Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails Announces Five Gold Award Recipients

September 18, 2023

Albuquerque, New Mexico, [September 18, 2023] — Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails is thrilled to announce the exceptional achievements of five remarkable young women who have earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. This award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn while in high school, recognizes individuals for their outstanding leadership, organizational skills, and dedication to creating meaningful, lasting change in their communities.

These Gold Award recipients have demonstrated their commitment to making a positive impact by taking on diverse projects that address critical issues and contribute to the betterment of society.

Requirements for earning the Gold Award include a minimum of 80 hours towards a service project that creates sustainable and measurable impact. The following projects showcase the ingenuity, resourcefulness, and passion of New Mexico’s future leaders.

Keely Falardeau of Rio Rancho (Homeschool) focused her Gold Award project on addressing food insecurity in New Mexico. Seed2Need is a non-profit organization in Corrales, NM, dedicated to reducing hunger in our community by growing fresh fruits and vegetables and donating them to local food pantries. In partnership with Seed2Need, Keely led a team that created 162 tree identification signs to make tree maintenance and harvest protocol easier for volunteer field workers. The helpful identification markers have already increased fruit yield and, subsequently, donations to local food banks.

Fallon Setter of Albuquerque (St. Pius High School) created the "Blowing Off Steam" room as a safe space for people to channel their grief and anger constructively. Partnering with The Grief Center of Albuquerque, she designed and developed the space, working with Elite Building Systems to guarantee its safe installation. Additionally, Fallon filled the room with other soft objects like stuffed animals and pillows she made with a group of volunteers.

“Anger can be scary and it’s not always a welcome emotion so knowing that you have a place to let those feelings out is important …We observed that teens and adults were interested in using the Blowing Off Steam room, which was originally envisioned as a space for kids. Now it’s a resource for people of all ages who are experiencing loss.”

Fallon will attend Marquette University in Fall 2023.

Jennifer Schaefer of Bosque Farms (Valencia High School) paid tribute to the environment with her project, the Owl Tree Memorial Plaque. Partnering with the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area, Jennifer commemorated the oldest Cottonwood tree lost to the Big Hole Fire in April 2022. Her project included creating a memorial plaque and developing a fire safety curriculum shared with educators and fire safety professionals.

“This wasn't just an ordinary tree; it was an outdoor classroom where students and educators from the surrounding community came to learn about Cottonwood trees and the other wildlife … The Gold Award taught me that I can do more than I think I can. It helped me grow into myself, become more confident, and talk to others.”

Jennifer will attend University of New Mexico in Fall of 2023.

Sheree Anderson of Rainsville (Mora High School) identified a need for animal care education in rural communities following wildfires. Her project, Sheree’s Horse Clinics, focused on educating individuals about proper care and evacuation procedures for larger animals like horses and livestock. Sheree provided for her project's longevity by training a group of volunteers to continue these clinics.

“This last year I experienced a fire where I live. At the time of the fire, I was not in an area where I could get to my horses. My mom and little brother were home with no horse experience, left frantically not knowing what to do. My horses were left trapped. This was a learning experience for everyone involved.”

Sheree has joined the United States Marine Corps and already departed to begin basic training.

Raven Sillence of Rio Rancho (Homeschool) combined a passion for history and camp to develop a Gold Award project that focuses on the historical preservation of summer camps. Raven led a team of camp staff, alum, and volunteers in uncovering historical documents, reviving forgotten traditions, and creating a preservation guide that's been shared worldwide from New Mexico to Germany! The project also celebrates the role camps of all kinds play in building identity and community. Raven will attend St. Lawrence University in Fall of 2023.

“Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award not only showcases these young women's dedication to improving their communities but also positions them for future success,” said Rebecca Latham, CEO of Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails. “The skills they've developed – from leadership and communication to project management – are invaluable assets as they embark on their academic and professional journeys.”

The achievements of these Gold Award Girl Scouts will be celebrated at a ceremony in December. Quotations from all Gold Award Recipients and Troop Leaders are available on request. For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Makayla Thompson, Older Girl Experience Coordinator, at [email protected].

About Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails

With a presence in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Gallup, Farmington, Las Vegas, and Clovis, Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails is made up of more than 5,000 girls and adults across Central and Northern New Mexico. The council serves these 23 counties: Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Guadalupe, Harding, Los Alamos, McKinley, Mora, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Union, and Valencia. Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails is an independent 501(c)3 organization that, in partnership with Girl Scouts of the USA and 110 other Girl Scout councils, works to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

For additional media inquiries with GSNMT, please contact:

Katrina Montoya
Marketing and Communications Director
[email protected]