GSWPA

Scholarship and Leadership: Gold Award Girl Scout Aashi Bhatt

If there is one thing that Westmoreland County Gold Award Girl Scout Aashi Bhatt has gained through her Girl Scout journey, it’s the confidence to lead. That confidence is now helping to shape her future. Through her Gold Award project, Aashi has earned a full-ride scholarship to Georgia Tech, where she will be attending college in the fall to pursue her passion for computer science—proof of how the skills and confidence she discovered as a Girl Scout can open doors to a lifetime of possibility.

Starting out as a Daisy, Aashi has had a long career as a Girl Scout.

She earned her Gold Award this year with “Why Shy Away,” a project focused on menstrual health and equity in her high school and other public places. The project, with the help of a grant from Governor Josh Shapiro, established free stations of menstrual products in the restrooms of Franklin Regional High School, where Aashi was a student. Aashi created a social media page that updates followers on where stations have been installed as well as awareness of the project in general. In order to help students at other schools follow in “Why Shy Away’s” footsteps, Aashi also created a manual that helps them find the language to interact with their school administrators.

This fall, Aashi is starting school at Georgia Tech with plans to study computer science. Recently, she learned that she is being awarded a full-ride scholarship. The award is a merit-based scholarship rooted in leadership qualities and community experiences, strengths and skills she has spent years developing through Girl Scouts. Aashi made it through multiple rounds of interviews, and she feels that being able to talk about her Gold Award project and the club that resulted from it is the reason she was chosen.

“I think the leadership that Girl Scouts has given me to pursue this project is irreplaceable,” Aashi says. “And I think they recognized that, and that’s why they gave me the scholarship.”

“Girl Scouts isn’t just about the hard skills you learn—it’s what you learn along the way. When I was younger, I didn’t think I had any leadership qualities. I think being in an environment where you are encouraged to speak out and take action really helped me come out of my shell. I can say 100% with confidence that I wouldn’t be doing the things I’m doing now if it wasn’t for Girl Scouts.”
Aashi Bhatt

Fun and Friendship Thrive in Service Unit 5911!

Central Cambria County Service Unit 5911 is making the most of their Girl Scout experience! Between trips, camp, service, and earning Highest Awards, these Girl Scouts are always learning, growing, and having fun.

Girls in the Ebensburg area went to Camp Hawthorne Ridge, Washington, D.C., and the Pittsburgh Zoo. They are currently fundraising for a trip to Savannah next year to see the first Girl Scout Headquarters in the home of Juliette Gordon Low.

Another large part of life in this service unit is camp—Girl Scouts in each troop are going to camp and trying new things every season. Whether it’s Camp Creepy, Christmas Camp at Camp Conshatawba, or service unit camp, girls are conquering their fears on the climbing wall and making strong connections with their Girl Scout sisters.

Every year, the service unit hosts Troopsgiving, a community service event where they assemble donations of all kinds. Last year, they filled 156 stockings for Soldiers Project and created holiday cards and coloring pages to go along with them. In years past, they have put together new mom/baby boxes for the Gabriel Project and birthday boxes including cake, icing, decorations, cards, and gifts for local food pantries.

Several girls from the service unit have worked hard to complete their Bronze and Silver Award projects, with a few even beginning their work towards the Gold Award. Some of the completed Bronze Award projects include “A Girl Scout Walking Tour of Ebensburg,” “Four Footed Friends Donation Collection,” and “Cambria Elementary Book Drive.” Their completed Silver Award projects include “Camp Conshatawba Trails” and “Finding Your Four Footed Friend,” an adoption and community board for Four Footed Friends animal shelter. There are many more Silver Award projects currently well on their way to completion!

In this service unit, there is always a chance to bond, to grow, and to find out who you are through Girl Scout fun and service. With all these activities accomplished and so many more great experiences ahead, things are always exciting in this part of our council.

Holocaust Education Patch Program

“When I started this project, I had never done something as big as this before. I didn’t know what it was going to look like, nor was I certain that I would find my demographic. To say that I have grown and overcome these obstacles while doing this project would be an understatement; being willing to learn from others in order to share what I was passionate about allowed me to create something truly empowering.” —Gold Award Girl Scout Lily Sassani

Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania would like to congratulate Lily Sassani, Gold Award Girl Scout of Westmoreland County Troop 26605, who was selected as the recipient of the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) Gold Award Scholarship for our council! The GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship recognizes one outstanding Gold Award Girl Scout per council with a $5,000 academic scholarship, whose project demonstrated measurable and sustainable impact while addressing an issue of national and/or global significance.

