Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • September 25, 2013 Wyckoff Township resident is Gold Award recipient Kaitlyn McWha of Wyckoff recently earned her Girl Scout Gold Award by hosting a benefit talent show that netted $401 for the Center for Food Action in Mahwah. The Center for Food Action provides emergency food packages, rental and utility assistance, counseling, advo- cacy, and other essential services to those in need living in northern New Jersey. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn and requires the completion of a leader- ship project of at least 80 hours. Each girl must discover an issue in the community, connect with experts and community members, and take action to effect positive change. “I wanted to help people in my area who were in need, so the Center for Food Action seemed like the perfect organization to assist,” McWha said. A variety of local bands performed at the talent show, which took place at Indian Hills High School, from which McWha recently graduated. “I learned the importance of helping others in our community and the significance of being a leader,” she said. McWha has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten and is a member of Troop 846. She currently attends Ford- ham University, where she is studying finance. Within Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, 12 per- cent of eligible girls earn their Girl Scout Gold Award, compared to the national average of six percent. Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development program for girls. In Girl Scouts, girls discover them- selves, connect with others, and take action to create positive change in their own communities. For more information about Girl Scouts, call Girl Scouts of North- ern New Jersey at (973) 248-8200. Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey serves 20.5 per- cent of girls ages five through 17 in 160 municipalities including all of Bergen, Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties and the northern half of Warren County. There are currently 33,968 girl members and 17,463 adult members. Kaitlyn McWha