Kelsey Sullivan of Girl Scout Troop 40012 in Davidson County has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a community leadership and service project that focuses on environmental sustainability and helps students learn about growing their own vegetables.
To increase access to fresh food and inform local kids, the Girl Scout Ambassador partnered with American Children’s Home to plant a garden at the facility and give the children there an opportunity to learn how to grow their own food.
“This is an issue because these kids are missing out on life skills, like gardening, that require patience and dedication,” said Sullivan, a Girl Scout of 13 years. “With these resources, the children of the American Children’s Home will be able to explore the experience of growing vegetables, appreciate plants in a new and fun way and enjoy skills that will last a lifetime.”
Kelsey, with help from her team and many community donors, built a fence and inner beds, transported them to the children’s home and inserted the dirt. She also created a binder for the garden that includes information about maintenance and different gardening methods for each crop.
Girls in high school can earn the Girl Scout Gold Award by creating sustainable change on a community or world issue. They address the root cause of a problem, plan and implement innovative solutions to drive change and lead a team of people to success. Each Girl Scout must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and carrying out their project that benefits the community and has a long-lasting impact.
“This project has really opened my eyes to the fact that not everyone is alike in their experiences and backgrounds,” she said. “I truly believe now that it is up to the whole community to work together to support those that need more care than the rest of us.”
Thousands of Girl Scouts across the country earn the Girl Scout Gold Award each year, which first began in 1916 as the Golden Eaglet. Earning the Gold Award opens doors to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college and career opportunities.
For more information about local Girl Scouting and leadership projects like earning a Girl Scout Gold Award, visit www.girlscoutsp2p.org.
Comments are closed.