspire future writers and artists. Copies of the book were donated to
several elementary schools, public libraries, and Girl Scout troops.

“From organizing camping trips to hosting an author’s workshop for young writers and illustrators, Girls Scouts has taught me to be a leader among my peers and in my community. For the past 13 years, my Girl Scout experiences have honed my skills in communication, project management, public speaking, and creative problem-solving.” —Sawyer Wright

We were honored to celebrate these outstanding Gold Award Girl Scouts along with our 2024 Women of Distinction honorees. Congratulations on your achievements, Eliza and Sawyer!

For more information about this year’s event and honorees, please visit gswpa.org/aod.