April is Volunteer Appreciation Month. Below you can find different resource to have girls and adults to show their appreciation for all of the hard work Girl Scout Volunteers and Leaders do for them throughout the year. 

Every day, our volunteers provide girls with the environment they need to pursue the interests, causes, and leadership roles that matter most to them. Girls are learning from them that being scientists, CEOs, and advocates for social change are paths they can take to make a difference in the world. Under their guidance, girls are standing up, standing out, and standing tall in every aspect of their lives.

GSNI's Recognition Committee reviews each and every Adult Recognition Nomination that is submitted in mid-February. If you would like to join the Recognition Committee, email Customercare@girlscoutsni.org with the email subject: Recognition Committee.

Those who receive one of our Adult Recognition Awards will be honored at GSNI's Annual Recognition Event each year. 

GSNI's Board of Directors established the Community Partnership Award as a way to recognize special donors or organizations that have significantly supported GSNI to better serve our girls and volunteers. Donors or organizations who recieve this award are recognized at GSNI's Annual Meeting each year in April. 

Nomination is currently OPEN! All nominations must be received by February 28 at 11:59 pm.  

Nomination Form
Past Recipients

Girl Scouts is a place where girls can find their inner leader! Throughout the different levels of Girl Scouting, girls are able to explore what type of leader they are whether it is to lead a group of younger girls during a meeting or in the outdoors. 

Check out GSNI's Community Service Leadership page for a list of different girl leadership awards Girl Scout Juniors through Girl Scout Ambassadors can earn throughout their Girl Scout experience. 

The Volunteer Spotlight Award is a GSNI council staff-nominated award and recognition blog highlighting our exceptional volunteers with a gift and story. This is awarded monthly to volunteers who have contributed outstanding service by either integrating or modeling The Three Processes (girl led, learn by doing, cooperative learning) into their Girl Scout volunteer role, or by going above and beyond the position’s expectations by supporting our council’s mission-delivery goals. 

Past Recipients

Every Girl Scout goes above and beyond to make a difference in her community and the greater world. GSNI takes pride in honoring all of our Girl Scouts who achieves one of our highest awards: Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards.

If you have a girl who is interested in earning one or all three of the highest awards, check our our Highest Awards page to get started! 

Girls who earn the Gold Award are recognized at GSNI's Annual Forever Green Ceremony during the Annual Recognition Event in April every year. 

Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois is a certifying organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award. The President's Volunteer Service Award recognizes United States citizens and lawfully admitted permanent residents of the United States who have achieved the required number of hours of service during a specified time frame. 

Hours are measured over a 12-month period and awards are designated based on cumulative hours. For GSNI, hours must be completed between February 1, 2022 to February 1, 2023 to be honored at GSNI's Annual Recognition Event in April 2023. 

For more information on eligiblity, criteria, hours and timeline for each level of the President's Volunteer Service Award, please download GSNI's President's Volunteer Service Award guidelines and log. 

For questions, please email customercare@girlscoutsni.org with the subject title: President's Volunteer Service Award. 

There are several ways Service Units can recognize their volunteers and girls locally. Below you can find resources for Service Unit Recognition Chairs to share with their Service Unit Teams as they plan their recognition activities for the year. 

If you have an idea on how to recognition volunteers and girls at the service unit level, please submit ideas to customercare@girlscoutsni.org with the subject line: Service Unit Recognition Idea.