SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – South Lake Tahoe Girl Scouts Rylee Fiel and Hudsyn Lew have started a project to remember their friend and fellow scout, Giada Lancellotti. The project is for the Silver Award, the highest honor a Cadette (6th–8th grade) can earn.
The theme of the project is “Drive Safely, Save Lives,” and the girls have created an awareness video and are raising funds to place a remembrance sign at the spot where Gianda died.
Hudsyn and Rylee are eighth graders at South Tahoe Middle School and had been in scouts and school with Giada since Meyers Elementary and the Daisy level of scouting. Giada died on June 7, 2025, after being hit by a car while crossing Lake Tahoe Blvd at Sawmill Pond. She was 13.
“We really miss her, she was awesome and adventurous,” said Rylee (14) and Hudsyn (13), both wearing their pink LLG sweatshirts. “She was a big part of our lives and scouting.”
The LLG logo on the sweatshirts stands for “Live Like Giada.” Besides the sweatshirts, the logo is also on a variety of stickers. Many of the signs being placed around town, highlighting the fundraiser for the memorial sign, have some of those stickers available on them, as well as driver safety cards. The signs have a QR Code for the Venmo account that is collecting donations for the sign (@Dana-Lincoln-5), along with a QR Code that leads to the girls’ safety video (youtube.com/shorts/Zc9Dhwta6s8?si=VPYcgWRlCucpAp2J).
The girls said it’s been almost seven months since the fatal crash, and they said they are frustrated that nothing has been placed at the crosswalk where Giada was hit that either requires drivers to stop, slow down, or be more aware.
They said the first step is a memorial sign to tell drivers to “Please Drive Safely.” They would like to work on getting a stop sign placed there in the future. The sign will be blue in color and have white lettering, a requirement by the county transportation department.
El Dorado County Supervisor Brooke Laine helped Hudsyn and Rylee work on getting the sign requirements from the transportation staff. They said Brooke was very helpful with their idea.
The girls hope to raise $500-$700 for the sign project before their deadline, with any extra funds raised going to their Tahoe Shores Girl Scout troop’s future award projects.
“We knew this had to be done,” said Kylee. The remembrance sign is not only to educate drivers, have them slow down and prevent another death, but also to honor their friend, who they said was adventurous, always outside, and always kind to everyone.