Gold Award Girl Scout Lily Sassani, a recent graduate of Burrell High School, earned her Gold Award for her project “Holocaust Education Patch Program.”

Her passion for history and drive to connect the Jewish and Girl Scout communities led her to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, where director Emily Loeb and associate Julia Gaetano mentored her in the process of developing the patch program. With their guidance, Lily wrote the curriculum, designed the patch, and conducted crucial interviews for the curriculum with Holocaust survivor Edith Leuchter and her daughter Debbie Leuchter-Steuber, as well as British author and activist Janie Hampton.

The Holocaust Center was awarded grants from the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh to support the development of the patch. Within the first month of launching the program, over 350 troop leaders from around the world have inquired about how their troops can earn the patch.

Lily works to empower the voices of women and children who protected humanity during the Holocaust, and she is inspiring people to empathize and to create solidarity with others for the greater good. She would like to thank all who have helped and supported her in any way in the creation of this patch.

“I learned what it meant to be a leader in this undertaking by fully engrossing myself in the inspirational stories I had to share, and knowing the importance of having an incredible team to help me achieve my goals.”

She accepted her scholarship via video.

Congratulations, Lily, on your remarkable achievement and for serving as a role model to Girl Scouts everywhere!

If you are interested in earning the Holocaust Education patch, you can download the program guide below!

HolocaustEducation Download

2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts Receive Honors at Awards of Distinction Event

Our annual Awards of Distinction event, held this year on May 5, 2026, at the Kamin 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 Lily Sassani, a high school senior from Lower Burrell, accepted the award for the 2026 Girl Scout of Distinction for her project, Holocaust Education Patch Program.

Lily’s project has extended in reach across the country and across the world. Her passion for history and drive to connect the Jewish and Girl Scout communities led her to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, where director Emily Loeb and associate Julia Gaetano mentored her in the process of developing the patch program. With
their guidance, Lily wrote the curriculum, designed the patch, and conducted crucial interviews for the curriculum with Holocaust survivor Edith Leuchter
and her daughter Debbie Leuchter-Steuber, as well as British author and activist Janie Hampton.

Lily works to empower the voices of women and children who protected humanity during the Holocaust, and she is inspiring people to empathize
and to create solidarity with others for the greater good. She would like to thank all who have helped and supported her in any way in the creation of this patch.

“I learned what it meant to be a leader in this undertaking by fully
engrossing myself in the inspirational stories I had to share, and knowing the importance of having an incredible team to help me achieve my goals.” – Lily Sassani

Gold Award Girl Scout Cierra Rexrode, a graduate of South Fayette High School, accepted the 2026 Girl Scout Humanitarian Award for her project Making Your Own Mind: An Athlete’s Journey to Overcoming.

Cierra has been an athlete practically her whole life, playing basketball. From early grade school to now, a freshman in college and a D1 athlete, sports have shaped the person she is today. Through sports, she has gained discipline, resilience, and strength, but more importantly, she has learned the importance of mental health in athletes.

Cierra has witnessed the way that even great athletes can fall to the struggles that
they fight against their own mind, and have experienced the hopelessness and
darkness of not being good enough for their own standards, on and off the court. These struggles led her to research and to write Making Your Own Mind: An Athlete’s Journey to Overcoming as her Girl Scout Gold Award Project. Her project focused on her journey through struggling with mental health, ways others may be impacted, and the ways she found the light in the midst of darkness.

In pursuing this as her Gold Award, she was able to break down the barriers in her own mind and go on to win a state championship in her senior year and now find a reignited passion for athletics in college. Being a Girl Scout gave her all the tools she needed to realize she could make a difference for so many people just like her, and begin to destigmatize mental health in sports and inspire others to find strength, not just in winning, but in growth, self-awareness, and perseverance.

Cierra is proud of all that Girl Scouts has led her to accomplish and is eternally grateful that she gets to carry its lasting impact through the rest of her life.

“Girl Scouts has taught me that I can do anything I want to do and be anyone I want to be, and I am proud that I can now use my voice to lead others towards their paths and show them that they can help others too.” -Cierra Rexrode

Volunteer Spotlight: Ellen Mosher

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is honoring the people who keep our community thriving, this month and every month.

Ellen Mosher is a longtime volunteer out of the Northern Star service unit in McKean County, and she has spent decades going above and beyond for her Girl Scout sisters. A troop leader and service unit manager, she is someone who is leaving a lasting impact on her community through her time as a volunteer.

