Meet Ava, a Teal Hero who is a champion for the food allergy community! Ava recently earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement that honors change makers who make a global impact. Through her service project, “Food Allergy Education,” she set out to teach her community how to prevent anaphylaxis and act in emergency situations. She hosted in-person and virtual workshops at kids camps and Girl Scout events, where participants learned how to use an EpiPen. Ava also created a Girl Scout patch program to help kids learn about food allergies. During her local Fall Festival, she participated in the Teal Pumpkin Project, passing out treats free of the top 9 food allergens and informational flyers with her website. She spoke with the mayor, police officers, and members of her community. Ava used the Girl Scout National Convention as an opportunity to spread allergy awareness, addressing safe allergy substitutes, administering epinephrine, and cross-contact avoidance. This information has empowered families navigating the daunting challenges of a new allergy diagnosis. Congratulations, Ava on your accomplishments! Thank you for your inspirational life-saving work and dedication to create a safer, more inclusive world for all! 🩵 Ava’s website and badge program: https://foodallergygirlscouts.weebly.com #girlscout #girlscouts #girlscoutgoldaward #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardalum #gsgoldawardproject #foodallergy #allergy #allergyfriendly #allergies #foodallergyfriendly #education #educational #allergyeducation #allergyeducationforchildren #allergyeducationforfamilies #allergyawareness #foodallergyawarenessweek #foodallergyawareness #foodallergyawarenessmonth #allergyawarenessweek #allergyawarenessmonth
Celebrating allergy awareness week by highlighting representation of our community in literature. “Allergic” by Megan Wagner Lloyd & Michelle Mee Nutter is a charming coming-of-age graphic novel. This engaging story is told from the perspective of a young girl navigating the physical and emotional challenges of her new allergy diagnosis. Readers with allergies can relate to the struggles of the main character. This book can also serve as a perfect introduction to the allergy world to promote empathy and allyship. If you’re looking for a fun educational tool perfect for all ages, I highly recommend adding this to your Teal Library! #bookclub #bookclubs #foodallergy #allergy #allergyfriendly #allergic #petallergies #petallergies #foodallergies #petallergy #allergyawareness #allergyawarenessweek #allergyawarenessmonth #foodallergyawarenessmonth #foodallergyawarenessweek #gsacpc #girlscouts #girlscout #gsgold #gsgoldawardalum #gsgoldawardproject #gsgoldaward
May is Allergy Awareness Month AND Mental Health Awareness Month! With the growing mental health crisis and allergy epidemic, it is essential to understand how they are connected. Wanting to learn more about my community, I created an anonymous survey, asking my followers about their mental health. My goal was to use the data collected to create visual representations of the psychological toll allergies and intolerances takes on people afflicted and their caregivers. While this survey only represents a small portion of the population, my hope is that this post sparks conversation to motivate change! 🩵 *CORRECTION: On slide 4, the bars for anxiety and post-traumatic stress should be switched. Anxiety was the most commonly reported symptom on the survey. #allergyawareness #allergyawarenessweek #foodallergies #foodallergy #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #foodallergyawarenessmonth #allergyawarenessmonth #gsacpc #girlscout #girlscouts #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardalum #gsgoldawardproject
I hope all who celebrate Passover have enjoyed a safe, healthy holiday this week! Swipe to learn more about hidden allergens found in traditional Passover foods. Reference Taste the Teal’s cross-contact and label reading guides when preparing meals for future guests with allergies. 🩵 #passover #passover2024 #foodallergy #allergy #allergyfriendly #allergyfree #allergyawareness #foodallergyawareness #allergyaware #gsgold #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardalum #gsgoldawardproject #girlscouts #girlscout
Did you know caring for the planet impacts the allergy and asthma community? Swipe to learn how climate change has contributed to the rise in disease, and how collective efforts can make our planet a safer, healthier place to live! Let’s be the change we want to see in the world! 🌎 🩵 I hope everyone had a fun Earth Day celebration! #earthday #earthday2024 #earthday2024🌍 #earthday2024🌎 #earthday2024🌍🏞️🌾🌱🌸 #ecofriendly #environment #environmental #environments #foodallergies #foodallergy #asthma #asthmaawareness #asthmaattack #allergyawareness #allergyfree #allergy #allergies #gsgoldaward #gsgold #gsgoldawardalum #gsgoldawardproject
As the festivities of Eid Al-Fitr come to an end, I hope all who celebrate had a healthy holiday! Swipe to learn about hidden allergens in traditional mealtime staples. Check out the Taste the Teal cross-contact and label reading guide when preparing meals for future guests with allergies. 🩵 Update: My heart goes out to the families affected by the tragedy in Philadelphia. You deserve to celebrate in safety and peace. Sending my love to the community 🧡 #eid #eidmubarak #eid2024 #gsgoldaward #girlscout #girlscouts #gsgoldawardalum
As we celebrate today’s festivities, keep in mind these tips to make the holiday more inclusive to the allergy community. Swipe to learn about the hidden allergens in Easter meals/baskets and discover safer alternatives. Wishing everyone a healthy and “hoppy” Easter! 🐣🐰🌈💐☀️ #easter #easter2024 #foodallergy #allergyawareness #foodallergyawareness #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardalum #gsgoldawards #gsgoldawardproject #girlscouts #girlscout #gsacpc
As we welcome Spring with the beautifully vibrant celebration of Holi, let’s explore ways to make these fun festivities inclusive for everyone! Swipe to learn about the potentially harmful impacts of synthetic dyes, organic eco/allergy-friendly color alternatives, and safe feasting. Wishing the allergy community a healthy holiday! May our hearts be colored with hope! ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🩷🌈 #holi #holi2024 #allergy #allergyfriendly #allergyseason #allergyfree #allergicreaction #allergyawareness #foodallergies #foodallergy #foodallergyawareness #gsgold #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardalum #gsgoldawardproject #girlscouts #gsacpc
