LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating Alexandra Francis upon the occa-
sion of receiving the distinguished Girl Scout Gold Award, the most
prestigious of Girl Scouting honors

WHEREAS, Alexandra Francis, through her diligence and rigorous efforts,
has achieved Scouting's highest and most prestigious honor, the Girl
Scout Gold Award; the Girl Scout Gold ceremony will be held on Saturday,
June 9, 2012, at the Miller Place Fire Department in Miller Place, New
York; and
WHEREAS, The daughter of Ernie and Yvonne Francis, Alexandra Francis
is a member of Girl Scouts of America Troop 3084 in Miller Place; and
WHEREAS, America has achieved her greatest heights of glory through
the dedication, determination and tireless efforts of the outstanding
citizens of this Nation; and
WHEREAS, It is only with the continued diligence and devotion of our
youth, tomorrow's leaders, that America will maintain her glory; and
WHEREAS, Girl Scouts of America and its members are dedicated to the
development of character and leadership in the youth of this Nation; and
WHEREAS, Since 1980, Senior Girl Scouts have capped their years of
achievement in Girl Scouting with the Girl Scout Gold Award; and
WHEREAS, In order to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a girl must
fulfill five requirements; chief among them is the design and completion
of a Gold Award Project; this project must build upon the interests of
the girl, provide a service to the community, and be of lasting benefit;
and
WHEREAS, For her Gold Award project, Alexandra Francis, working with
Kirsten Nicholas, set up what they called the Awareness and Acceptance
Sanctuary, a picnic area at Mount Sinai Heritage Park which includes a
cemented bench with a plaque reading: "Acceptance is key in life because
everyone is different. Reach out and be a friend, it's the greatest gift
you can give someone."; and
WHEREAS, To help acquire funds to build this sanctuary, Alex and
Kirsten took part in the Mount Sinai Annual Craft Fair; they had their
own table full of photo frames, bracelets, flower pots, and other craft
items they had hand-decorated in accordance with the theme of their
project; and
WHEREAS, They also distributed among the people who attended the craft
fair, who helped set up the picnic area, and who made a purchase at
their cookie booth brochures created by Alex and Kirsten, describing the
purpose of their project and exactly what developmental disabilities
are; and
WHEREAS, The brochures also explained that awareness and acceptance of
developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders, cerebral
palsy, mental retardation, and down syndrome are challenging because of
the escalating rate of young people acquiring these disabilities and
that to accept these special people as they are is challenging in
itself; and
WHEREAS, This outstanding young woman has been involved in Scouting
for years, has lived up to Scouting's ideals and has attained all of the
necessary achievements for the Girl Scout Gold Award; and
WHEREAS, Alexandra Francis is a credit to her family, her school, her
community, her State and her Nation, and no doubt her future will be
filled with accomplishments of equal importance; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations, in
recognition of the significance of this meritorious achievement, to
congratulate and honor Alexandra Francis upon the occasion of her desig-
nation as the recipient of a Girl Scout Gold Award; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Alexandra Francis.