(above) Katy DaSilva of Long Hill’s Girl Scout Troop 82224, who achieved the highest award possible, the Girl Scout Gold Award.
Kathryn DaSilva Receives Girl Scouts Gold Award
Submitted by Allison Kempe
Congratulations to Kathryn (Katy) DaSilva of Long Hill’s Girl Scout Troop 82224 for achieving the highest award possible – the Girl Scout Gold Award.
For her Gold Award, Katy built a Legacy Wall, now sitting outside the child development center at The Center for Great Expectations (CGE) in Franklin, NJ. The Legacy Wall is a collection of painted tiles that were created by the residents and staff of the CGE, as well as other community members. The wall is displayed outside of “Katy’s Place,” the child development center at CGE.
Katy’s Place is named for Katy Deitchman, Katy’s beloved Auntie Katy, who died in 2003 from a rare form of cancer. The goal of Katy’s project was to help raise awareness for CGE’s mission of caring for homeless pregnant or parenting women and adolescents, and breaking the cycle of trauma, homelessness, abuse, and addiction. By creating the Legacy Wall at The Center for Great Expectations, Katy gave current residents, their children, and supporters of the organization an opportunity to leave their “legacy,” a permanent mark of their involvement and/or support.
Katy has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and hopes to continue her involvement with the Girl Scouts in the future. She also plans to continue her involvement at The Center for Great Expectations.
(above) Katy DaSilva pictured with her completed project, the Legacy Wall.