Celebrating food allergy awareness month with a new series: Teal Hero Spotlight! Each post will highlight advocates in the food allergy community who are on a mission to make the world a safer place! Our first featured heroes are “Mama Lisa” and “Chef Ned” Heath from @intentionalfoods! The couple started this restaurant in honor of their daughter, who has life-threatening food allergies. Food is a celebratory staple in our culture that unites and heals people. But for the food allergy community, eating out is often a scary and isolating experience. But what IF sharing a meal didn’t have to feel this way? “What IF we could eat everything on the menu? What IF we didn’t have to sit at a separate table? What IF we could gather again with family and friends?” Mama Lisa and Chef Ned were determined to find the solution, creating a café and market completely free of the top 9 allergens! Safety is priority, which is why every product is carefully checked and is sourced from allergy-friendly manufacturers. Guests can enjoy a delicious meal worry-free! Located in Mesa, Arizona, Intentional Foods has become a highly successful operation, earning a spot on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to eat! The couple also recently started the @iffoundationaz which strives to educate the community on food allergies. This past week, they hosted a teal lighting in Downtown Gilbert! In the future, they hope to stock schools with Epinephrine, provide allergy-safe meals to schools and hospitals, host allergy-friendly camps, and equip schools with training on the emergency response to anaphylaxis. Thank you, Mama Lisa and Chef Ned for your dedication to improving the lives of those afflicted with food allergies! You are an inspiration! 🩵 #allergycommunity #allergyhero #allergyheroes #foodallergyawarenessweek #foodallergyawarenessmonth #foodallergy #foodallergies #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardalum #gsgoldawardproject
Safety Saturday: Safety and inclusion starts with education! Check out the Taste the Teal website for our new epinephrine and cross-contact lesson plans! Link in bio! 🩵 #education #teacher #teaching #lesson #lessonplan #lessonplans #lessonplanning #foodallergies #foodallergy #foodallergyawareness #foodallergyawarenessweek #foodallergyawarenessmonth #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardproject #gsgoldawardalum
Be-a-Friend Friday: Food allergies are no joking matter… they can have deadly consequences. Every bite of food has the dangerous potential to trigger a reaction. For those with anaphylaxis, a joyful social gathering could end tragically. Finding safe food needed to survive can be both daunting and exhausting. Society’s negative misconceptions can take an emotional toll on the 32 million Americans who are part of the food allergy community. Having food allergies can be a lonely experience, especially for those who are bullied because of their condition. Swipe to learn more about food allergy bullying, the lives that were devastatingly cut short, and how to stand up for the allergy community! 🩵 #foodallergybullying #foodallergies #foodallergy #foodallergyawareness #foodallergybullyingmuststop #foodallergybullyingisreal #stopbullying #stopbullyingnow #stopbully #foodallergyawarenessweek #foodallergyawarenessmonth #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardalum #gsgoldawardproject
Tribute Thursday: In the United States, an estimated 150 lives are lost to anaphylaxis each year. These heartbreaking tragedies are preventable with awareness and education. Epinephrine should be affordable and accessible to all, restaurants should be properly trained in cross-contact, and everyone should know first aid. Take a look at Taste the Teal’s “Día de los Muertos virtual alter” post. Read their names and keep them in forever your hearts. As we reflect and mourn their loss, let’s honor them by continuing to fight for change. 🩵🕯️ #foodallergyawareness #foodallergies #foodallergy #foodallergyawarenessweek #foodallergyawarenessmonth #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardproject #gsgoldawardalum
Proud Moment! Congratulations to our daughter Angelica Sofia for catapulting Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida @gssefcouncil as finalist for a Non-Profit of the Year Award in the Arts Category with her scout Gold Award Project #GSGoldAward Heart to Art @heart2artt . An accomplishment made possible by dozens of high school students at American Heritage School @americanheritagebroward members of the Heart to Art Club founded by my daughter. Club members teach in-person art lessons at the Boys and Girls Club in Davie and at @westonymca . They also produce short virtual lessons. If you have children in elementary school (great for adults too), check out "Heart to Art Club" American Heritage Schools, Broward Campus learning series on YouTube which now has 31 short lessons with explanations and fun tutorials at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaxSuaXuibQEQcIMD5N9-g @heart2artt #lifeatheritage #americanheritageschools #ahschools #americanheritagebroward #ahbroward #heritagebroward #broward #girlscoutsofamerica #GSGoldAward #gssefgold21 #girlscoutsouthflorida #girlscoutsofamerica #GSGoldAward #gsgoldawardalum #gssefgold21 @gssefcouncil1@westonymca
And just like that, twelve years of selling cookies comes to an end. #girlscoutsofamerica #GSGoldAward #gsgoldawardalum #gssefgold21 @gssefcouncil
Happening Now! Drawing Mona Lisas today in #americanheritagebroward “Heart to Art” club at Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County. Heart to Art also launched a learning series on YouTube which now has 26 lessons with explanations and fun tutorials at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaxSuaXuibQEQcIMD5N9-g @heart2artt #lifeatheritage #americanheritageschools #ahschools #americanheritagebroward #ahbroward #heritagebroward #broward #girlscoutsofamerica #gsgoldawardalum
#sneakerhead #tokenmiami #smallbusinessowner #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardalum #girlscoutsoftropicalflorida
Two years ago Hearts of Gold was launched. I believe Gold Award Girl Scouts are amazing and need their stories shared. Have you listed yet? #gsgoldaward #gsgoldawardalum #showcaseouryouth #maketheworldabetterplace #becauseofgirlscouts #givebacktothecommunity