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.

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.” – 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 18th,  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.

For Troop 60187 in Upper St. Clair, Girl Scout Cookie season is an opportunity to build skills and sisterhood not just among peers, but with younger Girl Scouts, too!

This Allegheny County troop has a yearly mentorship program where older Girl Scouts mentor a younger Girl Scouts Daisies and show them the ropes of cookie season. Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania spoke with Kara B., a Cadette who has spent two cookie seasons in the mentor program, and she had to tell you in her own words what the program means to her.

Be a Cookie Mentor This Year (It’s Fun!)

By: Kara B.
Girl Scout Cadette

My name is Kara, and I am a Girl Scout Cadette with seven years of cookie-selling experience. 

Two years ago, during the 2024 cookie season, I mentored a first-year Girl Scout Daisy who had never sold cookies. It was a fun experience, but also helpful, as most Girl Scout activities are. Me and my (temporary) apprentice went door-to-door in her neighborhood, alternating who sold cookies. I went first, to show her how it’s done, and then I let her try. When it was her turn, I gave her some tips, then stepped back to let her sell. Each time, she got more confident and better at answering questions. And each time, I was proud. In between the houses, I would give her more tips based on how things were going. 

The second time I was a cookie mentor, I went with two Girl Scouts who live around the corner from me. They were nervous, and their troop leader asked if any experienced Girl Scouts would help them go door-to-door. Whenever I’m asked to help a younger girl, I agree. Teaching others helps me feel prepared and confident, too. And it’s not just Daisies who need some help. Brownies sometimes need guidance, or Juniors who are shy can benefit from going with a more outgoing friend to help them get some sales and build their courage up. 

Lots of younger Girl Scouts are excited about the idea of a middle school or high school girl helping them learn the speaking skills they need, but sometimes, very few older girls sign up to be cookie mentors. Maybe they don’t have a lot of free time, or simply feel like they won’t enjoy going door-to-door like they used to when they were younger. But here’s the secret: helping someone else makes everything more fun! It feels great to know that I can teach things I learned when I was a younger Girl Scout, and that their troop will use cookie money to do many of the same activities that I remember doing with my troop. 

I think that more older girls should offer to be cookie mentors—not just because it helps the younger Girl Scouts, but also because it helps us. It improves our leadership skills, and besides, going door-to-door is a lot more fun with a buddy. Even when it’s a younger buddy! Also, it will give you a sense of pride when you see that you helped someone else succeed. Some girls (me included) have confidence in their own skills, but don’t often get to feel the pride or impact of teaching someone else. Being a cookie mentor has been a great way for me to feel that pride, even though I’m still young, too. 

If there’s not an official cookie mentor program in your service unit, consider this your sign to start one this year!

Volunteer Spotlight: Tanya Schwab

For Tanya Schwab, prioritizing her Girl Scouts has been the hallmark of her 15 years as a dedicated volunteer.

Tanya has been a volunteer since 2008, starting as a troop leader in Westmoreland County. She has been an associate cookie manager, associate service unit manager, and camp trainer.

She first signed up to volunteer as a troop leader for her daughters’ education. “I was looking for another opportunity to be able to educate them because I was doing traditional homeschooling. I thought that Girl Scouts would be an awesome way to be able to do that and do things in the community that go toward their homeschool education, and it definitely fulfilled a lot of that for my girls. I was just taking a lot of other Girl Scouts along with us as I was doing it with my own girls.”

For 15 years, she has always focused on the Girl Scouts. “My motto has been for all those years is ‘it’s all about the girls,’” she says.

Tanya continues to volunteer year after year because she sees how impactful her work is. Through her, the girls have learned how to lead and celebrate each other, and they have gotten comfortable with problem-solving.

“I will never forget the summer camp where I sat at a campfire with a leader. I remember her saying that for some of those girls in that troop, this was their summer vacation. Going away for 48 hours to summer camp was their vacation because their families couldn’t take them on a traditional summer vacation. Those are the moments you realize why you’re doing what you’re doing.” Tanya says. The magnitude of that moment really changed the way she thought about her role, and only encouraged her to make these experiences even better for her troop.

I remember the leaders and I got together, and I told them, ‘If we go home, we’re teaching these girls to quit.’ The weather was kind of rough for 24 hours, but we knew it wouldn’t be for the next 48 hours. I said, ‘I don’t really want to do that,’ and they were in agreement with me. And the rest of the trip was fine. The girls had a blast, and to this day, the stories they will tell you . . .

Tanya Schwab

Through troop camping trips, Tanya and her girls have had so many growing and leaning opportunities. They get to learn real-world skills based on their experience. Her favorite memory is of a camping trip to Assateague Island. “We had 23 or 24 of us. Our trip didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to because we had terrible weather and had to move things inland for a day. We got to see the horses, and thankfully, we had no run-ins with the horses eating our food. That was my favorite trip.” Tanya saw the stormy weather as a teaching opportunity for the Girl Scouts, keeping their character and growth in mind.

Tanya says that volunteering is nothing short of rewarding when she sees the Girl Scouts learn and grow. “Every volunteer needs to figure out what their niche is. There are so many ways an adult can help. It’s work, but it’s so much fun, and the awards you get from it, from seeing what the Girl Scouts accomplish, it’s great. It’s wonderful to see that,” she says.


Tanya’s strength and courage continue to inspire and encourage both Girl Scouts and fellow volunteers, and her impact on the Girl Scout community is truly felt throughout her community!

Volunteer Spotlight: Jennifer Mooney

Leading Girl Scout strong in her first year as a volunteer, Jennifer Mooney loves giving
back to her community!

In her first year as a Girl Scout troop leader, Jennifer Mooney has found her passion in
community service and leadership. “It’s been a whirlwind of a year,” she says. Located in Clearfield County, Jennifer leads a multi-level group of Daisies and Brownies. Since completing her first year, she now has more confidence in her abilities to lead and teach her Girl Scout troop.

After her own year of growing and learning in leadership and experience, she has had the joy of seeing her Girl Scouts grow for their first times.

“They are definitely more outgoing, more confident in themselves. They’re really going out of their way to be helpful to each other and to others,” she recalls.

She wants to encourage other new volunteers to never give up, because it is very rewarding. “It takes a lot of energy and motivation and time,” but, she says, “I’m not a quitter.”

Her favorite memory is from Oct. 31, Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low’s birthday. She remembers, “We made homemade ice cream to do that, along with a piñata. We just had a little birthday party at our troop level.” Her memory is as sweet as the homemade vanilla ice cream they made!

“They are definitely more outgoing, more confident in themselves. They’re really going out of their way to be helpful to each other and to others.”

Jennifer Mooney

To encourage her Girl Scouts to give back to the community, Jennifer has organized two meaningful troop projects this year. The first project this summer will be to improve the local cleanliness of one of Pennsylvania’s state parks. She says, “We are going to do a community service project at one of the state parks, where we are going to help them clean up for the spring and summer season.”

The second project is a community collection project to acquire donated supplies and toiletries and give them to local veterans. “There’s a VA clinic that we will be dropping the supplies off with,” she says. “In this day and age, it is so hard to find people to volunteer and give back to their community. That’s one thing that I hope I can get across to them. That’s so important,” she says about her Girl Scouts.

Jennifer enjoys giving back to her community. Through the Girl Scouts, she hopes that she can continue to teach her Girl Scouts a strong love for community service, too.