Two Ambassador Scouts from Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal parish, Ridgewood, received the Gold Award, which is the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.

Josephine O’Malley and  Stefania D’Andrea were among 68 other Girl Scouts who received the honor from the Girl Scout Council of Greater N.Y. On average, only 2% of all Girl Scouts ever achieve this award. It requires the scouts to complete over 80 hours of community service and to lead a community project. ­­­

O’Malley, a Girl Scout for 12 years, is a junior at St. Agnes H.S., College Point. She ran a blood drive with the theme “Every Drop Counts.” The project focused on getting teenagers to become first-time donors and stay donors for life.

Bank of America also awarded O’Malley a $1,500 scholarship to be used for college.

D’Andrea, a Girl Scout for nine years, is a junior at The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates. She started an effort titled “Holiday Mail for Heroes/Give to the Troops.”

She collected donated  items such as socks, phone cards and toothbrushes for the men and women of the military serving overseas. She also asked volunteers to make cards of thanks and well wishes.