It's golden: Fox Chapel senior earns highest honor in Girl Scouts
Eliza Davis got the gold.
The soon-to-be Fox Chapel graduate earned the highest honor with the Girl Scouts — the Gold Award.
In her project to earn the recognition she focused on harm reduction, a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.
Harm reduction works by addressing broader health and social issues through improved policies, programs and practices, Davis said.
She had noticed that the information widely available regarding drug use and addiction was largely limited to the endorsement of complete abstinence and sobriety. An entire portion of the population was being neglected — those who already use drugs.
“When I first began my project, I was unsure of how the Girl Scout organization and wider public would respond to this topic,” said Davis, who graduates June 9. “I was pleasantly surprised at the positive reception and genuine interest in my work on this stigmatized issue. It was gratifying to be recognized along with so many other Girl Scouts trying to make a difference in our communities. I hope my project has shown people that Girl Scouting is more than just selling cookies.”
Davis showed that the organization is about more than Thin Mints and Trefoils as she shared with audiences of all ages practical skills about administering naloxone to respond to opioid overdoses.
Davis, who will be attending American University in Washington, D.C., and was accepted in the three-year Public Health Scholars Program, was honored May 19 at the Gold Award Ceremony and lunch at Atrium in Prospect, Pa.
She received a pin that was presented by Dr. Janet Astle, Davis’ community adviser. Advisers are adults who choose to be on a Girl Scout’s Gold Award team and who have some level of expertise on the issue the project addresses.
Astle is retired from the Duquesne School of Pharmacy and an advocate for Narcan, a brand name of naloxone, as a rescue medication.
Narcan can be purchased over the counter. When administered, it knocks the opioid off the receptor in the brain that controls breathing, Astle said.
Davis and Astle did several presentations, including one at the Fox Chapel Rotary.
The Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA, earned by senior and ambassador Girl Scouts. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts earn the award.
Part of the process involves a minimum of 80 hours dedicated to a project. Davis has exceeded that, said her Girl Scout mentor, Sharon Enslen of Franklin Township, Butler County, who guided Davis through the process. Enslen said the changes these girls can make through these projects can be life-changing.
The journey to the Gold Award took a year and a half, but Davis’ dedication to the organization began at the age of 6. She and her troop members earned a Bronze Award for gathering pet supplies for Animal Friends’ Chow Wagon, which provides pet supplies to food pantries.
For her Silver Award, she and a fellow Girl Scout created a pet enrichment project. In 2019, they held events at churches during blessing of the pets, a doggie swim at a local pool and the end-of-summer reading party at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel.
Each girl had a table and a few enrichment toys they demonstrated how to make using the recycled materials such as toilet paper and paper towel cardboard tubes as well as pipe cleaners and tissue paper.
She also earned other badges along the way.
For the Gold project, Davis made reference cards people can carry with them with opioid overdose signs and how to respond. Davis brought a flyer with important information about Narcan to 20 locations such as libraries, Panera Bread locations, Sheetz and community centers.
The money for the cards came from a grant from the Girl Scouts’ Louise Blackburn Pielmeier Endowment.
“The project you choose has to be something to live on beyond you, and I believe it should be something you are passionate about,” Davis said. “For me, it also inspired my career and will make me better prepared for college. I definitely see the value in all of this. It’s about service and leadership and independence and about trying to make a difference in the world.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 million people have died since 1999 from a drug overdose. In 2021, 106,699 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States.
It all began for Davis when she took lifeguard and first aid training in ninth grade and an emergency medical services course last summer.
Davis calls Narcan a miracle drug that can be used by anyone, anywhere, to save lives. It should be incorporated in regular first aid training, she said.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, “Good Samaritan” laws offer legal protection, or immunity, to those who seek medical attention or administer naloxone to someone experiencing a drug-related overdose and consequently may be at risk of arrest, charge or prosecution for drug-related crimes. These laws aim to reduce fatal overdoses by encouraging people to call 911 if they experience or witness a drug overdose, rather than avoiding law enforcement because of fear of being arrested.
“Eliza has created the resources for people to take steps and be more confident about administering Narcan,” Enslen said. “It’s an uncomfortable topic, but she did an amazing job with it. The Gold Award is a big deal. Girls Scouts is about building women of courage, confidence and character. They become strong leaders.”
Davis said her mother, Bitsy Davis, and co-leader of Troop 52259, Debby Krebs, are role models and have always been there for her during this process. The award can’t happen without the support of so many people, Enslen noted.
That is so true, agreed Amber Carson, who serves as the Girl Scouts’ leadership and award coordinator based near Erie.
“Eliza did an extraordinary job,” Carson said. “She set an example for everyone around her. She learned time management skills and the importance of communication and problem solving.”
Davis also was recognized as the 2024 Girl Scout Humanitarian by Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania and was honored May 15 at the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.
North Allegheny High School’s Sawyer Wright also earned a Gold Award and was honored with the Award of Distinction.
For details about the organization, visit gswpa.org.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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