Ellen has been a Girl Scout for several decades—so long, in fact, that the girls she leads now are daughters and granddaughters of women she once led. Ellen’s impact has spanned generations of women and continues to this day. Because of her long tenure as a volunteer, Ellen has met many new volunteers over the years, and she never strays away from sharing her experiences. She is always ready to lend a hand to a new leader, making sure they are comfortable starting out and have all the resources they need. Whether it’s a new troop leader or a shy Girl Scout, Ellen is always there with her guidance and experience. She is a stable presence, keeping the community afloat around her.

Through her leadership, Ellen is committed to upholding the Girl Scout values and traditions thoroughly. Whether that is making meetings and outings run smoothly or teaching girls how to be sisters to all, she is dedicated to keeping a few things about Girl Scouts consistent. Over the course of the last few decades, a lot has changed. However, Ellen has been able to roll with the punches and adapt while still upholding those same values, making every girl feel special for the things that make her unique and supported in their journey.

She is always there as a go-to First Aid volunteer at camp, and she is passionate about the outdoors, an interest that is close to her heart. She serves as the Leave No Trace representative for her service unit, taking care to instill a sense of pride in loving the outdoors in the girls she works with. With her help, girls in her area are growing in their awareness of the world around them and the ways they can take care of it.

Ellen also received the Pearl Award for her dedication at the recent Annual Meeting, an achievement very fitting for all that she has done. Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is lucky to have someone like her supporting girls, volunteers, and community members alike.

“Ellen’s impact goes far beyond titles—she is a constant source of support, knowledge, and heart. Her willingness to give her time, her leadership, and her care has shaped countless experiences and created a stronger, more connected community for everyone.”

Volunteer Spotlight: Kathy Blanarik

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is honoring the people who keep our community thriving, this month and every month.

Kathy Blanarik has been leading with integrity and care for fifty years, and she has no plans on stopping. A longtime volunteer in the Freedom service unit, Kathy has served as a service unit manager and a troop leader, and her impact is felt in volunteers, Girl Scouts, and community members alike.

Throughout her time leading, a lot has changed—new technologies, new ways of going about things, council structure changes—and Kathy has made sure to hold strong in her values and strategies while adapting with the times with ease.

She has made sure that through it all, she is leading by example. Whether it’s representing Girl Scouts respectfully and professionally in public or planning meetings and trips with her troop or service unit, Kathy is always the first to take on the task. Her kindness and compassion are also traits that rub off on everyone around her—Kathy is known to make sure that even the quietest girl in the back of the room is getting what she needs. She recognizes ability and strength in all the girls she leads, guiding them to understand what makes them special.

Kathy’s commitment to leadership has inspired fifty years worth of women to take on challenges of their own, ensuring they feel supported every step of the way. She has also connected with other volunteers, stepping up for them in times of crisis and the good times, too.

At the annual meeting on April 18^th, Kathy was honored with the Pearl Award for her volunteer service over the years. Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania appreciates all of her hard work and dedication, so a big thank you to Kathy and all that she has done is most certainly in order.

“From reusing supplies and planning affordable activities to teaching girls how to budget cookie proceeds, she modeled stewardship long before sustainability became a buzzword. Her careful planning ensured opportunities for all girls, not just those with means.”
Donna Goberish, Fellow Volunteer

Volunteer Spotlight: Kate Freemer

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is honoring the people who keep our community thriving, this month and every month.

While Kate Freemer is currently a volunteer for the Brockway Service Unit, she has been a Girl Scout in every capacity since she was a child. In fact, her passion for service has only grown in her almost 40 years with the organization.

Upon graduating high school in 1996, Kate knew immediately that she wanted to become a Girl Scout volunteer—she hit the ground running at Slippery Rock University as a dedicated helper with the campus troop.

After her graduation, she continued volunteering, serving as a troop leader for her daughters’ troops and a service unit manager for the Brockway Service Unit. For Kate, it really comes down to her love of Girl Scouting. Her dedication to the organization and the young women that she helps keeps her going, and it is something that she feels will continue on long into her future. The community support in her area is also something that keeps her coming back.

Girl Scouts has also provided opportunities for Kate that she would never have had otherwise—ever since childhood, she dreamed of going to Juliette Gordon Low’s birthplace. When she visited during her senior year of high school, it moved her to tears. Now, through her volunteering and her daughters’ involvement, she is able to go back again and see her daughters have the same exciting experience.

When asked what she hopes the girls she works with will learn from her, Kate said she is passionate about helping them achieve their dreams.

“I want each girl to learn from me that each girl is their own person. That each girl can be who they want to be when she is older. No dream is too small; reach for the stars. Go after their goals. Use their voice, volunteer, [and] stand up for what you believe in.”

