Saturday, October 3, 2026
Annie Gaudiosi, a Franklin Square teen, hosted Color Your Mind, a group coloring project aimed at stress relief management, at the Franklin Square Public Library on May 21. After Annie enlisted the help of teen volunteers, the students came together and created a colorful banner showcasing the collective effort.
The finished project, completed over the course of four workshops hosted on Mondays at the library, is part of Annie’s Take Action project, a community service-based project completed by Girl Scouts to achieve a Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting.
Annie, a junior at H. Frank Carey High School, was inspired to create the project as a result of her own struggles with mental health, particularly during the pandemic when she was entering junior high school. At the time, all classes were conducted online, as well as all homework assignments.
As a strong student in all subjects, Annie recalled the challenges online learning posed to her during the 2020-21 school year. She felt isolated, intimated by new classmates and curriculum, and anxious due to pressures at home related to sick family members.
“That was really stressful for me,” Annie said. “I was falling asleep in class all the time.”
Luckily, Annie said, once she returned to school from online learning, she quickly found motivation and purpose again. Using creative outlets—art journaling, playing the violin and coloring—she is able to cope with the increasing stresses associated with her school day.
As a teen advocate for Free2Luv, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mental health awareness and removing the stigma around it, Annie has conducted several workshops in an effort to support local teens in the community.
The nonprofit donated the art supplies for the project, including permanent markers and the art mural. Annie then advertised the event at the library, bringing along friends and colleagues who needed volunteer hours in order to graduate.
Annie said she specifically chose coloring because it is a relaxing activity that poses no obligation or deadlines to teens stressed out by the demanding curriculum in school. Rather, Annie said, coloring allows students to quiet their minds and focus on an activity that has no strict instructions.
The banner displays a mosaic-like mural with words of encouragement, such as “kind,” “strong” and “fierce,” reminding volunteers of mental positivity.
Bringing teens together, in person, with a specific purpose, was Annie’s intention for the Color Your Mind workshop. Teamwork has been a crucial skill she has learned participating in the Girl Scouts program since she was in kindergarten, Annie said, and meeting new people with different personalities helps her keep an open perspective.
Mattias Meshesha, Kaleb Davis and Riley Loughlin were among the volunteers who participated in Annie’s event on May 21. All three of them cited community service hours as a major motivating factor for their attendance, but they quickly found the event to be a relaxing experience.
As finals approach, the teens said school has become significantly more stressful compared to the beginning of the school year as more assignments keep piling up. But, coloring helped them clear their minds.
“It’s kind of a nice, relaxing thing for you to do and just decompress,” Riley said.
“It takes the stress from other classes off,” Mattias added.
“It distracts me from all the work I have to do,” Kaleb said. “It’s nice not to think about it for a little while.”
Kim Gaudiosi, Annie’s mother, recalled some teen volunteers showing up to Annie’s first Color Your Mind workshop were shy and hesitant to join the event. However, she said, the teens quickly warmed up to the group and were soon talking and laughing with their friends.
“You can’t beat peer to peer engagement,” Kim said.
While Kim attended the event in support of her daughter, she stressed that Annie truly runs the event herself. Once Annie gets set up for a workshop, she signals to her mother that she can go into the library’s lobby and read her book.
Kim thanked Daphne Levy, the teen services librarian, and Aviva Kane, the library director, for their support of Annie in all her endeavors. The two work together to provide teens like Annie space in the library to host community events.
“This is just a great chance to for them to learn leadership skills,” Kim said of teen volunteers. “If you think about it, going into the real world, they’re going to need those skills.”
Annie said her goal is to pursue forensic psychology in college and work as a therapist in jails or prisons. She’s always felt a pull toward it, Annie said, because she feels as though criminals are not given the resources they need to look after their mental health.
“I feel like a lot of people who are jailed are misunderstood,” Annie said. “I really want to do something with them, and hopefully help or make a difference.”
In order for Annie to receive the Gold Award, she will need to complete a minimum of 80 hours of community service and fill out a report on her work.
Kim said Annie will be hosting a Paws of War event, where teens will have the opportunity to make chew toys for service dogs and learn how to train them, on Monday, June 9 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Teens interested in signing up for the event can visit FranklinSquarePL.org.