Volunteer Spotlight: Charlene Filsaime

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is honoring the people who keep our community thriving, this month and every month.

Charlene Filsaime has been a Girl Scout volunteer for over a decade. Currently, she is a volunteer in the Penn Wood Hills service unit. She has served as a service unit cookie manager, fall product manager, awards coordinator, delegate, troop leader, and member of the Troop Mentor Network.

A Girl Scout herself in her youth in McKeesport, Charlene began volunteering when the after-school program troop her daughter was a part of could no longer be continued—the parents wanted to keep it going, so it transitioned into a community troop.

“Don’t be afraid to say you can’t do it all! Ask for help. Publicly thank parents or anybody who does anything to help. Saying thank you and acknowledging encourages volunteers. Always take a step back to look at what you are doing!”

For Charlene, a huge part of being a volunteer is uplifting girls to be confident in their own abilities and skills. She believes that good leadership lies in making sure every girl’s voice is heard. In her troop, she makes sure to rotate assignments so every girl gets their turn to lead and try out new skills. From her perspective, a good troop leader should offer guidance and a foundation while letting them make their own choices.

A turning point experience in her volunteer journey was going to the national convention and getting to see how important Girl Scouts is across the country. She says that getting to see the excitement on the national level was something that really inspired her in her own leadership.

As for advice for new leaders, Charlene thinks it’s all about community and asking for help when you need it. “Don’t be afraid to say you can’t do it all! Ask for help. Publicly thank parents or anybody who does anything to help. Saying thank you and acknowledging encourages volunteers. Always take a step back to look at what you are doing!”

Volunteer Spotlight: Mary Ann McSwigan

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is honoring the people who keep our community thriving, this month and every month.

For Mary Ann McSwigan, a commitment to Girl Scouts is something that lasts a lifetime. With both volunteer experience and her own time as a Girl Scout combined, Mary Ann has been involved with Girl Scouts for 50 years.

Like most people, Mary Ann got into Girl Scouts as an adult when her daughter signed up to be a Brownie. The troop needed volunteers to lead, and she took the opportunity. Starting off as a troop leader, Mary Ann has been the service unit manager for the Brentwood Service Unit for 37 years. She also serves on the Adult Award Committee and as a Council Delegate.

“Always remember that Girl Scouting should be fun, not a test or a competition.”
Mary Ann McSwigan

Over her time volunteering, she has seen generations of girls become Girl Scouts and go on to do great things. To her, something that started out as time to spend with her daughter has grown into friends who feel like family and the ability to make a positive change in the lives of the young women around her. As someone who has been involved in the organization for so long, there is a lot of change, which can be challenging. However, Mary Ann’s dedication and spirit have kept her flexible and ready for anything—something that has made her all the more successful.

If there’s one piece of advice Mary Ann has for new leaders or people getting involved in Girl Scouts, it’s the lesson of patience and pride in what you do.

“Always remember that Girl Scouting should be fun, not a test or a competition. It’s not school.” She says, “It’s a chance for girls to make friends and just be themselves while learning how to make the world a better place for themselves and others.”

Sisterhood and Experiences Grow in Service Unit 3605

For Service Unit 3605 out of Erie County, sisterhood goes beyond just girls—volunteers lean on each other so that everyone gets what they need, and, as a result, experiences are easy to come by and rewarding.

For service unit manager Kayla Gabbard, it’s important to view the service unit as a collaborative effort. She says that the way the volunteers interact with each other encourages a similar sisterhood in the girls. To her, these volunteers keep the service unit strong and able to do so much.

“By tunneling into some of the Girl Scout promise with concepts such as using resources wisely, treating others with respect, being a sister to every Girl Scout, and others, [we can] all come together to enhance experiences, and make opportunities easier to provide for the girls.”

Girls in this Erie County service unit have accomplished a great deal, from serving their community to taking fun trips and learning lifesaving skills. They have learned about animals and animal care through the Erie Humane Society, explored the planetarium, and gone camping.

The girls in the area also have had the outstanding opportunity to learn lifesaving skills through the local fire department. They learned basic first aid and CPR, even practicing on a mannequin, and toured the inside of an ambulance to see how it provides lifesaving patient care.

Last year, their local Brownie and Junior troop was working on their Animals badges and learning to care for pets, so they hosted a teddy bear clinic for the younger troops. Some of the younger girls loved it so much that they are now planning one of their own!

In the upcoming year, the girls and volunteers in Service Unit 3605 have big plans to grow in sisterhood and experiences, and they are excited to do it together.